SEE & DO
CRUISE THE STRIP AT NIGHT: Where else
can you find a pyramid-shaped hotel shooting
a beam of light into space, a shimmering, half-
size Eiffel Tower and a thousand dancing, lit-
up fountains, all within a four-mile stroll? Join
the throngs for the must-see, most Vegasy part
of Vegas: the Strip. The bridge linking the MGM
Grand and New York-New York Hotel & Casino
has some of the best views over the cacophony
of neon lights. Next, weave through audacious,
air-conditioned casinos where slot machines
chortle and ping, snapping photos with
costumed staff — from feather-clad dancers to
Roman legionaries. visitlasvegas.com
SEE A SHOW: There’s always something new
on (Katy Perry, Sting and Usher are some of
the musicians set to perform this summer),
but there are classic residencies, too: opt for
magician Criss Angel or the Blue Man Group
for an evening to remember. The five Cirque
du Soleil shows currently playing, each at a
different resort, are unique to Vegas, with
over-the-top, water-based O being the hottest
ticket. caesars.com/planet-hollywood/shows/
criss-angel blueman.com cirquedusoleil.com
EXPERIENCE FREMONT STREET: North
of the Strip in Downtown, this is the original
gambling district — and it could easily feel
like a 1970 s time capsule but for that fact the
world’s largest (1,500ft long) video screen
serves as a canopy, covering all five blocks. The
gambling and entertainment hub capitalises
on the area’s seedy roots: here, electric guitar
players busk next to lingerie-clad women
holding signs proclaiming ‘dances for
cigarettes and vodka’. Continue east, and you’ll
come to the open-air section of the street, the
Fremont East District, which brims with bars
and restaurants. vegasexperience.com
EXPLORE AREA 15 : Discover alternate
universes at this vast, immersive
entertainment zone. They include Omega
Mart, a ‘supermarket’ where a fridge leads to
an alien world of slides and staircases. Expand
your mind in the mirror rooms of Wink World,
or head to Lost Spirits Distillery, where an
immersive distillery tour takes you through a
recreation of 19th-century London. Next door,
newly opened Illuminarium offers virtual
safaris, undersea adventures and more, via
‘video transport technology’. area15.comVISIT ‘FOREIGN CITIES’: Las Vegas serves
up the European dream in spades. Crooning
gondoliers paddle punters past a replica
Saint Mark’s Square at The Venetian Las
Vegas, while at the new Vanderpump à Paris
restaurant at the Paris Las Vegas hotel, settle
into a belle époque sofa for cocktails served in
Louvre Pyramid-shaped glasses. You can also
time travel: sample ancient Rome at Caesars
Palace, or the era of the Egyptian pharaohs at
the Luxor Hotel & Casino. For a conceptual hop
across the US, grab a drink at a corner bar off
Times Square at the New York-New York Hotel
& Casino. venetianlasvegas.com
caesars.com luxor.mgmresorts.com
newyorknewyork.mgmresorts.com
DAY TRIP TO THE HOOVER DAM: This
726ft-high dam provides electricity to around
1.3 million households. Visit the Boulder
City-Hoover Dam Museum before taking a
tour of the inner workings of this engineering
masterpiece. Adjacent Lake Mead has
myriad tours, from cruises on a Mississippi-
style paddle steamer to kayaking. It’s all a
40-minute drive from the Strip.
usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam