Nevada

LAS VEGAS, NV
Las Vegas
2016
in its neon glow. If you plan to spend most of your time on the
Strip, a car may not be worth the trouble, but if you plan on seeing
the sights in and around Las Vegas, renting or bringing a car is a
good idea.
Parking on and around the Strip, although free, can require a
bit of work. You’ll have to brave some rather immense parking
structures. Parking at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino is
complimentary for hotel guests! Valet parking is available but
can take a while at busy times and requires that you tip the valets
($2 to $3). Still, it’s usually less expensive to rent a car and drive
around Vegas, or to use the monorail (or even—gasp!—to walk),
than to cab it everywhere.
By Taxi
One of the easiest ways to get around is by taxi. It is relatively
cheap to go from hotel to hotel, but be aware that since traffic
is often so congested on the strip, taking a taxi often isn’t much
faster than walking. The taxi driver is required to use the meter
and to take the shortest route to your destination. There is a
surcharge for rides originating at the airport, but not for extra
passengers. Taxi lines (queues) are typically found at the front of
hotels. Cabs aren’t allowed to pick up passengers on the street, so
you can’t hail a cab New York–style. You have to wait in a hotel
taxi line or call a cab company. If you dine at a restaurant off the
Strip, the restaurant will call a cab to take you home.
Fares
The fare is $3.30 on the meter when you get in and 20¢ for
every 1/13th mile (there’s also a $30 per-hour charge for
waiting). Taxis are limited by law to carrying a maximum of
four passengers, and there’s no additional charge per person.
No fees are assessed for luggage, but taxis leaving the airport
are allowed to add an airport surcharge of $2. The trip from the
airport to most hotels on the south end of the Strip should cost
about $13 to $16, to the north end of the Strip about $16 to $27,
and to Downtown about $22 to $26.
Tipping
Drivers should be tipped around 15% to 18% for good service.
Some drivers can’t accept credit cards (and those that do
usually add a surcharge); all drivers carry only nominal change
with them.
Suggested Routes
Be sure to specify to your driver that you don’t want to take
Interstate 15 or the airport tunnel on your way to or from the
airport. This is always the longer route distance-wise, which
means it’s the most expensive, but it can sometimes save you 5
to 10 minutes on the trip if traffic is heavy on the Strip. Drivers
who take passengers through the airport tunnel without asking
are committing an illegal practice known as “long-hauling.”
When you get in the taxi, tell the driver you want to be taken
to your hotel via Swenson Avenue, NOT, the airport tunnel.
The airport tunnel may seem faster because it connects to the
freeway and has fewer lights, but the route is several miles
longer resulting in cab fares that are $5 to $10 more. Besides, if
you hit the airport tunnel route during rush hour (8:00 a.m.-
10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.), any time savings you gain
using the freeway will disappear in the exhaust of the morning
or evening commute. So say NO to the airport tunnel (the only
tunnel in Vegas) and use the extra cash for an extra cocktail
instead.
By Shuttle Van
Shuttle service is often shared with other riders, and costs $6 to $8
per person to the Strip, $9 to $15 to Downtown, and $12 to $33
to outlying casinos (excluding tips). The vans wait for passengers
outside the terminal in marked areas. Because the vans often
make numerous stops at different hotels, it’s not the best means
of transportation if you’re in a hurry. For round-trip service, save
time and money by booking online and printing out your vouchers
beforehand.
Sources:
AARP: http://travel.aarp.org/destinations/united-states/lasvegas/travel-tips/air-travel/
Frommers: www.frommers.com/destinations/las-vegas/
Travel Nevada: http://travelnevada.com/
WikiTravel: http://wikitravel.org/en/Las_Vegas
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