The city itself, as well as the desert surrounding the glittering metropolis, are full of the most diverse Las Vegas sights and exciting attractions. Really everyone gets their money's worth here. I recently read this sentence in a magazine: If New York is the city that never sleeps, then Las Vegas doesn't even take a nap. And yes, I can only agree with that wholeheartedly! Whether it's a burger restaurant where there's no shame in having a heart attack from overly fatty food, or an amusement park at the top of an observation tower.
Las Vegas is not only the city of sin, but also of extremes. But so it is. Right after my road trip on the beautiful Highway 1 in California and through the various national parks of the Western United States, I was off for an eventful weekend in this glamorous city. While there, I wrote down my absolute highlights for you: These 10 Las Vegas sights are not to be missed on your next visit!
Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas
Las Vegas sights: My absolute top 10
Visit the Neon Museum in Las Vegas
Like a small cemetery in the middle of the huge city, the remains of every neon sign imaginable rest here in the boneyard of the famous Neon Museum. At some point in the past, all these signs blinked cheerfully at visitors to the Las Vegas Strip.
You can now see over 200 signs here. 15 of them have been restored and are now shining again. All the others are illuminated by coloured spotlights from the evening onwards.
Although I think the sunset tour is relatively expensive at around 25 euros per person, I really wanted to visit the boneyard at this time of day. And what can I say, I didn't regret it: it was the only way I could witness live how the boneyard gradually comes to life after dark, when the historic neon signs suddenly shine again in their former glory!
The Neon Museum
770 Las Vegas Boulevard North
Opening hours:
Tours are available from 9am to 10:40pm at night.
Price per tour between 20 to 25 euros
Beautiful old neon signs
The tour in the evening is especially beautiful
Las Vegas sights: the Neon Museum
Adrenalin on the Stratosphere Tower
A visit to the Stratosphere Tower is definitely worth it for the incredible 360-degree view alone. From a height of over 300 metres, you really do have a fantastic view of the city.
But Las Vegas wouldn't be Las Vegas if it was satisfied with that, would it? No, definitely not! And that's exactly why, at the top of the observation tower, you'll also find a freefall tower and various other rides that will definitely get your adrenaline flowing with playful ease.
The image of the metropolis at night below me, with its incredible sea of lights and just before freefall, is etched in my memory forever. I would have loved to queue up for the next ride right away!
My tip: Why don't you come to the Stratosphere Tower just before sunset and watch the city slowly transform into a glittering sea of lights at your feet!
The twinkling city from over 300 metres above the ground
Pure adrenaline on the Stratosphere Tower
What a view
Enjoy the view from the Skyfall Lounge
Are you also a big fan of beautiful views? Besides the Stratosphere Tower I just mentioned, I can also recommend the chic Skyfall Lounge on the 43rd floor of the Delano Hotel. The view of the pyramid of the Luxor Hotel right next door is very cool. You can easily spend an hour or two up here, because the cocktails are really outrageously good!
Skyfall Lounge @ Delano Las Vegas
3940 S Las Vegas Boulevard
Opening Hours:
Open daily from 5pm to 0am
Friday & Saturday until 1am
One of the best views over the Strip
Cherry Coke with vanilla ice cream topping
Stay right on the Las Vegas Strip
Staying in one of the themed hotels right on the Las Vegas Strip was an absolute must for me. I think it's exactly these luxurious, sometimes kitschy and often ostentatious hotels, and the world-famous Las Vegas Strip itself, that make the city. I stayed at the Paris Las Vegas, and I found the entire design of the hotel just totally coherent and really well implemented.
Throughout the ground floor, including the casinos, you'll find the same beautifully painted summer sky as in the famous Venetian Hotel. Strolling around, you almost have the feeling of wandering through a small French village: There are bakeries with fragrant baguettes in the oven, sweet little cafés with colourful macarons in the shop windows and noble-looking boutiques. It makes every France fan's heart beat faster, doesn't it?
The rooms are decorated like in one of the fine hotels in the middle of Paris' best district. With brass fittings and white porcelain taps in the bathroom. The wide beds are outrageously comfortable and, on top of that, there's an insanely brilliant view of Las Vegas through the floor-to-ceiling windows that take up an entire wall of the room. Unfortunately, Las Vegas Strip View costs a not inconsiderable surcharge.
If all this doesn't quite convince you, then definitely take a look at the hotel's pool. It is located directly under the Eiffel Tower!
The Paris Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Sights: The Eiffel Tower
French ambience under the painted sky
The beautiful pool area of the Paris Hotel
Staying directly on the Las Vegas Strip
My alternative to the Paris Hotel
Actually, my favourite would have been the very nice New York New York Hotel. Apart from the Statue of Liberty in miniature, there is also a branch of Shake Shack, my favourite burger chain from the Big Apple. But because of the absolutely perfect location of the Paris, everything else was unfortunately ruled out. It's located right in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip and directly opposite the world-famous Bellagio fountains. So you don't have to walk far in the evening to admire this amazing spectacle.
Las Vegas Sightseeing: Ride in a stretch limo
A few weeks ago, I would never have thought that I would ever ride in a stretch limo, and such a fancy white one at that. At 8pm sharp, this super cool vehicle, including a totally nice driver, picked us up right in front of our hotel and chauffeured us once completely over the Las Vegas Strip at night and its insanely impressive sea of lights. A cool stop on the route? The world-famous Las Vegas Sign at night!
Our cool white stretch limo
The minibar as a reflection in the windshield
Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas
Las Vegas sights: By helicopter to the Grand Canyon
Our helicopter flight, my birthday present from my brother, over the Grand Canyon, which is not that far away, was definitely one of my most memorable experiences during my time in the city. We took off from the small airport in Boulder City, about 45 minutes by car from Las Vegas. My brother and I not only got the coveted sunset spot, but also the two front seats in the cockpit: copilot feeling without end!
What happened next was simply breathtaking and incredibly beautiful. On our way to the west rim of the Grand Canyon, we first flew over the gigantic Hoover Dam, which doesn't even look that huge when seen from the air, and immediately afterwards over Lake Mead, picturesquely framed by ochre-coloured rocks.
It didn't take long before we could see the first foothills of the Grand Canyon. Shortly after, we were flying directly over the impressive canyons and valleys of this mighty natural wonder. By the way, the sunset spot lived up to its name on this day, because the setting sun bathed the entire landscape in a wonderfully warm and golden evening light.
After a whole 70 minutes in the air, we finally landed safely back in Boulder City. I will never forget these beautiful views of the Grand Canyon from high above. A brilliant experience! I would definitely book such a flight again next time, then maybe even with a stopover at the foot of the canyon.
With a bit of luck I got a seat in the cockpit.
The gigantic Hoover Dam from the air
On the way to the west rim of the Grand Canyon
The Colorado River deep down in the canyon
The landscape is really breathtaking
Back at the airport of Boulder City
A day trip to the Grand Canyon
The world famous Grand Canyon is definitely a place where you should spend several days, not just experience the view from the Rim (the upper rim where you find all the viewpoints). There are many hiking trails that take you down to varying depths into the stunning landscape of rugged canyons and scenic plateaus, and even down to the Colorado River. However, if your itinerary doesn't allow for this, a day trip from Las Vegas is certainly better than not seeing the Grand Canyon at all!
Take a ride on the High Roller
Another good way to get a great view of Las Vegas is to take a ride on the High Roller. The Ferris wheel, which shines white from afar in the beautifully designed shopping and entertainment mile "The Linq", is currently the tallest building of its kind in the world with a height of 168 metres. At least for the moment: Dubai is currently trying to top this record by building a Ferris wheel with a gigantic height of 210 metres.
But back to the High Roller: the view from up there over the entire city is really something to be sneezed at, believe me! Standing in line bugs you? Check here for High Roller tickets without queuing.
My tip: Before or after the ride, make sure to fill your belly with an outrageously delicious Hot Fudge Sundae from Ghirardelli. You'll find a small branch of the famous San Francisco chocolate factory just below the High Roller in The Linq shopping mall. Enjoy it!
The High Roller in the beautiful Linq Passage
I already loved Ghirardelli so much in San Francisco.
Las Vegas Sights: Fremont Street
Right after the Las Vegas Strip, Fremont Street in Downtown is the most famous street in the city. Before all the big hotels were built on today's Strip, this was the centre of the Las Vegas amusement industry. Even today, you'll find many famous casinos here, such as the Golden Nugget or the Golden Gate, as well as many other cool Las Vegas attractions.
Even though the "real" Las Vegas experience can only be found on the Strip in my opinion, a leisurely afternoon and evening on Fremont Street is something you should never miss. For me, the most recommended experiences and places on and near Fremont Street are these:
Street art & neon signs
Absolutely worth seeing are the many older neon signs, as well as the numerous very great street art pieces. I would never have expected to see such beautiful street art in Las Vegas. I was able to take a nice art walk here, after having been so impressed by the graffiti in Singapore and in old Havana in Cuba (look here for lots of Cuba round trip tips)!
The second most famous street in the city
Here you will find many old neon signs
Totally retro, isn't it?
Super nice street art on Fremont Street
Take your time for a little walk
The Container Park: Nice open-air strolling area
The hip Container Park, at the very end of Fremont Street, is a cute little open air shopping district with nice cafés and cute restaurants. Right at the entrance there are also two really cool pieces of art from the famous Burning Man Festival, which takes place every year in the Nevada desert.
The entrance to the container park
Fremont Street Experience: Evening light shows
Every evening, every hour from 6pm, you can experience the worthwhile and even free light show in the covered part of Fremont Street. In addition, as part of the Fremont Street Experience, different "Dancing DJ's" perform on different stages along the street every night to keep you entertained.
Maybe you'd like to try SlotZilla: a zipline where you fly under the roof of Fremont Street in Super Hero style. At around 45 euros, it's not exactly cheap, but it's kind of cool. The atmosphere here in the evening is really nice. A good reason to leave the Las Vegas Strip for an evening, isn't it?
Fremont Street in the evening
Cool retro slot machines
Heart Attack Grill: Really crazy burgers
Also on Fremont Street is a really crazy restaurant, Heart Attack Grill. My brother and I already knew the place from TV, and we really wanted to go in. Right in front of the entrance there is a huge scale: Anyone who weighs more than 350 pounds gets to eat for free.
The Heart Attack Grill is known for its high-calorie and high-fat dishes. The "Quadruple Bypass Burger" even received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2013 as the world's highest-calorie hamburger.
If we had both dug a little deeper into our memories of this TV report, or Googled it more thoroughly before our visit: If we had been better prepared, my brother would definitely not have ordered the infamous Quadruple Bypass Burger, and I wouldn't have ordered the Triple Bypass Burger either, because of course they were huge portions!
Just at the moment when we both realised that we couldn't possibly manage that amount of food, the first guest who hadn't finished eating either got spanked with a wooden board. In front of all the other guests in the middle of the restaurant and really solid. It turned out to be a very funny afternoon for us!
Heart Attack Grill
450 Fremont Street #130
Opening hours
Open daily from 11 am - 10 pm
This gentleman unfortunately has to pay for his burger
Las Vegas Sightseeing: Visit the Valley of Fire
If the hustle and bustle and the madness of the city get too much for you, grab a rental car and take a trip to the Valley of Fire, only about an hour's drive away. The landscape of the park is quite extraordinary: the rock formations there glow in all shades of red and orange. Sometimes, depending on the light and the time of day, also in earthy ochre and sunny yellow.
The Valley of Fire State Park is both the oldest and the largest of its kind in Nevada's desert landscape. Covering 141 square kilometres, you can either drive along the various scenic routes or go on great hikes, for example to the park's most famous rock formation, the Fire Wave.
I would definitely recommend an individual tour with your own rental car, but I completely understand if this is too much effort for you. In this case, you can also book an organised tour from Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire.
Valley of Fire State Park
Open daily from sunrise to sunset.
Entrance fee: 10 USD per vehicle
Picturesque landscape in the Valley of Fire
Las Vegas Strip: Visit a different country every day
One every day, or two or three different countries in a single day if you feel like it. Of course, I'm referring to the various themed hotels, almost all of which are modelled on different countries around the world.
Whether it's the sophisticated Venetian for a relaxing stroll along the canals of Venice, the pyramid-shaped Luxor for a quick trip to Egypt, or the beautiful Paris for a stroll through the streets of France, each of the fantastic hotels on the Las Vegas Strip is a complete world in itself and truly worth seeing!
Be sure to plan enough time in your holiday to go into each of the resorts at least once for a quick spin. Don't forget to wear comfortable shoes, as this will easily add up to a few extra miles per day.
America: the New York New York Hotel
The Brooklyn Bridge in miniature
This hotel really does it for me
Italy: The gondolas of the Venetian
Egypt: The Luxor Pyramid
Theme hotels on the Las Vegas Strip
I hope this article has whetted your appetite for the City of Sin and given you some ideas and useful tips for beautiful Las Vegas sights for your own travel planning. Or have you perhaps already been there yourself? What did you like best in the city and what tips have I forgotten? I look forward to your comments here on my travel blog!
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