V-Flyer

What's the Consensus on hiring cars/driving in vegas. Is it straight forward, is parking easy to find??

Help appreciated as always!

One word - doddle!!

The strip and I15 can get very busy at times and you may feel you are on a racetrack.

Most hotels have huge, free parking garages so that won't be an issue.

I'm sure our resident Las Vegasian will be a long with a locals' view.

Driving in Vegas is very easy and parking is plentiful and free.

I would only hire a car if you plan to go out of the area eg Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or even the Grand Canyon as there is no need for a car if you plan to stay around the strip as there are many buses, cabs and the monorail to transport you up and down the strip.

I usually pre pay in the UK with Dollar and pick the car up at one of the hotels (if there isnt a Dollar rental desk in your particular hotel).

Originally posted by Jeffers555
Driving in Vegas is very easy and parking is plentiful and free.

I would only hire a car if you plan to go out of the area eg Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or even the Grand Canyon as there is no need for a car if you plan to stay around the strip as there are many buses, cabs and the monorail to transport you up and down the strip.

I usually pre pay in the UK with Dollar and pick the car up at one of the hotels (if there isnt a Dollar rental desk in your particular hotel).

Agreed - infact I find it a very walkable city.

Hackneyguy

Driving is easy in LV (same as any other US city) but as Darren says getting anywhere quickly along the strip is nigh on impossible (early morning is fine but after that it gets busy).Whilst self park is free some hotels make a small charge for valet parking.We had a car on our last trip as we'd driven from LA but tended to use cabs to get about as it was easier and less hassle.If you do hire a car and don't have yourown sat-nav I'd suggest hiring one via the car rental -it makes life much easier.

Originally posted by Jeffers555
Driving in Vegas is very easy and parking is plentiful and free.

I would only hire a car if you plan to go out of the area eg Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or even the Grand Canyon as there is no need for a car if you plan to stay around the strip as there are many buses, cabs and the monorail to transport you up and down the strip.

I usually pre pay in the UK with Dollar and pick the car up at one of the hotels (if there isnt a Dollar rental desk in your particular hotel).

The hire car is handy for any bargains (depending on the exchange rate) you may find at the many malls beyond the strip. [:D]

Originally posted by DragonLady
Driving is easy in LV (same as any other US city) but as Darren says getting anywhere quickly along the strip is nigh on impossible (early morning is fine but after that it gets busy).Whilst self park is free some hotels make a small charge for valet parking.We had a car on our last trip as we'd driven from LA but tended to use cabs to get about as it was easier and less hassle.If you do hire a car and don't have yourown sat-nav I'd suggest hiring one via the car rental -it makes life much easier.

Ah! the sat-nav, mine's called the wife and map![:D]

No comment [:D][:I]

As everyone else has said driving is 'easy'. If you do a bit of prep, and based on where your hotel is, you can move around a bit quicker using roads parallel to the strip or even popping on and off the I15.

If you just want to go up and down the strip, and not drive or walk, I recommend riding the 'deuce' (bus). Last time I was there they had a good value all day ticket.

We generally drive from LA (we have family there and have never actually flown into Las vegas airport), but we enjoy the freedom of a car anyway: means that you can choose to visit activities, malls, restaurants etc off of the strip very easily.

The only issue with parking is that sometimes the casino car parks are SOOO big, that you end up walking for miles anyway (the Venettian car park seems miles from the casino). You could valet park though.

I guess that hiring probably depends on where you are flying into, which hotel are you staying in (centre strip?), what you want to do and whether you like to drink in the evenings (and may need to take a cab anyway) etc.

We always hire with Sat Nav in the USA - invaluable!

Boo

As others have said, driving in Vegas is easy, kind off, it's easy enough to find your way around town and if in doubt look up, get your bearing on the Stratosphere tower ([:$]) and go from there.

The challenge are the other drivers, people don't know how to drive, pay attention and you will be fine.

Get a sat nav if your planning to head away from the main part of town, other than that it is easy, Vegas is laid out in giant squares so you can't get to lost.

There are only two hotels that charge for valet parking (that I know off) The Trump and the Four Seasons, other than that valet parking is free (small tip though) and easy.

If you have any specific questions I will be more than happy to help you.

always drive there, wouldn't go without purely for convenience (plus we stay in the Signature, which is set back slightly)
you can always learn the shortcuts thru the hotel back areas can save you an age
you can live with out a car there but if you need the 'real' malls or Walmart or similar it becomes really expensive and have you ever seen the queues outside the hotels for taxis when the shows chuck out?!!!

we made a late decision to hire a car last year,and yes it is worth it, drove in to the strip (was staying out near the convention centre) and left the car all day,also used it to drive to the outlets hover dam and just look around other parts of vegas

I've gone both ways, and would agree that it's not worth it unless you plan on being a bit more adventurous than the strip. But, the drive to Hoover Dam is worthwhile in good weather, as indeed is the shopping. Last time out there, about six months ago, got a Mustang, drove out to the Dam, bopped around here and there. Well worth it. The traffic lights on the strip always feel like they take forever to change .......