Pre-2010, the query of the place to remain in Las Vegas was a no brainer. Practically everybody inspired guests to remain on the Strip. The Strip had the large resorts and the flamboyant casinos. It had the grand buying malls and the celeb chef eating places. However most significantly, the Strip had a cool issue that the remainder of Las Vegas lacked.
There was merely nowhere else on the planet prefer it.
Not too long ago, issues have been altering.
Downtown Las Vegas, particularly round Fremont Road, has made a critical comeback. Motels equivalent to Circa rival these on the strip, the costs are cheaper, casinos present higher odds, there’s a extra laidback vibe, and curiously, persons are eager for an “previous Las Vegas” expertise.
So, that can assist you select the best space on your journey, we’re going to provide you a easy breakdown of the professionals and cons of staying on the Strip vs Downtown Las Vegas.
This can be a lengthy learn, and should you’re in a rush, right here’s a fast abstract:
| Function | The Strip | Downtown Las Vegas |
| Lodge Costs | Costly, larger resort charges | Extra inexpensive, decrease resort charges |
| Vibe | Flashy, touristy, larger-than-life, caters to all audiences | Laid-back, old-school, extra native really feel, can get rowdy into the evening |
| Leisure | Massive exhibits, live shows, well-known nightclubs | Dwell music, bars, Fremont Road enjoyable |
| Meals & Eating | Michelin stars, celeb cooks, world-class | Informal, native spots, cheaper eats |
| Walkability | Lengthy walks, crowded sidewalks, unfold out | Tremendous walkable, compact, straightforward to discover |
| Playing | Greater minimums, glitzy casinos | Higher odds, decrease desk minimums |
| Greatest For | First-timers, luxurious stays, basic Vegas | Finances journeys, good friend teams, informal stays |
Now that you just’ve seen a fast abstract, let’s evaluation the professionals and cons of each the Strip and Downtown Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Strip: Execs & Cons
Iconic Resorts In every single place You Look, However They’re Not Low-cost
The Professional:
Staying on the Strip means being surrounded by among the most well-known motels on the planet. Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, Wynn, and The Cosmopolitan, simply to call a number of.
These aren’t simply locations to sleep. They’re locations in their very own proper.
You possibly can wander by an indoor canal at The Venetian, catch the Bellagio fountains dancing to music, or snap a photograph in entrance of Paris Las Vegas’ Eiffel Tower, all with out leaving Las Vegas Boulevard.
The Strip remains to be house to the big-name, bucket-list motels that most individuals affiliate with Vegas.
The Con:
These motels will not be low-cost. In fact, staying in one in every of these iconic resorts comes at a value, often a reasonably steep one.
Particularly should you’re visiting throughout the vacation season or for a serious occasion.
Even the budget-friendly motels on the Strip can add up.
Once you add in all of the extras, your nightly keep can shortly balloon properly past the marketed charge.
Leisure In every single place, However Crowds Come With It
The Professional:
In case your thought of a Vegas journey includes seeing a present, catching a live performance, or dancing till the early hours, then staying on the Strip places all of that proper at the doorstep.
That is the place you’ll discover Cirque du Soleil productions, headliner residencies, the Sphere, magic exhibits, stand-up comedy, and world-famous nightclubs.
Virtually each resort has one thing happening, from reside music to each sort of present you possibly can consider.
Merely put, no different a part of Las Vegas competes with the Strip relating to big-budget leisure.
The Con:
The Strip is constructed for spectacle, not velocity.
Motels are huge. Sights are unfold out. Sidewalks are sometimes filled with vacationers, avenue performers, and other people simply making an attempt to get from level A to B.
Even strolling to the resort subsequent door would possibly imply a 15-minute trek involving escalators, pedestrian bridges, or weaving by on line casino flooring.
And if there’s a giant occasion on the town? Prepare for strains, crowds, and presumably even surge pricing on rideshares.
Eating Is Out Of This World, However So Are The Costs
The Professional:
Should you care about meals, The Strip is the place Vegas actually shines.
That is the place you’ll discover Michelin-starred eating places, celeb cooks like Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, and José Andrés, and nearly each sort of delicacies you possibly can consider. There’s upscale omakase at Nobu, basic steaks at SW Steakhouse, and wildly indulgent consolation meals at locations like Man Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen.
It’s one of many few locations on the planet the place you possibly can eat like royalty each evening, in case your pockets can deal with it.
The Con:
Consuming on The Strip Provides Up Quick. Whereas there are many unbelievable meals available, The Strip isn’t precisely identified for being budget-friendly.
Breakfast for 2 at an off-the-cuff cafe can simply hit $60. Dinner at a pleasant restaurant usually begins at $100 per particular person, earlier than drinks or tip.
Even grabbing a slice of pizza or a fast espresso will doubtless price greater than you’re used to.
Right here’s a picture that was shared on Reddit of Starbucks’ espresso menu on the Flamingo location.
All the pieces Feels Bigger Than Life, However Undoubtedly Vacationer-Centric
The Professional:
No person does over-the-top just like the Las Vegas Strip.
All the pieces right here feels prefer it was designed to impress (or overwhelm). For that purpose, for first-time guests, staying on the Strip simply is sensible.
It places you proper within the coronary heart of the motion, surrounded by the motels, casinos, and points of interest Las Vegas is known for.
The motels are monumental. The lights are blinding, and the casinos by no means sleep.
Even the people-watching can really feel like a part of the leisure.
For a lot of guests, that’s precisely the purpose. The Strip delivers that basic, larger-than-life Vegas expertise folks dream about.
It’s enjoyable, wild, and in contrast to anyplace else on the planet.
The Con:
The Strip isn’t actually the place locals hang around. It’s constructed for guests.
Anticipate packed sidewalks, larger costs on every thing, avenue distributors promoting you glow-in-the-dark gear, and costumed characters in search of suggestions each few toes.
The power is electrical, however it’s additionally chaotic.
Execs & Cons of Staying in Downtown Las Vegas
Motels Are Extra Reasonably priced, However Much less Flashy
The Professional:
One of many greatest attracts of staying Downtown is the value.
Lodge charges are sometimes cheaper than The Strip, and resort charges are typically decrease too. It’s commonplace to seek out rooms at basic spots like Golden Nugget, Fremont Lodge, or Downtown Grand for a fraction of what you’d pay at a Strip resort.
Our research discovered that the common room value on the Strip is $204.22 per evening, whereas the common value of a room in Downtown Las Vegas is $104.25.
Circa has introduced a extra trendy attraction, it’s the flashiest resort in Downtown. It arguably has the very best pool space (pictured beneath), however most motels listed here are smaller, older, and extra simple.
The Con:
You’re buying and selling luxurious for worth. Aside from the Circa, Downtown motels often can’t compete with the dimensions, luxurious, or wow issue of Strip resorts.
Rooms are extra fundamental. Swimming pools are smaller. And plenty of Downtown properties present their age
If staying someplace over-the-top is a part of your Vegas dream, Downtown would possibly really feel a bit of underwhelming.
Playing Odds Are Higher, However The On line casino Scene Feels Outdated-Faculty
The Professional:
Ask any seasoned Vegas gambler the place to seek out higher odds, and Downtown nearly all the time comes up
Many Fremont Road casinos nonetheless provide decrease desk minimums, higher blackjack guidelines, and extra player-friendly odds on video games like craps or roulette.
The Con:
Whereas the chances may be higher, the on line casino vibe Downtown is totally totally different from the Strip.
It’s old-school, generally in a great way, generally in a worn-down manner. The power feels extra informal.
If you would like large, glitzy on line casino flooring with state-of-the-art every thing, The Strip remains to be king.
All the pieces Is Walkable, However The Social gathering Scene Isn’t For Everybody
The Professional:
One among Downtown’s greatest strengths is how compact it’s.
Most motels, casinos, bars, and eating places are inside a couple of minutes’ stroll of one another. No 30-minute treks between properties. No loopy Strip site visitors.
Fremont Road itself is mainly one large, wild, open-air social gathering. You’ll discover reside music, avenue performers, and a digital mild present overhead each evening.
The Con:
It will possibly get rowdy. The Fremont Road Expertise isn’t precisely delicate. Loud music, giant crowds, avenue performers, and plenty of late-night ingesting are all a part of the vibe. For some, that’s the enjoyable of it.
For others, particularly households, it might really feel chaotic or overwhelming after darkish.
Meals & Drink Are Cheaper, However With Much less Selection
The Professional:
Downtown Las Vegas has come a good distance lately relating to food and drinks.
Fremont East, specifically, is house to some improbable native eating places, craft cocktail bars, and informal eating choices.
Eating places like Esther’s Kitchen in Downtown (pictured beneath) even made it to our listing of the greatest Brunch spots in Las Vegas.
You’ll usually pay loads much less for meals and drinks Downtown in comparison with the Strip, and the meals scene feels a bit of extra native, rather less company.
We’ve truly put collectively a useful information that talks concerning the greatest off-Strip eating places in Las Vegas.
The Con:
Whereas Downtown has nice spots like Le Thai, Carson Kitchen, and Remedy, it doesn’t have the sheer quantity or star energy of Strip eating. You received’t discover the number of Michelin stars or celeb chef empires right here (a minimum of not but).
Excellent should you’re after informal, enjoyable, and inexpensive. But when effective eating is a giant a part of your Vegas journey, the Strip wins.
So… The place Ought to You Keep?
Selecting between the Strip and Downtown actually simply comes all the way down to the kind of Vegas journey you need.
If it’s your first time in Las Vegas, otherwise you need the total glitz-and-glamour expertise, the Strip might be the place you’ll wish to be.
The motels are iconic, the leisure is nonstop, and every thing feels large and daring.
However should you’re after cheaper motels, higher playing odds, and a extra informal, native vibe, Downtown Las Vegas is difficult to beat. It’s simpler to get round, simpler on the pockets, and delivers a totally totally different aspect of town.
Both manner, the excellent news is you possibly can’t actually go incorrect. And irrespective of the place you keep, you possibly can (and will) all the time discover each. It’s all a part of the enjoyable.
Even higher information is that irrespective of the place you select to remain, we may help you discover the greatest resort offers for the Strip or in Downtown Las Vegas.
