Las Vegas, ? Car

[MICOL]

Do you need a rental car if you stay on the main Strip? How much does it cost to get back and forth from the Airport. I know the Strip has busses and a monorail.

 

[mommasita]

We never rented. The taxi was about 10 to 15$, depending on the traffic volume..

We walked the strip back and forth..Long, but fun..I LOVE VEGAS

 

[pearlieq]

It depends on when you're going. If you're going to be there in winter, spring, or fall, you may be able to get by without a car if you don't intend to go off-strip much.

If you're going in July and the daytime high is 108, the car sure is nice! Being outside any longer than necessary, either walking or at a bus stop, is icky.

Don't count too much on the monorail. It's expensive and not very convenient. It only runs down the East side of the strip, so you're in for a long walk if you're trying to go somewhere on the West side. Plus the stops are really, really far away. There's a sign in the Paris lobby saying that the monorail stop is 2 miles away. They aren't kidding.

Cabs from the airport to the strip cost between $12 - $18 depending on how far North you are. Don't let the driver take you through the airport tunnel--it's just a rip off to get extra money out of tourists.

 

[justplaingoofy]

NO....no car...

We take a taxi from airport to hotel.

There are transfers you can purchase, but its not much more to just get a taxi and not have to worry about waiting for others and making additional stops.

 

[Kae]

We have never rented a car in Vegas. You will be surprised how close the airport is to the strip. I think we paid about 15 with tip. some hotels have shuttles & airport check in for the hotel. I am pretty sure MGM does.

Kae

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

Taxis or the monorail here, too! We go every year for 5 days for work.

 

[lovingthemouse]

We had a car rental in Feb- mostly a waste of money! Thanks heavens the rate was low, but we could have spent nothing. There is so much transportation available, including the monorail!! Have a great time.

 

[justplaingoofy]

oops....forgot to mention..

If you decide to do day trip or something you should be able to line up a car rental right at your hotel for the day.

 

[MICOL]

The car would be about $125. I heard you do not need one but I knew my Dis Friends would know for sure!!!

 

[Chris2597]

On our last trip to LV we rented a car and it was the best decision of the trip. We had not gotten a car on previous trips and felt like all we did was walk and walk, which is ok but in the heat of the summer it is exhausting. We rented through the airline and it was very reasonable and there are huge free parking garages in every hotel. We couldnt believe how much time we spent walking to hotels, waiting for the city bus or a taxi. We just zipped around in our rental and were able to go to so many additional places that we had not been to previously. We went to Hoover Dam on afternoon and to Red Rock Canyon another afternoon. We will always rent a car in LV.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

We always rent a car in Vegas too. I'm not willing to wait for a cab when that 2am In-N-Out craving hits!

 

[Honu]

We never used to get a car, but the lines for taxis at the resorts have gotten completely insane. One time we waited almost 3 hours at the Venetian. Lines for taxis after a show let out are similar. It's just not how I want to spend my vacation time. We could walk, but after missing a flight home due to a line we always get a car now.

We also like to go to some restaurants off the strip.

 

[LuvTigger]

I am a frequent Vegas traveler, and I think it really depends what you plan to do. If you plan to just spend all your time on the Strip, then you can get by without a car. However, if you want to go and explore other sights, go shopping at other malls, etc., you probably would do better with a rental car.

Las Vegas is relatively easy to get around, parking is free almost everywhere, and there really is a lot to see outside of the Strip. (Traffic on the Strip can be a bear though...it's helpful if you learn some of the back roads and back entrances to hotel parking if you do decide to rent a car.)

 

[Anewman]

We DRIVE to Vegas(we are from LA), and once there the car is seldom touched.

We take cabs and they leave you right at main entrance everywhere you are going. If you park the car yourself those parking garages are huge so expect a long walk, if you Valet you will end up tipping just as much as a cab would have cost and sometimes the valet is full. Plus the cab drivers know the quikest ways to get to your destination.

 

[ZekeKelso]

You don't need a rental car in Vegas. That said, I almost always get one.

Getting a car opens up a world of off strip opportunities: great restaurants, shopping, gambling and nature. Yes, there are restaurants, shopping and gambling on the strip, but the folks on the strip know they have a captive audience and don't always provide the best service and pricing. Sometimes it's nice to get away from all that. And if you want to get out and see some nature - Red Rock Canyon, Mt Charleston, etc. a car is really the way to go.

Cab between the airport and strip resorts will run you about $15 with tip. Cabs between resorts on the strip are about $10. Unless you are staying at one of the resorts with a monorail stop, the monorail isn't a good transportation option. You have to take long walks through the casino to get to the station. The Deuce bus is $5 a day and does make for good cheap transportation up and down the strip.

 

[MICOL]

I see some say yes and some say no car and I see the benefits of both options. With the car you have control but it may be nice not to drive at all.

 

[sasha]

No. No car needed in my opinion.

DH & I just got back from Las Vegas last night and we almost rented a car before our trip, but we said to each other SEVERAL times during our trip that we're so glad we didn't rent a car. The reason is there is so much traffic on the strip and it would've been awful fighting the traffic. If you're planning on spending most of your time on the strip you definitely don't need a car. We took a shuttle from the airport to our hotel which cost us $5.50 each. It was called Showtime Shuttle and there were several that were waiting as soon as we walked outside of the airport. Then to get around the strip we took a bus called "Deuce" to all of the hotels. It only costs $5 for a 24-hour period and they constantly come by. We never had to wait for the bus. Everytime we went to a Deuce bus stop there was one there and another one right behind it. That being said, we still did a lot of walking. My advice to you is to take comfortable shoes and expect aching feet at the end of the day.

Another thing, I know you were thinking about staying at IP, but if you can get another hotel for a similar price I would say do that. When we went by IP it appeared to be even more run-down than I remember. It looks pretty dumpy. We were very happy with our stay at the Monte Carlo. As I said in my other post, the room was only $69 and it was a beautiful and very clean room. We asked if we could have a room away from the construction noise and they accommodated us. We couldn't hear any construction noise at all and even got to sleep in (a first for us). I remember other people recommended that you try the Flamingo Hilton or Bally's. Those are both in great locations (mid-strip) and they seem nice. We didn't go into Flamingo, but we did go into Bally's because it's connected to the Paris Hotel and we were surprised at how nice the lobby & casino were.

Have fun planning your trip and please let me know if I can answer any questions you may have.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

We do not rent a car. Cab from the airport is $15ish with tip. We will also cab from one end to the other for $8-10. Still beats the cost of a rental for us. If we ever stay longer than 3 nights or for a business trip, then I want to rent a car and explore the area.

 

[LoraJ]

We always rent a car.

One time we were there, I had friends staying there at the same time, except they stayed one day less. My one friend paid $90 in cabs alone (she didn't always cab with the other girls in her party, i think the 3 of them combined spent over $200 in cabs. Our car was $100 or so). They would often have to wait 20 minutes for a cab in a long line.

Parking was free just about everywhere. We love to casino hop and go to the Freemont Experience. Just so much easier with a car.

And we don't drive on the strip. We use the service roads.

 

[sasha]

Oops, meant to start a new thread. Just ignore this post. Sorry....