Las Vegas Nevada 6 Day Itinerary

Six Days in Las Vegas Without Getting Fleeced

Six days is long enough that the small fees add up into real money, so let’s deal with those first. Resort fees run $45-60+ a night on top of your room rate, taxed and mandatory, at basically every Strip property. Self-parking is $15-25 a day now at most resorts, valet closer to $40-50. Multiply either by six nights and it changes the math on which hotel is actually cheaper.

Where to Stay:

  • Luxury: The Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas. Expect the highest resort fees to match.
  • Mid-Range: Park MGM, The LINQ Hotel + Experience, Planet Hollywood.
  • Budget: Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus. Still charge resort fees, just smaller ones.

Transportation:

  • You’ll land at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS); the McCarran name has been retired since 2021. Rideshare pickup happens inside the parking garage, not curbside, and carries a flat $4.50 surcharge on top of the fare.
  • Walking covers a lot of the Strip, but distances are longer than they look and resort interiors are massive, so budget real time between stops.
  • The monorail only runs MGM Grand to SAHARA on the east side of the Strip. It won’t get you to Bellagio, Caesars, Wynn, or anything on the west side, so don’t rely on it as your main transit.
  • RTC buses and the Deuce cover more ground, slowly. Rideshares are convenient but surge hard during events.

Things to Know:

  • Summers run past 110F, dangerous if you’re not drinking enough water. Winters are mild.
  • Set a gambling budget before you sit at a table; the house edge doesn’t care how lucky you feel.
  • Tip 15-20% at restaurants and bars, and tip service staff.
  • Legal drinking age is 21, checked everywhere.

Day 1: Strip Basics

  • Morning: Arrive at Harry Reid, deal with rideshare pickup in the garage, check into your hotel, note the resort fee on your folio.
  • Afternoon: Walk the Strip: Bellagio fountains (free), the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower replica.
  • Evening: A Cirque du Soleil show or headliner if it fits your budget, then dinner at Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace.

Day 2: Downtown and Dinner

  • Morning: Fremont Street Experience downtown. The canopy light show is free; the SlotZilla zip-line is a separate paid add-on, skip it unless you specifically want it.
  • Afternoon: The Neon Museum, one of the better historical stops in a city that mostly tears down its own past.
  • Evening: Buffets aren’t the deal they used to be. Wynn’s buffet is still open and solid; Wicked Spoon at The Cosmopolitan is now brunch-only, 8am-2pm, so it won’t work for dinner. Either way expect $55-90+ per person. Afterward, a rooftop bar like Skyfall Lounge at Delano.

Day 3: Canyon or Dam, Not Both

  • Morning: Grand Canyon West Rim is the realistic single-day option from Vegas: about 120-130 miles, roughly 2-2.5 hours each way, with the Skywalk and Hualapai-run attractions. The South Rim, the one with the classic NPS views, is 275-280 miles and 4.5-5 hours one-way; that’s an overnight trip, not a day trip, and a lot of old guides get this wrong.
  • Afternoon (if you skipped the canyon): Hoover Dam is a much shorter trip, about 45 minutes, and pairs well with Lake Mead.
  • Evening: Dinner at Yardbird Southern Table & Bar at The Venetian, then one of the Strip’s luxury movie theaters if you want a low-key night.

Day 4: Shopping and Pool Time

  • Morning: Forum Shops at Caesars, Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, or Crystals at CityCenter, depending on your budget and patience for crowds.
  • Afternoon: Pool time. Most hotel pools rent cabanas and daybeds if you want to spend more to sit in the sun.
  • Evening: In-N-Out for a cheap, reliable dinner around $8-12 a combo. A good reset after two days of resort pricing.

Day 5: Culture Stops

  • Morning: The Smith Center for the Performing Arts hosts touring Broadway shows and ballet if you want something other than casino entertainment.
  • Afternoon: The Mob Museum downtown, genuinely worth the ticket price for the history alone.
  • Evening: Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand if you’re doing one true splurge dinner this trip; it’s Michelin-starred and priced like it.

Day 6: Departure

  • Morning: Breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas, with a view of the Bellagio fountains across the street.
  • Afternoon: Last-minute shopping or a revisit to whatever you liked best. Skip casino-floor ATMs, they charge $5-8 in fees; a bank ATM off the floor is free or cheap.
  • Evening: Depart from Harry Reid International.

Tips:

  • Book shows and attractions ahead of time, especially around event weekends like EDC or F1.
  • The Bellagio fountains and Fremont Street canopy show are both free and still worth doing on a budget trip.
  • Hotel loyalty programs are worth signing up for before you book; the discounts are real.
  • Rent a car only for the day trips. On the Strip itself, a car just means another parking fee.