The Strip is about 4.2 miles long. South, center, and north are different trips, and the walk between them is longer than it looks.
The Las Vegas Strip resort corridor runs roughly 4.2 miles from the Mandalay Bay area to the STRAT, and hotel names that look adjacent on a map can be a 20-minute walk apart once bridges, driveways, and casino floors are involved. Pick your base by what you plan to do, not by who has the cheapest rate. Start with the Picking a Resort hub for the bigger decision.
The south end covers Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York, and MGM Grand. It is closest to Harry Reid International Airport, which sits about 2 miles from Terminal 1 to the southern Strip, and to Allegiant Stadium via the Hacienda Avenue bridge. It suits early flights, event weekends, and travelers who want a large resort with room to spread out. The trade-off is that the classic center-Strip attractions are a real walk or a rideshare away.
Center Strip is Bellagio, Caesars Palace, the Cosmopolitan, Aria, Park MGM, Horseshoe, Paris, Flamingo, the LINQ, and Harrah’s. This is where the fountains, the highest concentration of headline restaurants, and the most indoor connections sit. Park MGM, Aria, and the Cosmopolitan connect on foot, and the free ARIA Express tram links Bellagio, Vdara, the Shops at Crystals, and Park MGM. T-Mobile Arena is immediately next to Park MGM and New York-New York. For a first visit built around shows and sightseeing, center Strip usually means the least daily travel.
The north end is Wynn and Encore, the Venetian and Palazzo, Resorts World, Fontainebleau, and Sahara. These resorts are more spread out, and the distance between them and, say, Bellagio can be a long walk. The Venetian connects to the Sphere by an indoor, climate-controlled pedestrian bridge, which makes it a strong base for a Sphere show. The north can also be practical for convention center trips; check your exact venue and transport rather than assuming every north-Strip hotel is next door.
The Las Vegas Monorail runs on the east side between MGM Grand and Sahara with seven stops, so it can help with center and north Strip hotels but does not reach Bellagio or Mandalay Bay. The free Mandalay Bay Express tram serves Mandalay Bay, Luxor, and Excalibur. For a first trip, check which of these actually serves your hotel before building a plan around it, and see our guide to monorail versus walking versus rideshare.
Do not assume two hotel names side by side share an entrance. Check the lobby, the rideshare pickup, and your actual venues, then compare total cost using resort fees and hidden costs.
Did you know? The free ARIA Express tram and the Mandalay Bay Express tram are separate routes that do not connect, so no single free tram covers the Strip from Mandalay Bay to Bellagio.
Weighing a view upgrade at your hotel? Read Strip-facing vs. city-facing rooms, and if downtown is calling, see downtown and off-Strip hotels.
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