"The Strip" is located along Las Vegas Boulevard. It encompasses more than 30 resorts between Mandalay Bay at the southernmost end and the Stratosphere at the northernmost end. Downtown Las Vegas is situated two miles north of the Stratosphere, west of Las Vegas Boulevard, and consists of 10 casinos in close vicinity of Fremont Street. The journey from Downtown Las Vegas to the Strip ranges from two to eight miles, depending upon your destination. Here are three of the quickest routes to take when traveling by car or taxi, along with a rundown of how to use the public transport system.
The most direct route is your best bet anytime you want to go to the north end of the Strip. This is where you'll find the Stratosphere, Sahara, Circus Circus, Slots-A-Fun and Riviera resorts. Drive to Las Vegas Boulevard by heading east away from downtown Las Vegas (on Stewart, Ogden, Carson or Bridger Avenues). Take Las Vegas Boulevard to the south. Even with heavy traffic and signals at every block, you should still arrive at your destination in less than 15 minutes.
There are two strategies you can use to travel to the center part of the Strip. You want to take advantage of the streets that run parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard and tend to have lighter traffic flow, so use either Industrial or Paradise roads.
If you are at the west end of downtown Las Vegas, head for Industrial Road. You'll find it by traveling south on Main Street and turning west onto Utah or Wyoming Avenues, both of which intersect with Industrial Road. Take Industrial Road south and turn left when you reach Spring Mountain Road to access the Fashion Show Mall, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore, The Venetian, The Palazzo, Treasure Island and The Mirage properties. (Note: the name of the street will suddenly change from Industrial Road to Dean Martin Drive at Spring Mountain Road.) Turn off Dean Martin Drive onto Frank Sinatra Drive to access the back entrance of Caesar's Palace or to get to the turnoff for Flamingo Road. On Flamingo Road you'll find the Imperial Palace, Bellagio, Paris Las Vegas, Bally's, Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon, the Flamingo and Harrah's properties.
If you are on the east end of downtown Las Vegas, head toward the Stratosphere via Las Vegas Boulevard, as described in the section above, for reaching the north end of the Strip. When you reach the Stratosphere turn onto Paradise Road, which runs parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard on its east side. Take Paradise Road south with an eye to turning right on either Twain Avenue (it becomes Spring Mountain Road) or Flamingo Road by which you'll access all of the aforementioned properties. You can expect to arrive at your destination in 15 to 20 minutes with either route.
The quickest way to get to the south end of the Strip from downtown Las Vegas is to utilize the freeway. Heading north from either Las Vegas Boulevard or Fremont Street, look for signs that direct you onto the freeway--I-515 N/US-93 N/US-95 N. Enter the highway and then almost immediately merge onto the I-15 S, which heads toward Los Angeles. Like Industrial and Paradise roads, the I-15 runs parallel to Las Vegas Boulevard. Tropicana Avenue or Russell Road exits will take you to the north end of the Strip. Make sure you exit heading east. At Tropicana Road, you can access the MGM Grand, Tropicana, Excalibur, Monte Carlo and New York-New York resorts. At Russell Road, you can reach Mandalay Bay and Luxor. As long as there's no traffic on the freeway, which only occurs in this direction at rush hour, you should reach your destination in less than 25 minutes.
If time is of the essence, you'll want to avoid public transport, but if money is a factor, public transport is significantly cheaper than taking taxis. Unfortunately, Las Vegas does not have an extensive subway system like other major cities. The Las Vegas Monorail doesn't even extend into downtown Las Vegas. Your only good option is to catch The Deuce bus system, which stops on Fremont Street and near several of the downtown hotels. It runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A one-way fare is $3. The Deuce stops at the Stratosphere and most of the major resorts along the Strip. The ride takes about 20 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic and your destination.
