The Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is a four-mile boulevard in the Nevada desert lined with some of the largest hotels on earth, casino resorts that recreate Venice, Paris, ancient Egypt and New York in dazzling excess. Fountains dance, volcanoes erupt, and the lights never dim, a spectacle of entertainment, gambling, dining and shows unlike anywhere else.

What you actually see

• The Bellagio fountains - the choreographed water-and-light show on the lake.
• The themed megaresorts - Venice, Paris, Caesars and their recreated worlds.
• The shows - the residencies, Cirque du Soleil and headline performers.
• The Sphere and the lights - the vast LED sphere and the neon of the Strip after dark.

When to go

Spring and autumn for pleasant temperatures; summer is fiercely hot, though the resorts are air-conditioned. The Strip is at its most spectacular after dark, all year.

Honest expectations

It is designed to separate you from your money, so it is expensive once you add resort fees, shows and dining, and gambling is a real risk best treated with caution. The desert heat is intense in summer. It is spectacle and excess rather than nature or history, which thrills some and wearies others.

Nearby

The Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Death Valley and Zion are all within reach of the city.