Excalibur Las Vegas Layout: The Two-Level Castle on the South Strip

Quick summary: Most people who get lost in Excalibur aren't lost — they're on the wrong floor. The castle runs on two levels. The upper Castle Walk level holds the 20,000 sq ft food court, the shops, the Tournament of Kings arena, and the indoor walkway to Luxor at the south end. The casino floor, registration, and bars sit one level below, fed by the Strip-side castle entrance (moat, drawbridge, turrets). Come off the Luxor walkway and the casino is beneath you; come in from the Strip and the food court is above you — that mismatch is the whole confusion. Four 28-story towers (~3,981 rooms) ring a 92,389 sq ft casino; parking is at the rear off Reno Avenue, and the elevated pedestrian bridges to New York-New York and MGM Grand meet the property at its north end.

Excalibur opened in June 1990 as one of the original Las Vegas megaresorts — for three years it was the largest hotel on Earth, until the MGM Grand took the title in 1993. The medieval-castle theme is the part everyone remembers, but the part that actually matters for finding your room, your dinner, or the gaming floor is far simpler: figure out which of the two levels you're standing on, then move between them with the escalators and elevators.

Once you think in two levels, Excalibur is one of the easier big properties to navigate. The footprint is compact, the casino is a single room, and the towers cluster tightly. The mistakes happen in the gap between the levels — hunting for the food court from the casino floor (it's a floor up) or looking for the casino from the food court (it's a floor down).

Excalibur Layout: A Castle on Two Levels

Excalibur sits on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard at the south corner of the Tropicana Avenue intersection. From the Strip you enter through the castle facade — the moat, drawbridge, and turrets — straight onto the casino floor. But the food court and the walkway to Luxor are a level above that. Treat the property as two stacked floors connected by escalators and elevators:

The two levels, and how you know which one you're on

Casino level (lower). The gaming floor, hotel registration, the sportsbook, and most bars. This is where the Strip-side castle entrance lets you in. If you can see slot machines and the front desk, you're on the casino level.

Castle Walk level (upper, second floor). The food court, the Castle Walk shops, the Tournament of Kings arena, and the enclosed indoor walkway to Luxor at the south end. If you can see the food court or you just came off the Luxor walkway, you're on the Castle Walk level, and the casino is one floor down.

The casino is one floor. The trick is being on it.

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Finding What You Need

The casino floor and hotel check-in

Both are on the lower casino level, fed by the Strip-side castle entrance. Hotel registration is on this floor near the gaming area, so if you arrive on the Castle Walk level — off the Luxor walkway or by way of the food court — head down one level to check in. Once you have your room, find your tower's elevator core off the casino level: Excalibur's four 28-story towers cluster behind and around the gaming floor.

The Castle Walk level: food court, shops, and the show

The upper Castle Walk level is the property's busiest crossroads. The Castle Walk food court — about 20,000 square feet, one of the larger ones on the Strip — runs along this floor, alongside the Castle Walk retail shops. The Tournament of Kings dinner arena, the Strip's longest-running dinner show, is on this level too, in a roughly 900-seat theater with a dirt jousting floor. Because the enclosed walkway to Luxor also lands here at the south end, expect foot traffic on this level to be heaviest.

Restaurants

Excalibur's dining splits the way the property does. Quick and casual lives on the Castle Walk level in and around the food court; sit-down restaurants and bars are spread across the casino level. As with everything here, “which restaurant” usually comes down to “which level” — check whether your destination is up on Castle Walk or down on the casino floor before you start walking, and use the escalators between them rather than circling one floor.

Shows and entertainment

The headline venue is the Tournament of Kings dinner arena on the Castle Walk level. Excalibur's other resident shows — including the long-running Thunder from Down Under revue in the Thunderland Showroom and a rotating lineup of comedy and tribute acts — play in showrooms off the casino level. Follow the theater signage from the gaming floor rather than circling the towers, and on show nights budget extra time if you're coming from a far tower or the rear garage.

The pool

Excalibur's pool deck is on the property's upper outdoor level, reached from the tower elevators rather than straight off the casino floor — follow Pool signage from your tower's elevator core. Pool access is for hotel guests. As with the showrooms, it's a longer walk from the Strip-side casino floor than the building's frontage suggests, so allow a few extra minutes.

Restrooms

Casino-floor restrooms cluster around the central gaming area and along the corridors toward the towers. On the Castle Walk level, the nearest restrooms are by the food court. If you're turned around, the gaming floor and the food court are the two reliable anchors to head for — restrooms are near both.

Getting Around: Entrances, Parking, and the Tram

Strip-side entrance

The main entrance and porte cochere face Las Vegas Boulevard through the castle facade — the moat, drawbridge, and turrets are the unmistakable Strip landmark. This entrance feeds directly onto the casino level and is the most direct way to the gaming floor, the sportsbook, and hotel registration.

Self-parking and valet

Self-parking is in covered garages at the rear of the property off Reno Avenue, behind the resort away from the Strip — the main structure runs about eight levels. Valet is at the main entrance on the Las Vegas Boulevard (Strip) side. From the rear garages you walk into the property and follow signs toward the casino floor; from valet you enter at the Strip-side casino level. Both are paid, with MGM Rewards rates typically below the public day rate — confirm at the gate or in the MGM Rewards app. (Skip the old advice about parking across the Strip at the Tropicana: that resort was imploded in October 2024 for the Las Vegas Athletics ballpark and is no longer an option.)

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft use a designated rideshare zone rather than the Strip-side porte cochere — follow Rideshare signs from the casino floor. MGM Resorts rideshare points can shift on busy nights, so confirm the exact pickup spot in your app or with a bell-desk attendant before you head out.

The free tram

Excalibur is the northern end of the free Mandalay Bay Tram, which runs south to Luxor and Mandalay Bay. The elevated station is reached by escalator. Note the quirk: the southbound side runs express and skips Luxor, while the northbound side stops everywhere — so the tram is most useful heading south to Mandalay Bay. For a short hop to Luxor next door, the indoor walkway is usually faster than waiting for a train.

Common Navigation Mistakes

Looking for the casino from the food court. The food court is on the upper Castle Walk level; the casino is a floor down. If you're surrounded by quick-serve counters and can't find a slot machine, take the escalator down.

Looking for the food court (or the Luxor walkway) from the casino floor. Both are a level up. Head for an escalator or elevator to the Castle Walk level rather than circling the gaming floor.

Trying to self-park from the Strip. The self-park garages are at the rear off Reno Avenue, not off Las Vegas Boulevard. Valet is the only Strip-side option; pulling up to the castle entrance to self-park sends you around to the back.

Assuming the towers share one elevator. Excalibur's rooms are spread across four towers with their own elevator cores off the casino level. Note your tower at check-in so you ride up in the right one.

Connections to Other Casinos

To Luxor (south, indoor walkway)

Excalibur's most useful connection is the enclosed indoor walkway off the south end of the Castle Walk level, straight into the north end of Luxor — about 5 to 7 minutes between casino floors, fully indoor and ramp-accessible. The free tram links them too. Full step-by-step directions in both directions are in our Luxor to Excalibur guide.

To New York-New York and MGM Grand (north, pedestrian bridges)

From the north end of the property, elevated pedestrian bridges (with escalators at both ends) at the Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard intersection lead to New York-New York (closest, about 8 to 10 minutes to its casino floor, landing near the Statue of Liberty replica) and on to MGM Grand across the intersection. The tram's Excalibur North stop sits at this corner where the bridges land. The former Tropicana on the southeast corner is closed for ballpark construction, so confirm any bridge closures when you arrive.

To Mandalay Bay (south, past Luxor)

Continue south past Luxor into Mandalay Bay via Mandalay Place. Excalibur to Luxor is 5 to 7 minutes; Luxor through to Mandalay Bay is another 5 to 7. End to end, the Excalibur–Luxor–Mandalay Bay corridor is the longest continuous indoor casino walk on the Strip, roughly 0.8 miles. The southern half of that route is covered in our Mandalay Bay to Luxor guide.

Wheelchair, scooter, and stroller access

The casino floor and the Castle Walk level are both level and step-free within each floor, and the Luxor walkway uses ramps rather than stairs. Moving between Excalibur's two levels is the thing to plan for: use the elevators rather than the escalators if you have a wheelchair, scooter, or stroller. The north pedestrian bridges use escalators with elevators alongside — confirm elevator availability with a bell-desk attendant if a route is critical. The rear garages connect into the property at accessible grade.

Navigation Tips

• Identify your level first. Casino floor or Castle Walk? That single question solves most Excalibur confusion — then take the escalators or elevators between them.
• The food court is up; the casino is down. The upper Castle Walk level has the food court, shops, the show, and the Luxor walkway; the casino floor, check-in, and the Strip entrance are a level below.
• Self-park at the rear off Reno Avenue. The garages are behind the property, not off the Strip; valet is the only Strip-side option.
• For Luxor and Mandalay Bay, head to the south end. The indoor walkway off the Castle Walk level is faster than the tram for the short hop to Luxor.
• For New York-New York and MGM Grand, head to the north end. Elevated pedestrian bridges at the Tropicana intersection connect to both.
• Confirm your tower at check-in. Four towers, four elevator cores — knowing yours saves a wrong-tower detour.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the layout of Excalibur Las Vegas?

Excalibur is a medieval-castle megaresort on the south Strip, and its defining navigation feature is that it works on two levels. The upper Castle Walk level (the second floor) holds the 20,000-square-foot food court, the Castle Walk shops, the Tournament of Kings dinner arena, and the enclosed indoor walkway to Luxor at the south end. The casino floor, hotel registration, and most bars sit one level below, in the center of the property between the four 28-story towers, fed by the Strip-side main entrance with its castle facade, moat, and drawbridge. The key to Excalibur is knowing which of the two levels you're on, then using the escalators and elevators between them — the food court is up, the casino is down. The elevated pedestrian bridges to New York-New York and MGM Grand meet the property at its north end, and parking garages are at the rear off Reno Avenue.

Why do people get lost in Excalibur?

Almost always because they're on the wrong level. Excalibur stacks its functions across two floors: arrive from the Strip and you're on the casino level; come off the Luxor walkway, or head for the food court, and you're on the upper Castle Walk level. People look for the casino from the food court (it's a floor down) or hunt for the food court from the gaming floor (it's a floor up). The fix is simple: figure out which level you're on first — casino floor or Castle Walk — then use the escalators and elevators between them. Once you think in two levels, the property is small and easy.

Where is the Excalibur casino floor?

The casino floor is on the lower level, in the center of the property between the four towers, and it's where you also find hotel registration, the sportsbook, and most bars. It connects directly to the Strip-side main entrance off Las Vegas Boulevard. If you came in on the upper Castle Walk level — off the Luxor walkway or through the food court — take any escalator or elevator down one level to reach the gaming floor. The 92,389-square-foot casino is a single large room, so once you're on the right level it's straightforward.

What is on the Castle Walk level at Excalibur?

The Castle Walk level is Excalibur's upper floor (the second floor). It holds the 20,000-square-foot Castle Walk food court — one of the larger food courts on the Strip — plus the Castle Walk retail shops and the Tournament of Kings dinner theater. It's also where the enclosed indoor walkway to Luxor meets the property, at the south end. From the Castle Walk level, escalators and elevators drop you to the casino floor one level below. (The pedestrian bridges to New York-New York and MGM Grand and the free tram connect at the property's north and rear edges, separate from the Castle Walk food-court area.)

Is Excalibur connected to Luxor?

Yes. An enclosed, climate-controlled indoor walkway connects the south end of Excalibur's Castle Walk level to the north end of Luxor — about a 5 to 7 minute walk between casino floors, fully indoor and ramp-accessible. The free Mandalay Bay Tram also links the two (northbound, one stop). Continuing south through Luxor into Mandalay Bay via Mandalay Place forms the longest continuous indoor casino corridor on the Strip, roughly 0.8 miles end to end. See our Luxor to Excalibur guide for the step-by-step route in both directions.

How do you get from Excalibur to New York-New York and MGM Grand?

Both are reached from the north end of the property via the elevated pedestrian bridges, with escalators at both ends, at the Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard intersection. New York-New York is the closest — about 8 to 10 minutes on foot from the Excalibur casino floor to the New York-New York casino floor, landing near its Statue of Liberty replica. MGM Grand is a little farther across the intersection's bridge system. The free tram's Excalibur North stop also sits at this corner, where the bridges land, so you can ride one stop north and walk out to the bridges. Note the former Tropicana site on the southeast corner is closed for ballpark construction, so confirm current bridge closures on arrival.

Does Excalibur have self-parking and valet?

Yes, both. Self-parking is in covered garages at the rear of the property off Reno Avenue (behind the resort, away from the Strip) — the main structure has about eight levels. Valet is at the main entrance on the Las Vegas Boulevard (Strip) side. From the rear garages you walk into the property and follow signs to the casino floor; from valet you enter at the Strip-side casino level. Both are paid, with MGM Rewards rates typically below the public day rate — confirm current rates at the gate or in the MGM Rewards app.

Where is Excalibur Las Vegas located?

Excalibur is at 3850 South Las Vegas Boulevard, on the west side of the Strip at the southwest side of the Tropicana Avenue intersection, in Paradise, Nevada. It opened June 19, 1990 and is operated by MGM Resorts International. Luxor is its immediate neighbor to the south (connected by an indoor walkway), with Mandalay Bay beyond Luxor; New York-New York and MGM Grand are across the Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard intersection to the north, reached by pedestrian bridges. The free Mandalay Bay Tram has its northern terminus at Excalibur.

Find the Right Level in Seconds

Knowing Excalibur runs on two levels helps. Seeing it on a map — with the casino floor, the Castle Walk food court, your tower's elevators, the Luxor walkway, and the escalators between the levels all marked — is faster. Casino Compass gives you turn-by-turn directions inside Excalibur and 20+ other Las Vegas properties, with maps available offline so casino Wi-Fi can't slow you down.

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