The Strip is the start line. The desert is the main event.
Which Grand Canyon rim is worth the drive. What a helicopter over the Strip costs after dark. Whether Hoover Dam fits into a morning. Reviews of the tours you can book from Las Vegas.
Three ways to spend a Vegas day
Hoover Dam, Horseshoe Bend, the Mojave dunes and the High Roller.
Four bookings that suit a first trip to Las Vegas, from a half day out of town to half an hour above the Strip.
01The half dayUltimate VIP Hoover Dam Tour from Las Vegas with LunchThe dam that made the city possible, about 35 miles out, with lunch and the driving done for you. Back on the Strip by the afternoon.
02The long dayLower Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend Day Tour with LunchPage, Arizona and back: the slot canyon in midday light and the river bend from the rim. Leave before dawn and sleep on the ride home.
03The dirtHalf-Day Mojave Desert ATV Tour from Las VegasFour hours on desert tracks in the Mojave, with the skyline shrinking behind you.
04The viewThe High Roller at The LINQ TicketThirty minutes in a glass cabin 550 feet over the Strip. Ride at dusk and you watch the lights come on.
Grand Canyon from Las Vegas: which rim, and how you get there.
Every Las Vegas canyon trip starts with the same decision. Four ways to see it, what each costs to board, and how much of the day goes on the road.
Best of★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · Grand Canyon West, Hoover Dam Stop, Breakfast, Lunch & Skywalk · from $94
The West RimAbout two and a half hours each way. The Skywalk and Eagle Point, on Hualapai land.
The South RimThe national park side and the classic viewpoints. A long day, four and a half hours each way.
By helicopterOver Lake Mead and Hoover Dam to the rim, some landing on the canyon floor.
Antelope and Horseshoe BendThe slot canyons and the river bend at Page. Plan on fifteen hours door to door.
All 65 Grand Canyon days →
Hoover Dam, Red Rock, Valley of Fire: the half days out of Las Vegas.
Red Rock’s scenic loop starts half an hour west of the Strip, Hoover Dam sits 35 miles southeast, and the red sandstone of Valley of Fire is an hour to the northeast. All three get you back in time for dinner and a show.
- 1Ultimate VIP Hoover Dam Tour from Las Vegas with Lunchfrom $59
- 2Scooter Tours of Red Rock Canyonfrom $135
- 3Small Group: Valley of Fire Half Day Tour from Las Vegasfrom $84
Las Vegas after sundown: residencies, magic rooms and the Strip from the air.
The city does its best work at night. Cirque performed over a pool at the Bellagio, a mind-reader at Planet Hollywood, comedy and magic in theatres up and down the Strip. These are the shows that fill first.
The Las Vegas tours travellers book most.
Every Las Vegas tour →The day trips, flights and tickets more people book than anything else in town, and what earns each one its place.
1
Grand Canyon West, Hoover Dam Stop, Breakfast, Lunch & Skywalk
Ride from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West in an air-conditioned coach with a restroom, a guide, breakfast and lunch included. Stops include the Hoover Dam Memorial Bridge and Joshua Tree Forest, followed by free time at Eagle Point and Guano Point. The Skywalk and helicopter flight cost extra. Guides vary, with Pat, Ian, Andrew and Joe among those leading recent trips.
From · $94
Read our review →
2
Half-Day Mojave Desert ATV Tour from Las Vegas
from $100
3
Grand Canyon West Bus Tour with Hoover Dam and Optional Skywalk
from $85
4
Ultimate VIP Hoover Dam Tour from Las Vegas with Lunch
from $59
5
Lower Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend Day Tour with Lunch
from $160
6
Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lunch/Skywalk Options, WiFi
from $90
7
Award Winning 3-Hour Hoover Dam Small Group Mini Tour from Vegas
from $68
8
Grand Canyon West + Hoover Dam Photo Stop + Optional Skywalk Tour
from $95
Three sights the Mojave keeps to itself.
Casino themes travel. A glass walkway over the Grand Canyon, a river cave that glows green and seven painted towers off the interstate do not.
The Skywalk
At Grand Canyon West the Hualapai Tribe built a horseshoe of glass that reaches out past the rim, with nothing but canyon air under the glass at its far edge. It opened in 2007. Phones and cameras go into lockers before you step out, so the pictures come from staff photographers, at a price.
- 1Grand Canyon West, Hoover Dam Stop and Optional Lunch and Skywalk★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 19,535 reviews
- 2Grand Canyon West Bus Tour with Hoover Dam and Optional Skywalk★★★★★★★★★★ 4.0 · 7,224 reviews
- 3Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Lunch/Skywalk Options, WiFi★★★★★★★★★★ 4.6 · 5,521 reviews
The Emerald Cave
Below Hoover Dam the Colorado runs cold and clear between the walls of Black Canyon. Paddle up from Willow Beach and a low cave mouth opens on the Arizona side; when the sun hits the water outside, the light bounces in and turns the whole pool inside a vivid green. Late morning gives the strongest colour.
- 1Half-Day Emerald Cave Kayak Tour with Optional Hotel Pickup★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 4,978 reviews
- 2Emerald Cave Kayak Tour: Scenic Paddle with Optional Shuttle★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 2,858 reviews
- 3Emerald Cave Express Kayak Tour with Scenic & Historic Stops★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 1,522 reviews
Seven Magic Mountains
Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone stacked painted limestone boulders into seven towers, each around thirty feet tall, on a dry lakebed near Jean, south of the city. It went up in 2016 as a temporary installation and the stay keeps getting extended. Go early: by midday there is no shade and a queue for every photo.
- 1Small Group Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, 7 Magic Mountains VIP Tour★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 2,964 reviews
- 2Hoover Dam with Walk On Top Tour and Seven Magic Mountains Stop★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 485 reviews
- 3Hoover Dam Walk-On-Top Tour w/ Seven Magic Mountains & Vegas Sign★★★★★★★★★★ 5.0 · 361 reviews
Las Vegas with dust on your boots.
Dune buggies and ATVs out at Nellis, kayaks below Hoover Dam, a horseback ride into Red Rock as the sun drops. The Mojave turns into a playground once you leave the air conditioning.
All the ATV and buggy tours →
The real price of a day out from Las Vegas.
Every tour on the site, sorted by price. Some of the best hours in town cost less than a buffet.
Observation decks, museum tickets, the High Roller and the cheaper Strip shows.
Hoover Dam half days, ATV runs, Grand Canyon West by coach and most of the big residencies.
Helicopter landings in the canyon, the long day to Antelope Canyon and supercars on the speedway.
Four Vegas plans to lock in before you fly.
Most of Las Vegas can be booked from the hotel lobby the night before. These four run on guided permits, set departures and show calendars that take no notice of your flight times.
- 01Lower Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend Day Tour with LunchLower Antelope Canyon is entered only with a Navajo guide on a set departure, and the midday slots when light reaches the floor go first.
- 02Grand Canyon Deluxe Helicopter Tour with Landing from Las VegasCanyon-floor landings fly a handful of passengers per cabin, seated by weight. Few seats per day, and the late bookers take whatever is left.
- 03“O” by Cirque du Soleil at BellagioEvery Cirque show keeps its own dark nights each week. Check the calendar before you build an evening around one.
- 04Bryce Canyon & Zion National Park from Las Vegas with Lunch, WiFiThe main road through Zion Canyon is closed to private cars for most of the year. A tour or the park shuttle is how you get in.
When Las Vegas reaches 110°F, go at dawn or go indoors.
From June to August an afternoon in the open desert is dangerous, not just uncomfortable. Hike and ride at first light, then spend the hot hours under a roof: an aquarium, a museum, a tower deck high over the Strip with the air conditioning on.
- 1The High Roller at The LINQ Ticketfrom $28
- 2Ticket for ARTE Museum Las Vegasfrom $50
- 3STRAT Tower Observation Deck Ticketfrom $26
Strip, dam, canyon, red rock: the Las Vegas long weekend.
Red Rock Canyon
Valley of Fire
A big showBy place, from the Strip to Page
Freshly reviewed in and around Las Vegas.
Fresh reviews, newest first →
3-Day Ultimate Southwest Bucket List Small Group Tour
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Shuttle between Las Vegas, Bryce, Zion and St George
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Explore Must-See Spots: Las Vegas Strip Walking Tour
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Grand Canyon Heli Tour and Valley of Fire Landing
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