How to do Las Vegas on a budget

Be there when no-one else is

Weekends, when everyone comes into town to play the slots, is a pricey time to be in one of the world’s top gambling spots. For best deals visit Las Vegas mid-week between Tuesday and Thursday, when prices are much lower.

And if you really want to bag a bargain make sure to travel in the shoulder seasons, between March and May or September and November, when fewer crowds spell lower prices.

Top tip: Sin City’s top hotels might seem out of reach if you’re strapped for cash, but if you sign up to one of the loyalty programmes offered by Caesars Palace, The Venetian and other big Vegas hotels chains, you’ll get discounted rooms and lots of other perks.

Stay central

Hotels might be cheaper out of town, but you’ll spend less money on travel if you stay closer to the action. You’ll find a handful of affordable hotels mid-Strip near Caesars Palace, but for the cheapest accommodation head downtown. Here, you’ll still be in easy reach of The Strip, but hotels are much cheaper.

If you really want to get more bang for your buck, check out Sin City hostel. It’s ten minutes out of town near the Adventuredome, but it’s cheap and clean. Icing on the cake, it’s also a great place to meet other travellers.

Top tip: Watch out for hidden fees, including resort fees, which can be as much as $45 a night. Remember this added cost when budgeting your trip or go here to find a list of Las Vegas hotels that don’t charge resort fees.

Forget car hire

The bad news is that parking in ‘Lost Wages’ is the stuff of nightmares. The good news is that the city is surprisingly pedestrian-friendly and most of the main sights are within easy walking distance of each other.

If you do want to go further afield – or if you’re here in summer and prefer to avoid hiking around in the heat – buy a $13.45 (£12) day pass and hop on the monorail, which runs between The Strip and the Las Vegas Convention Centre.

The Deuce, a double-decker bus connecting The Strip with downtown 24/7, is a more moderately priced option at $8 (£7.15) for a 24-hour ticket. You can also travel for free on the Downtown Loop, a shuttle linking downtown Las Vegas with the city’s main attractions, but there’s one major drawback – it only runs until 6pm between Sunday and Thursday and between 3pm and 10pm on Friday and Saturday.

Top tip: Find out which attractions are close to which casinos and then hop on one of the free casino shuttles that travel between them. The ARIA Express Tram, for example, connects ARIA Resort & Casino with the Bellagio, Vdara, Park MGM and The Shops at Crystals.

Eat and drink for free (or almost)

Keen on enticing you to linger in Las Vegas, many hotel lobbies have racks full of coupon booklets offering sizeable discounts on meals. Before travelling, you should also take a look at some of the dazzling restaurants specials and deals on the Las Vegas restaurant discounts website.

If you don’t mind dining early, don your glad rags and hit up Sin City’s Happy Hour scene – usually between 3pm and 7pm – where perks include half price drinks and snacks. If you prefer to nibble late at night, head out on a Reverse Happy hour after 10pm to enjoy cut-price sipping and supping at a raft of glitzy venues. Try Ra Sushi Bar & Restaurant at the Fashion Show mall or The Venetian’s celebrity-loved Sushi Samba restaurant.

Top tip: Big eaters should keep an eye out for the return of the Buffet of Buffets pass, which is currently suspended due to Covid-19. It costs around $70 (£62.49), but it allows you to enjoy 24 wicked hours of frenzied feeding at five of Sin City’s best casino buffets.

Check out the free entertainment

From cavorting with animatronic animals in The Bellagio’s botanical gardens, to watching sparks fly during nightly volcano eruptions at The Mirage, there are plenty of fun, free activities in Vegas.

Wildlife lovers will want to watch turtles, flamingos and other exotic animals strutting their stuff in The Flamingo’s wildlife area, while fish fanciers should head for Silverton Hotel’s aquarium, where tropical fish frolic with real life mermaids.

Prefer to steer clear of the local wildlife? Check out Fremont Street’s spectacular free Viva Vision light show and other no-cost nightly entertainment or make a beeline for Circus Circus hotel where, from 1.30pm weekdays and from 11.30am between Friday and Sunday, acrobats and trapeze artists perform a huge variety of hair-raising stunts.

Top tip: For quirky selfies that won’t cost a penny, check out The Venetian’s Gondolier March show held daily at 9.45am and 4.20pm.

Go for a cut-price show

Whether you’re a fan of Beatles tribute groups or dream of being wowed by The Cirque du Soleil, you can’t leave Las Vegas without seeing a show. Spoiler alert: tickets are pricey, but if you buy on the night via outlets like Tix4Tonight you can get discounts of up to 50%.

Top tip: Many hotels offer discount coupons for shows, so make sure to ask.

Make like a VIP

A magnet for celebrities ranging from Taylor Swift to Miley Cyrus, Vegas’ nightlife is legendary, but if you want to spot stars without splashing too much cash you’ll need to have a plan.

Before travelling, connect with a VIP host and ask them to get you on one of the club’s guest lists – you might even want to reach out to them on Twitter. When you do hit town, scour The Strip to find promoters handing out free entry coupons.

Top tip: Be boring and get there early – many nightclubs offer free entry before 10.30pm and arriving in advance of this provides the best chance of getting in without being on a guest list.