Las Vegas 5 day itinerary (for introverts!)

As Las Vegas is synonymous with gambling and partying, you might wonder what it has to offer if that’s not your idea of a good time. In this Las Vegas 5 day itinerary though I’ll detail what I got up to – which didn’t involve getting hammered and spending loads of cash at the casino!  

As well as the main sights, Las Vegas is a good base from which to visit some of the National Parks (including the Grand Canyon) as well as the Hoover Dam. It is also home to some unique museums and interactive art installations, as you’ll see from the below!

(Even if you’re not gambling it is still well worth visiting some of the casino hotels to see the amazing theming – they are also home to shows and museums too). 

Here’s my Las Vegas 5 day itinerary below, along with some travel tips. I should also note that I visited in November, where the days were pleasant but the nights did get a little chilly.

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Getting around Las Vegas without a car

I travelled to Las Vegas without a car and relied mostly on public transport. I would recommend downloading the RTC app, which you can use to purchase bus tickets for travelling up and down the Strip. It was relatively painless to buy tickets using the app and you then just use the QR code when you board.

There are a number of different bus passes you can get, ranging from a single ride ($4 on the Deuce, which is the bus that travels up and down the Strip), to a 24 hour pass which costs $8, to a 3-day pass which costs $20.

A word of warning – do not visit when the Grand Prix is either under way or due to start! When I visited a lot of the Strip was blocked in preparation for the event – meaning that it took hours to get anywhere. As well as that, the installed race seating meant that you couldn’t get a great view of the Bellagio fountains, which was annoying! (I did manage to see them from the Bellagio hotel although the view wasn’t the best).

 

 

Where to stay

You may well have a particular hotel in mind for your stay – for example the The LINQ is cool and chic and in a good location, alternatively you may want Bellagio for a taste of luxury, The Venetian for a gondola cruise, or Luxor for the Ancient Egyptian theming.

One thing to watch out for though is resort fees, which are charged on a nightly basis and can get quite expensive! (We don’t have resort fees in the UK, and city taxes when visiting places in Europe as well as further afield are usually low, hence my shock!)

Location-wise, I stayed near The LINQ, which was a pretty good spot – I could walk south to Bellagio (past the Eiffel Tower), and it wasn’t too long of a bus journey up to Fremont Street to see Old Vegas. To be honest, as long as you stay somewhere along the Strip you won’t have problems with public transport or finding restaurants.

If you don’t have a car there will be a LOT of walking involved by the way (things that look close together on a map most often aren’t), which for me was manageable even if I was pretty knackered at the end of the day. 

 

Day 1: Arrive, explore the area, see some hotels

My flight landed late in the afternoon. Seeing people playing slot machines in the airport was quite the introduction! 

I spent the early evening exploring some of the Strip. Near The LINQ is a shopping area where I found the Ghirardelli shop for a luxury hot chocolate. In this area there’s also a ferris wheel and ziplines up high should you feel brave enough to give them a go! 

I then walked south, visiting the Flamingo hotel (which actually has real live flamingos!) and then crossing over the road to Bellagio. I took some night photos of the Eiffel Tower and Caesars Palace, etc, before calling it a night.

Day 2: Fremont Street, Mob Museum, Neon museum

Early in the morning I took the bus up to Fremont Street, aka Old Vegas. (I did pop in to one of the older casinos but it wasn’t that exciting in comparison to some of the casino hotels I’d gone in the previous evening). I then walked for ten minutes to get to the Mob Museum to learn more about Vegas’ humble beginnings and the rise and decline of the Mob. This place was really interesting – I would definitely recommend visiting.

 

After that I walked to the Neon Museum (you can get your tickets on their website here). The Neon Museum is a boneyard for all the old signs from casinos past, and in November the sun set early so it wasn’t long until I could see all the signs in their full glory. 

Please do take the bus though as it felt very sketchy walking there (it was pretty much chain link fences and dust). On the way back I made sure to get the bus back to Fremont Street, and then another back down the Strip to my hotel. 

Day 3: Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at Area 15, exploring hotels, and a show!

Oh man. Omega Mart was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. This art installation has quite the story behind it and it’s up to you to piece things together as you explore.

What starts out as a slightly quirky supermarket quickly becomes very weird and wonderful, and suddenly you’ve slipped through a fridge to an underground village, from which you climb through a fireplace up to – well, it would be a spoiler if I told you more. That’s just one route though, and there is so much to discover along the way. The art and detail put into everything is incredible, and it’s a bit creepy and very funny in parts too! I had a lot of fun here and would love to visit some of their other installations. 

If I had had more time and money I would definitely have gone to some of the other attractions in Area15 but the price did ramp up quite a bit, even with some of the passes available. You can buy Omega Mart tickets above, or via their website here.

I knew I wanted to catch a show whilst I was in Vegas so that evening I saw Mystere by Cirque du Soleil in the Treasure Island hotel, which was amazing. I was on tenterhooks for some of it!

Day 4: Day trip to Death Valley

It was an early start for this day trip to Death Valley, where I got to see amazing views from up on high, walk the salt flats of Badwater Basin, and see where they filmed some of the scenes from Star Wars. Although it was a long day I definitely needed that trip out into nature and felt much refreshed afterwards! There are a few different Death Valley trips available, including one where you can do some stargazing(!) but you can book the same trip I went on to Death Valley and Rhyolite Ghost Town here. 

 

Day 5: Sphere and mopping up a few last bits in Las Vegas

My flight was later in the evening so I booked the 11:30am showing in the Sphere, which involved a 45 minute meet-and-greet (of sorts) with Orla, an AI-powered android, and then a 50 minute show. I saw Darren Aronofsky’s Postcards from Earth, which was a little heavy-handed in its messaging (and not super cheap) but absolutely worth it – the visuals and perspective you get are stunning. 

I then headed up the Strip one last time and had a look round some of the gift shops. In hindsight I should have gone to the Atomic Museum instead, but I was worried about getting back to the hotel to pick up my suitcase with the Grand Prix being about to start. Those fears were well founded as it ended up being a right faff – luckily I got to the airport on time though!

 

Other Las Vegas options

If I had another couple of days in Las Vegas I would definitely have spent it on trips to see the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, as well as possibly some of the National Parks that are a bit further afield, like Zion National Park.

 

For more inspiration, you can check out my full list of North America travel posts here!