Las Vegas Strip Transportation: How to Decide What to Take

There's no single best way to get around the Las Vegas Strip. The right transportation depends on distance, time of day, weather, crowds, and whether you're willing to wait. This guide breaks down your real options and helps you decide what makes sense for each situation.

The Strip looks walkable on a map. In reality, distances are deceptive, summer heat is brutal, and what looks like “next door” can be a 15-minute trek through a casino. Understanding your options saves time and frustration.

Your Transportation Options

Here's what's actually available on the Strip, with honest tradeoffs for each:

Walking

Best for: Short distances (under 0.5 miles), exploring, nice weather, no time pressure.

Walking is free and often faster than waiting for transportation—but only for short trips. The Strip is about 4.2 miles long. Walking the whole thing takes 90+ minutes without stops, and summer temperatures regularly exceed 105°F. For anything over half a mile in the heat, consider alternatives.

Key insight: Indoor shortcuts through casinos and connectors can cut significant distance and keep you in air conditioning. Our casino connection guides show you which properties link together.

Free Trams

Best for: Moving between connected casino groups without going outside.

Several casino groups operate free trams between their properties. These are genuinely useful and completely free:

• Mandalay Bay – Luxor – Excalibur Tram: Connects the three south Strip properties. Runs daily ~10am-midnight.
• Aria Express (Park MGM – Aria – Bellagio): Connects the CityCenter area to Bellagio. Runs daily 8am-2am (later on weekends).

Note: The Treasure Island–Mirage tram is currently not operating due to the Mirage closure and Hard Rock construction (reopening late 2027).

The catch with free trams is that stations are often deep inside the casinos. By the time you walk to the station, wait, ride, and walk out, you might have been faster just walking the whole way. They're most useful when you're already near a station or traveling the full route.

Las Vegas Monorail

Best for: Longer north-south trips on the east side of the Strip, avoiding traffic entirely.

The paid monorail runs 3.9 miles along the east side of Las Vegas Boulevard, from MGM Grand to SAHARA. Seven stations, trains every 4-8 minutes. It's fast once you're on it—the full route takes about 15 minutes.

Stations: MGM Grand, Horseshoe/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace, Harrah's/LINQ, Convention Center, Westgate, SAHARA.

Cost: $5 single ride, $13 for 24 hours, multi-day passes available.

Hours: Monday 7am-midnight; Tuesday-Thursday 7am-2am; Friday-Sunday 7am-3am.

The catch: Stations are on the back (east) side of the casinos, not the Strip side. You'll walk 5-10 minutes through each casino to reach the platform. For short trips, this walking time eats into any time saved. The monorail is most valuable for longer distances—MGM to Convention Center, for example.

Deuce Bus

Best for: Budget travel, late-night trips when monorail is closed, getting to downtown.

The Deuce is a public bus that runs the full length of the Strip and continues to downtown Las Vegas. It stops at nearly every major resort on both sides of the street.

Cost: $6 for a 2-hour pass, $8 for 24 hours.

Hours: 24/7.

The catch: It's slow. The Deuce sits in the same traffic as everyone else, and it stops constantly. During busy periods, a trip that takes 5 minutes by car can take 30+ minutes by bus. It's best for off-peak travel or when you genuinely don't care about time.

Uber/Lyft (Rideshare)

Best for: Direct trips, time pressure, groups splitting the fare, bad weather.

Rideshare is the fastest door-to-door option when you need to be somewhere specific. Most Strip trips cost $10-20 depending on distance and demand.

The catch: You can't hail a rideshare from anywhere on the Strip. Each casino has designated pickup zones, and you need to walk there first. During peak times (weekend nights, after shows, conventions), surge pricing kicks in and wait times increase. Traffic can also make short rides take longer than expected.

Taxis

Best for: Airport trips, when rideshare surge pricing is extreme, if you prefer not to use apps.

Taxis are available at every major casino's taxi line (usually near the main entrance or valet). You cannot hail a cab on the street in Las Vegas—they must pick up at a physical address.

Taxi fares are regulated and generally similar to rideshare base rates, but without surge pricing. For airport trips, taxis have a flat rate from the Strip.

How to Decide

Use this quick framework:

Under 0.5 miles, nice weather? Walk. Use indoor connectors where available.

Under 0.5 miles, hot or tired? Check if a free tram covers the route. If not, consider rideshare.

0.5-1 mile? Walk if weather permits and you have time. Otherwise, rideshare is usually faster than waiting for the monorail.

Over 1 mile on the east side? Monorail is a good option if you're not in a rush and don't mind the station walks.

Time pressure (reservation, show)? Rideshare. Don't risk it.

Late night after monorail closes? Rideshare or Deuce bus (runs 24/7).

Going to downtown? Rideshare or Deuce bus. The monorail doesn't go to Fremont Street.

Common Mistakes

• Underestimating walking distances. The Strip is designed to make distances look shorter than they are. What looks like “right there” on a map is often a 15-20 minute walk once you factor in casino navigation.
• Assuming the monorail is always faster. For short trips, walking to and from the stations takes longer than just walking the whole route on the Strip.
• Taking the Deuce during peak hours. Friday and Saturday nights, the bus crawls. Rideshare or walking is faster.
• Not knowing about free trams. Tourists often pay for transportation between properties that have free trams (like Bellagio to Aria, or Luxor to Mandalay Bay).
• Walking long distances in summer. Heat exhaustion is real. If it's over 100°F, take transportation for anything over 10 minutes.

Skip the Guesswork

Casino Compass factors in all of this—walking distances, tram routes, indoor shortcuts—and gives you the fastest route for your specific trip. Download before your Vegas trip and stop second-guessing every transportation decision.