Tour de Vegas

The North Strip - Las Vegas

Psst! There are affiliate links in this post. If you click on those links, I may get a small commission at absolutely no cost to you. And don't worry, the links are all safe!

Lights, camera and long walks – Welcome to Las Vegas people!

I know I was on a considerably long hiatus from blogging since grad-life has started getting to me, but I am back with some party vibes and fun, I guess. I usually write about history, nature or some really pretty but not widely known place of the world – but today I break the trend with a city that literally never sleeps! The desert city of Las Vegas is undoubtedly one of the most famous tourist destinations of the United States and I got to see why during my winter break in December. Though the place invoked some mixed feelings in me.

Bellagio fountains!

Vegas is engineered to lure tourists and mint money in whatever way possible – from world class chefs’ restaurants, to multiple bars in every hotel; from casinos that keep running almost 24x7 to open invite parties at night; from strip clubs to artsy shows; from limousines lined everywhere to tour busses; and of course, the glory of every hotel in making itself as amazing and aligned with its own theme. Sounds fun? Maybe it does, but it didn’t to me so I focused on what I loved the most of the list stated above – architecture, and enjoyed my trip to Vegas to some extent no doubt!    

From the very first glance, one can tell that this place was all about the pomp and the show. We reached Las Vegas at about 7:30, and were all ready to explore the city – at least the North Strip in an hour! Just getting out of our hotel Circus Circus took us about half an hour! The lobbies of the hotels of Vegas are huge and are like a trap for people for all kinds of interests – gambling, parties, food, shopping, and music – and Circus Circus was no different. In our case we also saw a small scale circus during our venture of finding the exit. Carryout food, inexpensive Uber ride and there we were at the start of the strip – Mandalay Bay.

I have to admit; I was in awe of all the structures aka hotels of Vegas. The hotels of Vegas make you a fan of architecture for sure if nothing else and this experience starts with the gates and gargoyles of Mandalay Bay, the luminous pyramid keystone and Egyptian statues of Luxor and the Scottish Kingdom themed hotel Excalibur. 

Excalibur

It feels like you move from an era to another, but unfortunately do not feel the touch of history in any.

Luxor

Soon you get to New York and Paris – both take you to the cities on some funky rides and party nights. New York New York sticks to an image of party and shopping center while Paris gives you the first “real” feel of casino and culinary art in Vegas. But this is all a warm up!

New York New York

While the center area of North Strip gets modern in architectural sense with New York New York, Monte Carlo, MGM, Paris etc., the best of Vegas follows this section and takes you back to some old school architecture treat flavoured with royal essence. Surprisingly this section is the Casino hub of Vegas too but all I could think about was the beautiful interiors and the classic amalgamation of modern and ancient elements of architecture!

Bellagio and the Fountains

Bellagio fountains and the street performers there made the slowly turning dull evening beautiful and vibrant again. 15 mins, different songs and the fountains dance to them. In those 15 minutes, street performers keep you company with dance, music and mime. But if you are not a fan of that either and are there with your partner – well, you will love this place!

Lobby of Caesar's Palace

While Bellagio starts with a touch of Roman Era – Caesar’s Palace just takes you back completely to Caesar’s time in a way. This Greco-Roman hotel is probably the second largest of Vegas and is considered to be one of the most known Casino Hotels of the world! 

Caesar's Palace is like this throughout! 

Caesar Palace’s grandeur is not limited to its casino glory image or external architecture with the King Towers, Roman baths and sculpted fountains – the interiors of this place is a must see! 

Forum Mall

Imagine a hotel that has life size statues of Roman Gods and Kings – sculpted and imported from Italy and has frescos and spiral escalators (not just staircase) – do you want to miss this place? I was in a spell of wonder, but only till the time I reached Venetian though.

The Venetian - the largest hotel of Vegas, second largest in the world – is literally Venice in Vegas and the prettiest hotel on the strip! The gondolas of Great Canal and ornate frescos on the ceiling of the lobby and game area left me speechless. 

Not Venice, it The Venetian

The minute I entered the Grand Canal Shoppes I actually felt like I was in Venice – just prettier and cleaner! Oh and I forgot it was night 1 o clock – thanks to the false 3d sky. (Think Hogwarts Great Hall ceiling) 

It is just 1 o clock at night

Anyways to get a ride of the canal and check out beautiful windows, small but classy shops, cafes and restaurants – there is no way one can hate that right? If you have just an hour to spend in Vegas, you know which hotel to hit.

This is no Roman Palace or Church or Museum

There are more hotels to consider like Mirage – known for its volcano fountain show, Stratosphere which has the second highest thrill ride of the world, Treasure Island and Tropicana etc… but given the contented feeling The Venetian left me with, I decided to retire for the night and end my Tour de Vegas!

Some Tips for First Timers in Vegas!

-        Carry Water with you!

-        Do not take the bus if you are a group of four or more. Ubers in Vegas turn out to be a lot cheaper.

-        The Fountains of Bellagio have fixed timings: - Monday – Friday there is a show every half hour from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. – 12 a.m. while on Saturdays and holidays the show runs every half hour from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. and every 15 minutes from 8 p.m. – 12 p.m.

-        Volcano Shows at Mirage are at 8 and 9 on weekdays and an additional show at 10 happens during weekends and holidays.

-        The Gondola Rides at The Venetian and The Forum Mall at Caesar palace both shut down at 11 p.m. and while you can still walk the gondola ride area at any hour of the day, entry to Forum after hours is not possible.

Accommodation:
Accommodation cost in Vegas ranges from 45-250 per night during Decembers at least. Yup it is relatively cheap! I stayed at Circus Circus in a Two Queens Room that costed 44 USD/night. 

Hope this post does give you some reason to visit Vegas even if casinos and parties are not your thing. Because Las Vegas, no matter how quirky and fancy, gives everyone a reason to visit at least once if not more! 

And yes, I am leaving you guys with "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" performance!