Rent a car for first trip to vegas?

[whatacrew08]

We are going for 3 nights and are staying on the Strip. Friends have said we should definately rent a car, but I have read in some guidebooks that we should just use Shuttles, Taxis, and the Monorail. This is our first trip. Thoughts?? Thanks!

 

[The Blue Parrot]

If you're not planning to go beyond the Strip or even downtown to Fremont Street, you can get by easily without a car. Taxis are flat rate from the airport to hotels.

If you were going to go out to Boulder City and Hoover Dam, a car makes for flexibility. But even that can be done as a tour package.

 

[StageTek]

If your friends know you and your itinerary they are a much better resource
than the guidebooks. For me it really depends on what my plans are for the
days I am there.

As Blue Parrot said, a car give you flexibility to go beyond where the Shuttles,
Taxis, and the Monorail go. But if your plan is to stay in that very large area,
you can save money.

 

[daveyc150]

It really depends what your plans are, if you're only staying on the strip it's often more hassle to travel between the hotels by car as the parking lots can be a long walk from the actual hotel/casino. If you're going further a field maybe you can have a car for just one day as they can be picked up and dropped off at many of the hotels.

One thing I would really recomend and something which was a highlight on my last trip and something I will be doing on my next is hiring a convertibile for the day. It was great to cruise up and down the strip both during the day and at night with the top down. You get a real feel for the atmosphere and if you have a video camera you get some great footage.

Hope this helps!

 

[everylastbreath]

I would definately NOT rent a car in Vegas, especially for the strip, traffic is horrible and it would probably take you longer to drive than to walk somewhere. Unless you are extemely use to driving in busy city traffic with tons of pedestrians I would skip the car and taxi/shuttle/walk it. If you wanted to rent on for the day to do the Hoover or GC, do it for the day, but skip the rental for entire time.

 

[Happy vacationer]

I agree to skip the car. Our first and only trip to vegas so far was 4 years ago. We stayed at the Imperial Palace and walked everywhere. I just remember seeing the traffic lined up and down the streets and thinking how glad I was that I had cancelled our rental car. I know we aren't renting a car for our 2nd trip this fall and this time we are staying just off strip.

 

[buddydecat]

I wouldn't rent a car. There are so many ways to get around, it's more of a hassle than it's worth. DH and I drive to Vegas often and we park the car when we arrive and don't move it until we leave. It's not fun to drive in Vegas, but the public transportation can be entertaining!

 

[LuvTigger]

I'm a frequent Vegas visitor -- it's kind of like a second home to me. We rent a car, but that's because BF's dad lives there. I agree with those who say it depends what you're planning to do. If you plan to stay on the Strip and Downtown, you can rely on taxis, shuttles, and buses. If your stay is 3 days, you would have plenty to do without a car.

You could also just rent a car for a day if you want to explore other things. A lot of hotels have a car rental desk. Even if your hotel doesn't have one, you should be able to walk to a hotel that does.

Traffic on the Strip seems to be bad any time of day. However, if you decide to get a car, do a little bit of research beforehand. There are streets that run parallel to the Strip that you can use and don't get backed up (and there aren't traffic lights and pedestrians to hold you up). These streets usually provide access to hotel parking lots from the back or side, rather than the front. Although, it can be fun to "cruise" down the Strip if you're not in a hurry to get anywhere.

 

[sunshinemummy]

I've been to Vegas 3 times in the last year, Aug 07, Jan 08 & July 08. The first trip we did not rent and should have, the 2nd & 3rd time we rented a vehicle. I love the convience of having a vehicle, and it's free to park at any hotel. I priced out what taxi's would cost and it ended up cheaper to rent a vehicle. We like to do lots of shopping so going to both outlets, plus the mall, a trip to Freemont Street and a rental is covered. If you plan on staying mid-strip and only doing things within walking distance then you are OK. I found it easy to drive in Vegas actually, no worse than rush hour traffic at home.

It really depends what you want to do and see. Always rent from the airport as its cheaper. I rented an SUV for the last trip, $19/DAY.

 

[jlima]

I've been to Vegas 3 times in the last year, Aug 07, Jan 08 & July 08. The first trip we did not rent and should have, the 2nd & 3rd time we rented a vehicle. I love the convience of having a vehicle, and it's free to park at any hotel. I priced out what taxi's would cost and it ended up cheaper to rent a vehicle. We like to do lots of shopping so going to both outlets, plus the mall, a trip to Freemont Street and a rental is covered. If you plan on staying mid-strip and only doing things within walking distance then you are OK. I found it easy to drive in Vegas actually, no worse than rush hour traffic at home.

It really depends what you want to do and see. Always rent from the airport as its cheaper. I rented an SUV for the last trip, $19/DAY.

Beware of taxes that are added on when you rent a car an an airport in Nevada . . . you will pay two extra fees: an Airport Concession Fee of about 10% of the total of rental fees (before tax & fees), and Customer Facility Charge of $3/day. You don't pay these two fees when you rent off the Strip (but you do pay sales tax and licensing plus one more fee). The last time my mom was in town she stayed for four weeks and she saved about $150 by having DH pick her up and bring her to an Enterprise location near our house.

If you are going to drive out to Red Rock or Valley of Fire, do any outlet mall shopping or sightseeing such as Hoover Dam on your own, I would rent a car. If you can get a deal and pay less than $30 per day, it's about the cost of taking a taxi round trip from the Strip to almost anywhere in the city.

 

[LauraAnn630]

Every hotel has a taxi line. I think taxis are the best way to get around.