Las Vegas Without a Car: How to Get Around and the Best Hotels for a Car-Free Trip

Getting around Las Vegas without a car is easy as long as your hotel is in the right place. Here’s how the Monorail, the free trams, the Deuce bus, taxis and the Vegas Loop work, and which hotels make a car-free trip simplest.

Do you need a car in Las Vegas?

Not for a Strip-and-Downtown trip. Plenty of visitors still drive: in the LVCVA’s 2025 survey, 45% got around in their own vehicle, while 34% used rideshare and 19% took taxis (respondents could pick more than one). A car mainly adds parking bills: MGM Resorts charges hotel guests $20 a day to self-park, and Waldorf Astoria is valet-only at $45 a day, at last check in October 2026. Our Las Vegas parking fees guide lists every hotel.

A car makes sense for day trips to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or the Grand Canyon, or if you’re staying well off the transit lines. Even then, consider renting for just that day: the airport’s Rent-A-Car Center houses 10 companies, is open 24/7 and has continuous shuttles from the terminals.

Best hotels for getting around Las Vegas without a car

The easiest car-free bases sit on the Monorail. Six center-Strip hotels have a station on site or just across the street, and three more share a free tram. For the bigger picture on neighborhoods, see where to stay in Las Vegas.

Monorail hotels

Hotel	Monorail station	Getting to the platform
Horseshoe Las Vegas	Horseshoe & Paris	Walk through the Horseshoe pool area
Paris Las Vegas	Horseshoe & Paris	Indoors, through Horseshoe
Flamingo Las Vegas	Flamingo & Caesars Palace	East side of the property, through the casino toward the garage
The LINQ Hotel	Harrah’s & The LINQ	Second-floor station between The LINQ and Harrah’s
Harrah’s Las Vegas	Harrah’s & The LINQ	Second floor, shared with The LINQ
Caesars Palace	Flamingo & Caesars Palace	Across Las Vegas Boulevard at Flamingo

Station access is as described by the Las Vegas Monorail and the hotels’ own FAQs.

For the most central base, pick Horseshoe or Paris. They share a station, Horseshoe sits at the Four Corners intersection with pedestrian bridges to Caesars Palace, and Horseshoe’s resort fee ($49.95 + tax per night as of October 2026) undercuts Paris’s ($54.95 + tax). The LINQ and Harrah’s are one stop from the Convention Center, which makes them the convention-week pick, and Flamingo is the budget option with a station on property. Caesars Palace guests cross the boulevard to the Flamingo station.

Free-tram hotels

The free ARIA Express tram links Park MGM, ARIA (at the CityCenter station above the Shops at Crystals) and Bellagio, whose station also serves Vdara. None of these hotels has a Monorail station, so they suit travelers who’ll spend most of their time in that cluster and are happy to walk or take a taxi beyond it.

Walking the Strip: distances, bridges and heat

You can walk the Strip, just not end to end on a whim. For scale, the Monorail’s route alongside it is 3.9 miles, and the resorts are so large that walking between neighbors takes longer than it looks. A few hotels publish walking times:

From	To	Walking time (source)
Harrah’s	The LINQ Hotel	2–3 minutes (Harrah’s FAQ)
Harrah’s	LINQ Promenade and High Roller	5–6 minutes (Harrah’s FAQ)
Harrah’s	Flamingo	5–7 minutes (Harrah’s FAQ)
Harrah’s	Caesars Palace	7–10 minutes (Harrah’s FAQ)
Harrah’s	Sphere	10–15 minutes (Harrah’s FAQ)
The Vanderpump Hotel	Flamingo & Caesars Palace station	About 5–7 minutes (hotel FAQ)
Planet Hollywood	Horseshoe & Paris station	10–15 minutes (hotel FAQ)
The Venetian	Sphere	Roughly 15 minutes (Visit Las Vegas)

Clark County has built pedestrian bridges over Las Vegas Boulevard in the resort corridor to keep walkers out of traffic, and each has ADA-compliant elevators and escalators, which helps with strollers and wheelchairs. More are planned near Resorts World and The LINQ.

Heat changes the math. Las Vegas averages 78 days a year at 100°F or hotter, mostly June through August, and July’s average high is 104.5°F. In summer, save long walks for the evening and let the Monorail and trams do the daytime work.

Las Vegas Monorail: stations, hours and fares

The Las Vegas Monorail runs 3.9 miles parallel to the Strip, behind the east-side resorts, with trains every 4 to 8 minutes and about 15 minutes end to end. Its seven stations, south to north, are MGM Grand; Horseshoe & Paris (the former Bally’s & Paris stop); Flamingo & Caesars Palace; Harrah’s & The LINQ; the Las Vegas Convention Center (Boingo Station); Westgate; and SAHARA.

Trains run daily from 7 a.m., until midnight on Mondays, 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 3 a.m. Friday through Sunday. In late 2026 the system closes early, at midnight, on Oct. 29, Nov. 29–Dec. 2, Dec. 6–10 and Dec. 13–15, and at 1 a.m. on Dec. 3, so check before you count on a late ride.

Ticket	At the station	Online eTicket
1 ride	$6.25	$5.75
1 day	$15.50	$13.95
2 days	$27.00	$24.45
3 days	$33.00	$30.85
4 days	$40.00	$38.10
5 days	$48.25	$45.85
7 days	$64.00	$59.95

Discounted eTickets are sold only online; station machines sell full-price tickets. Multi-day passes run in consecutive 24-hour periods from first use. Children 5 and under ride free, and every station has elevators.

Is the Las Vegas Monorail worth it?

Yes, if your hotel is on the line and you’ll ride at least three times in a day: a $13.95 day pass beats three $5.75 single rides ($17.25). It runs straight to the Convention Center and links MGM Grand with the center and north Strip. Skip it if you’re staying at Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan or Park MGM, which have no station, or if you’re heading Downtown, which it doesn’t serve.

Free trams and shuttles

Two free trams run on the Strip:

• ARIA Express: Park MGM, ARIA and the Shops at Crystals (CityCenter), and Bellagio, whose station also serves Vdara.
• Mandalay Bay tram: Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur.

The tram between Treasure Island and the former Mirage is closed. The Mirage shut in July 2024 and is being rebuilt as Hard Rock Las Vegas, expected in late 2027. Check the posted hours at each tram station before you plan around a late ride.

Downtown has the free Downtown Loop shuttle, which serves the Fremont Street Experience and the Arts District on limited hours that vary. Vegas Loop rides within the Las Vegas Convention Center campus are free too.

The Deuce bus

The RTC’s Deuce is a 24-hour route along the Strip and into Downtown, with buses every 10 to 15 minutes most of the day and every 15 to 20 minutes late at night. A ride costs $4, a 2-hour pass $6, a 24-hour pass $8 and a 3-day pass $20, and children 5 and under ride free. Pay with the rideRTC app, a contactless card or a tap card. If you pay on board you need exact fare, and ticket machines have taken cash only since Nov. 13, 2025.

RTC has proposed raising the single fare to $5 and the 24-hour pass to $10, and dropping the 2-hour and 3-day passes, from Jan. 31, 2027 if its board approves, so check rtcsnv.com before a 2027 trip. The Strip & Downtown Express (SDX) was paused in March 2020 and isn’t in RTC’s current transit guide, so plan on the Deuce. It’s a regular city bus that runs around the clock; late at night, use the same common sense you would on any public transit and keep valuables out of sight.

Taxis and rideshare

You can’t hail a taxi on the street in Las Vegas; use a hotel taxi line or another set pickup point. Every taxi company accepts cards, for a $3 fee. Rideshare pickup at big resorts is often a walk from the casino floor: Caesars Palace’s zone is inside its parking garage, and Paris’s FAQ puts its pickup, on Level 1 of the garage, 8 to 12 minutes from the casino floor. Rideshare prices change with demand, so for airport runs compare the app’s quote with the taxi flat fare below.

Vegas Loop

The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop carries riders through underground tunnels, with trips of 2 to 8 minutes. Its active stations are five at the Las Vegas Convention Center plus Resorts World, Encore, Westgate, Fontainebleau, SAHARA, Turnberry Towers and the airport’s Terminals 1 and 3. Rides within the convention center campus are free; other trips need a ticket, priced in the Vegas Loop app. Airport service is listed as limited and includes a surface-street stretch. The system is built around conventions and the north Strip, and the center and south Strip have no stations.

Airport to hotel without a car

Harry Reid International Airport is about 2 miles from Las Vegas Boulevard, and most hotels are within a 15-minute drive, according to the LVCVA. Through December 2026, allow extra time: the airport connector tunnels have lane closures for repaving.

Taxi zone	Area	Flat fare	Hotels include
Zone 1	Sunset Road to Tropicana Avenue	$22.25	Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand
Zone 2	Tropicana Avenue to Flamingo Road	$26.25	ARIA, Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM, Paris, Horseshoe, Planet Hollywood
Zone 3	Flamingo Road to the STRAT	$30.25	Caesars Palace, Flamingo, The LINQ, Harrah’s, Venetian, Wynn, SAHARA

Flat fares apply to direct trips in both directions, and any extra stop goes on the meter. Add $3 if you pay by card and the 3% excise tax on fares and fees. From 1 a.m. Nov. 19 to noon Nov. 23, 2026 (F1 week), a $15 surcharge applies to airport and Strip-zone trips.

Where to find your ride, per the airport’s taxi page and its rideshare guidance:

• Taxis: Terminal 1, east side of baggage claim outside doors 1–4; Terminal 3, outside baggage claim near door 52 (Level Zero).
• Uber and Lyft: Terminal 1, Level 2 of the parking garage (elevator near Door 2, then the pedestrian bridge); Terminal 3, the Valet Level of the garage.
• Public bus: RTC Route 108 and the Red Line stop at Terminal 1, Level Zero; from Terminal 3, take the inter-terminal shuttle. A 2-hour Strip & All Access pass ($6) also covers a connection to the Deuce.
• Vegas Loop: limited service from Terminals 1 and 3 to the Loop’s convention center and north Strip stations.

Strip to Fremont Street without a car

Downtown is a separate trip, and the Monorail doesn’t go there. Your options:

• The Deuce: 24 hours a day, $4 a ride or $8 for 24 hours.
• Monorail plus a transfer: ride to SAHARA, then take the Deuce or the free Downtown Loop, whose pink-signed stop is in The STRAT’s taxi and rideshare zone (limited hours).
• Taxi or rideshare: Downtown is outside the airport flat-fare zones, so taxis run on the meter.

Once there, the Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment district with free canopy shows on the hour from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. If you’d rather stay Downtown and skip the commute, browse our Downtown Las Vegas hotels or weigh the Strip vs Downtown.

Sphere and day trips without a car

Sphere has no Monorail station. The Venetian connects to it by an indoor bridge through the Venetian Expo, the Monorail lists its Harrah’s & The LINQ station for the Venetian Expo, and Harrah’s FAQ puts Sphere 10 to 15 minutes away on foot. Our guide to hotels near Sphere covers the closest stays.

Day trips are the one place a car earns its keep. Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and the Grand Canyon are beyond the Monorail and the Deuce, so book a tour or rent a car for that day only. On a first visit, our first-timer’s guide covers the rest of the planning.

FAQ

Do you need a car in Las Vegas?

No, not for the Strip or Downtown. The Monorail, two free trams, the 24-hour Deuce bus, taxis and rideshare cover the tourist core, and skipping the car avoids hotel parking fees such as the $20 a day MGM resorts charge hotel guests. Rent one only for day trips to places like Hoover Dam or Red Rock Canyon.

Can you walk the Las Vegas Strip?

Yes, in sections. The resorts are huge, so even neighbors take time: Harrah’s FAQ puts Caesars Palace 7 to 10 minutes away on foot. For longer distances, ride the Monorail, whose parallel route is 3.9 miles, and in summer, when July highs average 104.5°F, do your walking in the evening.

Which hotels are on the Las Vegas Monorail?

Stations serve MGM Grand, Horseshoe and Paris, Flamingo (with Caesars Palace across the street), Harrah’s and The LINQ, the Las Vegas Convention Center, Westgate and SAHARA. Bellagio, ARIA, The Cosmopolitan, Park MGM and The Venetian have no station.

Is there free transportation in Las Vegas?

Some. The ARIA Express tram (Park MGM, ARIA and Bellagio) and the Mandalay Bay tram (Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur) are free, as are the Downtown Loop shuttle and Vegas Loop rides within the convention center campus. The Monorail and the Deuce charge fares.

How do you get from the airport to the Strip without a car?

Taxis are the simplest option: flat fares of $22.25, $26.25 or $30.25 depending on the zone, plus $3 by card and the 3% excise tax. Rideshare picks up in the terminal garages at a price set by the app, and RTC buses (Route 108 and the Red Line) leave from Terminal 1. Most hotels are within a 15-minute drive.