Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport (261 5211, www.mccarran.com) is just five minutes from the south end of the Strip, which makes the trip from airport to hotel relatively painless. The airport itself is clean and modern, and takes first (and last) tilt at the tourist dollar with halls of slot machines and video poker. There are hundreds of internal flights to Las Vegas each week. However, direct international flights are limited; from the UK, for example, only Virgin Atlantic (from London Gatwick) and British Airways (from London Heathrow) fly direct. Most flights to and from Europe require passengers to change at an East Coast airport or at LAX.
Traveling to and from Las Vegas
Information for visitors on domestic and international travel to Las Vegas
Traveling to Las Vegas by air
To and from the airport
Public bus routes 108 and 109 run north from the airport: the 108 heads up Swenson Avenue and stops at the LVH, while the 109 goes along Maryland Parkway. Shuttle buses run by Bell Trans (739 7990, www.bell-trans.com), Grayline (1-800 472 9546, www.grayline.com) and Ritz (889 4242, www.shuttlelasvegas.com) run to the Strip and Downtown 24 hours a day. Expect to pay $7 for transport to a Strip hotel, slightly more to Downtown.
Taxis can be found outside the arrivals hall. Expect to pay $15–$25 to get to most hotels on the Strip, or $22–$27 to Downtown.
Major airline contact details
Air Canada 1-888 247 2262, www.aircanada.com
Alaska Air 1-800 426 0333, www.alaskaair.com
American Airlines 1-800 433 7300, www.aa.com
British Airways 0844 493 0787, www.britishairways.com
Delta domestic 1-800 221 1212, international 1-800 241 4141, www.delta.com
Jet Blue 1-800 538 2583, www.jetblue.com
Southwest 1-800 435 9792, www.southwest.com
United Airlines domestic 1-800 864 8331, international 1-800 538 2929, www.united.com
US Airways domestic 1-800 428 4322, international 1-800 622 1015, www.usairways.com
Virgin Atlantic UK: 0844 209 7777. US: 1-800 862 8621, www.virginatlantic.com
Traveling to Las Vegas by road
The main roads leaving the city are the I-15, which runs south-west towards LA and north-east towards Salt Lake City, and the US93 and US95, which head north into Nevada and south into Arizona and California respectively.
Greyhound buses (1-800 231 2222, www.greyhound.com) arrive at the bus station on 200 Main Street, just by the Plaza. The ride from LA ($60 one-way) takes between five and eight hours. Reservations are not required.
For more information on car hire, check our guide to driving in Las Vegas.
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