Las Vegas Holidays

Have a Flutter

Of course, even if you're not a gambler, it would be a pity to spend time in a place like Las Vegas without having at least a bit of a flutter, just to say you've done it, and because many of the stupendous casinos here are destinations in themselves. You'll find them as you cruise The Strip, the six-kilometre section of the Las Vegas Boulevard where most of the action happens. Cruising The Strip is a must for your first visit, if you really want to get an idea of scale of the city's extravagance -- do it on foot if you can, otherwise there's the Monorail or the Deuce Bus, or a limo tour if you want to do it in style.

As you cruise The Strip, you can't miss the stunning fountains in front of the Bellagio, providing a spectacular light, music and water show, creating intricate water dances -- the Bellagio is the first-choice casino for many, because of its special ambience and the zest of its players, but it's also a spectacular luxury hotel with an art gallery. Further along is the equally sensational Venetian, which reproduces all the highlights of Venice, complete with gondola rides along the Grand Canal, and a casino considered among the best, for its size and decor, as well as its range of games. If you choose to play at Caesar's Palace, famous from many films including "Rain Man", you'll find yourself in Ancient Rome, with frescoes, fountains, statues and massive marble columns -- it's also home to one of the city's most famous nightclubs, and the Forum Shops, a Rome-designed shopping mall.

Fremont Street Experience

Although The Strip is the location of most of the biggest and most famous casinos, some of the oldest are on Fremont Street, especially in the western section known as Glitter Gulch because of its multitude of neon signs. This area was the most famous face of Las Vegas in the early days, before it was overtaken by The Strip, but it has now been transformed into the Fremont Street Experience, covered by an immense illuminated canopy, providing light and sound shows every night at six-minute intervals. The biggest attraction is a Zip-line along the full length of the pedestrian walkway, on which you can travel prone in super-hero style at 40 miles an hour.

Plenty of Thrills

Exciting as the casinos are, they are far from being the only source of excitement in Las Vegas, which now has enough adventure attractions to please the most avid thrill-seeker. You can swim with dolphins and encounter white lions and tigers at Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden, just along the Boulevard from The Strip; become a NASCAR racing driver at Dale Jarrett's Racing Adventure, with all the twists and turns of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; or experience the sensation of freefall from a plane at Victor's Indoor Skydiving. For the most scary adventure of all, visit the 1,149-foot high observation tower of the Stratosphere on The Strip -- as well as two observation decks and a revolving restaurant, it has 4 terrifying thrill rides: Big Shot (where you're shot in the air, and then drop), Insanity, Skyjump and X-Scream.

Natural Wonders

If you can tear yourself away from the hedonism of the city, there are some of the world's most spectacular sights a short distance away, all of which can easily be visited in a day. The Grand Canyon itself, one of the world's greatest natural wonders, is five hours' drive away, and this certainly should not be missed, but only about 20 minutes away is the amazing Red Rock Canyon, with its incredible red-hued crags and gullies rising thousands of feet above the desert floor. Just a bit further on you can reach California's Death Valley, with its weird landscapes and mysterious rock formations, and the deep dark slot canyons and towering sandstone cliffs of Zion, one of the most spectacular of America's National Parks.

Las Vegas is often called the city of superlatives -- not only are the lights brighter and the colours bolder, but it seems everything is bigger, better and more extravagant than anywhere else in the world. There's only one objective of Las Vegas holidays and that's to have a good time -- and there are a superabundance of ways to do it. The city will take your breath away, but will leave you with memories of the most electrifying and exhilarating time of your life.