Transportation/Parking
Some tips on getting around in Las Vegas.
Getting Around Town
Several public transit options are accessible, convenient and affordable in Las Vegas. Let the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) do the driving for you.
The Deuce on the Strip is the RTC’s most popular transit option, allowing travelers to experience both the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas via enclosed double-deck vehicles. Downtown Las Vegas points of interest when riding the Deuce include The Mob Museum, the Fremont Street Experience and Pawn Stars TV show site (Gold & Silver PawnShop). The passes include access to the Strip & Downtown Express (SDX) service and residential RTC routes.
Hours: 24 hour a day, seven days per week
Cost: 2-hour pass for $6, 24-hour pass at $8 or 3-day pass for $20 Passengers can buy a pass at a ticket vending machine or on-board the vehicle
The Strip & Downtown Express (SDX) is a rapid transit service that connects travelers to downtown Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention Center and major attractions along the Las Vegas Strip. It provides faster service with fewer stops. Downtown Las Vegas points of interest while riding the Strip & Downtown Express include Las Vegas Premium Outlets – North, Symphony Park/World Market Center Las Vegas and the Fremont Street Experience. This service operates seven days a week. Passengers should purchase passes from ticket vending machines located at all stops before the vehicle arrives. The passes include access to the The Deuce on the Strip and residential RTC routes.
Hours: 9 a.m. – midnight, seven days per week
Cost: 2-hour pass for $6, 24-hour pass for $8 or 3-day pass for $20.
McCarran International Airport. The Westcliff Airport Express (WAX) provides direct transportation to McCarran Airport Terminals 1 and 3 from downtown Las Vegas or from Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard (board on eastbound Tropicana, alongside the Tropicana Hotel). The Centennial Express (CX) also provides direct transportation between McCarran Airport Terminal 3 and downtown Las Vegas. If you are going to the Stratosphere or the Las Vegas Convention Center, board Route 108 southbound, which stops at McCarran Airport Terminal 1. While you’re at the airport, you can travel between terminals on the airport’s inter-terminal shuttle.
Hours: For route schedules, visit rtcsnv.com or call (702) 228-RIDE (7433)
Cost: $2 (one way)
For more information, visit ridethestrip.com.
City of Las Vegas Parking Information
The city of Las Vegas recently installed in the downtown area new multispace meters that accept credit and debit cards, as well as coins. These solar-powered meters enable users to print receipts. The meters also allow residents and visitors to use mobile device apps to see where on-street downtown parking is available in real time. Hours and days of operation for parking meters vary. Visitors should refer to the information posted on the parking meter. The city of Las Vegas offers free metered parking on major holidays.
Handicap/Disabled Parking
- As a courtesy, drivers with handicap plates/placards are allowed four hours free at on-street parking meters in the city of Las Vegas. Drivers with disabled veteran or prisoner of war license plates — including those from other states — are exempted from parking (including meter) fees.
- You must have a government-issued disabled person’s plate/placard to park in a handicapped space. These plates/placards may only be used by the person to whom they are issued. The minimum fine for illegal parking in a handicapped space in Nevada is $250.
Paying Parking Tickets
In person: You can pay in person at 350 S. City Pkwy
Office hours are Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. and
Closed weekends and holidays.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover, checks and cash are accepted.
Online: lasvegasnevada.gov/payticket
By mail: Submit check or money order in the remittance envelope provided.
Further Parking Information
Contact the city of Las Vegas Parking Division at 702.229.4700 during office hours or send an
email to parkingticket@lasvegasnevada.gov. Our website with additional information is
Big Bus Tours
Tour downtown Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip via Big Bus Tours, which offers open-top, double-deck buses. These tours are narrated and have guides. Hop on and off at your leisure at 20 different stops, which include numerous locations on The Strip and downtown (including Fremont Street, Pawn Stars and Las Vegas Premium Outlets – North).
Tickets can be purchased on the bus, from the concierge at many hotels or online at bigbustours.com.
Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Buses come by every 30 minutes.
Admission: One Day: Adults – $39, children (4-12) – $29
Two Day: Adults – $49, children (4-12) – $39
Two nighttime tours are also available seven days a week. These guided tours last up to three
hours and include an hour to explore downtown’s lively Fremont Street. For more information
and to obtain tickets, either ask your concierge or visit bigbustours.com.
Tour Times: Daily at 7 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Admission: Adults $29, children (4 -12) $19
Downtown Walking Tours
Discover Downtown Las Vegas Adventures
855-TOUR702
http://discoverdowntownlasvegas.com/
An in-depth history of downtown Las Vegas is offered as walking tours. Purchase a self-guided adventure book including coupons for dining, entertainment and gaming along Fremont Street. You can also book a guided walking tour. (You will see things that even most locals don’t know exist.) The guided tours range from two to three hours in length.
Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 10 a.m. or by special appointment
Admission: Self-guided tour adventure: $45 – $59.99 per person.
Las Vegas Pop Culture Tours
Experience Las Vegas as America’s outdoor museum of popular culture in an original and fun 90-minute walking tour of downtown. Stroll along 10 blocks with a local, well-informed guide looking at world-famous neon signs, historical architecture, classic hotels and new hipster locales – all showcasing the city’s larger-than-life-personality and its unique place in pop culture. For information, tour schedules and booking, visit www.lasvegaspopculturetours.com.
Admission: $25 per person
Zappos.com Headquarters Tour
Downtown Las Vegas is home to the headquarters of Zappos.com, one of the nation’s largest, well-known and well-regarded online retailers. You can take a fun-packed, 60-minute tour of the workings of this unorthodox company with a corporate culture geared toward customer – and worker – satisfaction.
For further information, and to sign up for a tour, visit: http://tours.zappos.com
Admission: Free
And More…
TRIKKE Tours
Trikke Las Vegas
702.421.2288
Get an up-close look at downtown Las Vegas on on the comfort of three-wheel electric vehicles called trikkes (pictured at right). Guided tours, individual rentals and customized tour packages are offered. Reservations are strongly encouraged. For more information, visit http://www.lasvegastrikketours.com/tours.html.
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DF: Downtown was great as a kid and it is even greater as an adult. I love all of downtown’s hidden gems, its vibrancy, history and sense of connection. Rae is relatively newer to Las Vegas, but just as passionate about downtown. Downtown lends itself to the shared experience, and as a couple we both love seeing this part of the city through each other's eyes. Photo: Lucky Wenzel
- Dayvid Figler and Rae Lathrop -
The downtown Las Vegas of today has much to attract residents - a burgeoning restaurant and nightlife scene, growing diversity of businesses, and major centers of art and culture. Plus, living downtown I am easily within walking or biking distance of it all. Photo: Lucky Wenzel
- Brandon Wiegand -
I think downtown Las Vegas is a unique blend of intimacy and great energy. Plus, in contrast to The Strip, it’s so easy to walk around…The Golden Gate has been here for over 100 years and with all the changes going on downtown, it feels like a new era. It truly is a renaissance—the rebirth of a classic.
- Mark Brandenburg, President of Golden Gate -
This downtown area… is emerging and where many events are happening.
- Alexandra Epstein, Executive Vice President of El Cortez Casino Hotel -
Our business is booming amid the foot traffic on Fremont Street, and we’ve started to see how tourists are falling in love with downtown as they discover it. In the past year, we’re increasingly hearing things like, ‘Wow, next time we’ll stay downtown instead of on The Strip,’ or ‘We’ve visited downtown many times, but this is the first year we’ve actually stayed in a downtown hotel.’ They like that there is more to do within a smaller walking radius.
- Johnny Jimenez, Owner of Toy Shack of Las Vegas