Las Vegas on a Budget
When to go, what’s actually free, and where the resort markup is, so you’re not paying more than you need to.
Las Vegas has a reputation for draining wallets fast, and it can, but the city’s biggest sights, the Bellagio Fountains, the Strip itself, Fremont Street, cost nothing at all. Here’s how to keep the costs down without cutting the trip short.
Visit in summer, or January and August specifically
Summer, June through August, is the cheapest time to visit despite being the least comfortable weather-wise, temperatures regularly exceed 100°F and demand drops accordingly, pushing hotel rates down. If the heat’s a dealbreaker, January and late August specifically are the cheapest windows outside summer, quieter than spring or fall without the worst of the heat.
The best of the Strip costs nothing
The Bellagio Fountains, the Venetian’s canals, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, and simply walking the Strip are all free, and among the best things to do in the whole city. Fremont Street downtown, including the Viva Vision light show overhead, costs nothing to visit either, and gives a completely different, old-school atmosphere to the Strip’s polish.
Walk the Strip, use free monorails where you can
The Strip itself is walkable, if a genuine 4-mile slog end to end, and a free monorail on the west side, run by MGM, links several major properties without cost. The paid monorail on the east side runs faster over longer distances if you’d rather pay a modest daily fare than walk the whole way.
Skip the Strip’s resort restaurants
Celebrity chef restaurants on the Strip come with a genuine resort markup, a short rideshare to Chinatown gets you considerably better value and, by most accounts, better food too. Downtown’s dining scene, around Fremont Street, also runs noticeably cheaper than the Strip while staying properly good, casual spots alongside a few upscale options without the Strip’s prices attached.
Consider Downtown over the Strip
Hotel rooms downtown, around Fremont Street, typically run about half the price of a comparable Strip property, alongside better odds at the tables if gambling’s part of the trip. It’s a shorter rideshare to reach the Strip’s biggest sights, a reasonable trade for the savings if you don’t mind not staying in the middle of the action itself.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
