Getting around Las Vegas without a car: what actually works
Las Vegas monorail approaching a Strip station platform
You can survive the Strip car-free, but plan on 3 transport modes minimum: monorail, Deuce bus, and rideshare.
The transport that actually exists
Las Vegas has no subway. Your real options are the Las Vegas Monorail (Sahara to MGM Grand, $6 single or $15 day pass, runs east side of the Strip only), the RTC Deuce bus (24 hours, $6 for 2 hours or $8 all day, runs the length of Las Vegas Boulevard including Downtown), and rideshare via Uber and Lyft. Taxis still exist and queue at every casino. The Boring Company Loop shuttles Teslas between Convention Center stations and a few resorts for a few dollars, but it is not a citywide network.
There is no train from the airport to the Strip. From Harry Reid International you take rideshare (roughly $18-25 to mid-Strip), a taxi (around $25-30 metered plus a $2 airport fee), or the RTC Westcetera 109 bus if you have time and small bags. Rental car pickup adds 20-30 minutes because the consolidated facility is off-airport.
Where a car helps and where it hurts
If you are staying on the Strip and only visiting the Strip and Fremont Street, skip the car. Self-parking at MGM, Caesars and Wynn properties runs $18-25 a night for hotel guests, valet more, and Strip traffic on a Friday night is honestly slower than walking between neighbouring casinos. The pedestrian bridges force long detours anyway.
You want a car for Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam, Mount Charleston, or anything in Henderson or Summerlin. Tour buses cover the big three but eat a whole day. A rental from an off-Strip location (there are Enterprise and Hertz branches on Paradise Road) is often $20-30 cheaper per day than the airport counters once you factor in concession fees.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Summerlin.
Only if your hotel is near a station and you are moving up and down the Strip more than twice. It skips traffic, but stations are on the back side of casinos, so you walk 10-15 minutes through the property to reach the Strip itself.
Plan on $40-60 a day for a couple doing 3-4 trips. Surge pricing after concerts and on Saturday nights routinely doubles fares, and pickup zones at Strip resorts are a long walk from the casino floor.
