Perfect Las Vegas Itinerary 3 Days – How to spend 3 days in Las Vegas

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Las Vegas is a popular resort city located in the state of Nevada in the United States of America. Vegas is famous for its nightlife, casinos, flamboyant lifestyle, and amazing entertainment and they say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. Well, you don’t have to stick to that, you can explore some of the COOLEST things in Las Vegas Itinerary 3 days and share that with friends, family and the world.

We visited Vegas a couple of times, which were 1- 2 years apart and this Las Vegas Itinerary is based on our experience from those trips.

Las Vegas Itinerary 3 Days – How to spend 3 days in Las Vegas?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Getting to Las Vegas Nevada

Las Vegas is located in Nevada’s Mojave Desert in the USA. Las Vegas is serviced by McCarran International Airport., which is well connected to all major cities in the US and the world.

We flew to Las Vegas from Canada and you will be surprised that during winter months in Canada, there is always a flight sale to Las Vegas. We have traveled to Las Vegas with a budget of $500 per person covering our flight, hotel, and a day tour.

We stayed at the Las Vegas Strip during our visit. We booked our accommodation reservation at the Excalibur Hotel. The cost of stay at this hotel was $65 with a $30+ resort fee per night. The hotel was shaped like a medieval castle. It had a casino, shopping centers, and restaurants in its arena. This hotel also boasts of a medieval-themed restaurant.

You can get an airport shuttle to reach your hotel/resort or book a cab to Las Vegas Strip. Excalibur hotel had an airport shuttle service for $15. Typical airport shuttle costs between $12 – $20 from the airport to the strip. Book airport shuttle here.

Day 1 Las Vegas Itinerary  – Explore the Strip, Mandalay Bay Reef, Bellagio Fountains, Gondola ride, Evening Lights tour of Vegas, and Vegas Downtown

After checking in to the Excalibur Hotel, we ventured on our Vegas exploration starting with the Strip itself. Excalibur Hotel is located on the southern end of the Strip, beside Mandalay Bay Hotel and this is our home for the next three days.

If you only have one day in Las Vegas, you should explore all of the Strip as well as the downtown area, to get a taste of what Vegas has to offer!  

Mandalay Bay Reef

We started the exploration with Mandalay Bay Reef. The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is an underground aquarium (at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino). I know I know – of all entertainment events in the city and we choose this.

Well, we had never been to one, so we liked the experience here. And if you have family traveling with you, definitely make a stop here.

The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay has an entry fee of $20-25 for adult access. You can also dive with the sharks or just enjoy the aquarium as we did.

Book your Shark Reef Aquarium access tickets here

Explore Las Vegas Strip

We made our way from the hotel lobby and corridors towards Hotel Luxor – which is a pyramid-shaped hotel. If interested, you can attend exhibitions on display at the Luxor hotel.

From Luxor, wander to New York New York Hotel. Head outside, explore and pose in front of the Brooklyn Bridge or capture the Statue of Liberty in all its glory.

Paris Hotel is close by, don’t forget to admire the Eiffel Tower here.

Continue walking to M and M store, and quench your candy love (Salil LOVES candies). On your way, you will find tons of restaurant and bar options as well, so feel free to stop by and eat.

During the day, as we were out and about exploring we prefer eating at fast food or street food stalls. We left fancy dinners for the night.

Anyhow, continue your strip exploration as you head to Hotel Aria and Cosmopolitan. I LOVED the interiors of both these hotels, so luxurious.

Remember, there are tons of things to see during the day at the Strip and many of them are free, including the water fountains at the Bellagio where we will be heading next.

Bellagio Fountains

Bellagio Hotel is a STUNNING hotel in the Las Vegas Strip. The entire building looks like romance in concrete and liberally sprinkled with water fountains (or imagine love potion, if you will). The Bellagio fountains put on a show every day without fail to mesmerize the visitors to the city.

Fountain shows occur every 30 minutes from 03:00 pm to 08:00 pm Monday through Friday.

And from 08:00 pm to midnight, it occurs every 15 minutes. On Sundays, it’s the same drill, but it starts an hour early. On Saturdays/holidays, the show starts an hour later (30 minutes from 12:00 pm to 08:00 pm and 15 minutes from 08:00 to midnight).

The fountain show at the Bellagio is captivating – there is a stunning display of aquatic art and background music. You can sit by the fountains, admire them (and get lost in your thoughts or their music)

Up next on the walking tour are Hotels Flamingo, Caesar’s Palace, and Treasure Island. During our visit, we stopped at a few food stalls by Caesar’s and Treasure Island for food and frozen margaritas to go.

Our last stop at the strip was at the Hotel Venetian. The hotel is very serene and beautiful from inside. I loved the painted walls, ceilings, and gondolas inside the hotel. This really transported us to Venice. You can opt for a romantic gondola canal ride and entry to the Madame Tussaud’s tour here

If you prefer to explore the Las Vegas Strip with a tour guide, then book this walking tour of the Las Vegas Strip.

From the Venetian, we head back to our hotel to get ready for a special night tour.

Night (Illuminations) Tour of Las Vegas

We took an evening tour of Vegas to experience all the lights and illuminations. This tour covered the strip, starting with a pick up from our Hotel Excalibur all the way to the Stratosphere and to Downtown Las Vegas.

Book your Night tour of Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street Here

We were given free time in the downtown area to explore the Fremont Street Experience. Fremont Street experience takes place in a 24-hour mall, with huge LED canopy showcasing music and video, casinos, and restaurant access.

Golden Nugget Hotel is also located nearby Fremont Street. You can expect free entertainment here as well as great cheap food. My hot dog and drink were $1.50 only!

The evening tour will drop you back at your hotel. The night is still young, so you can either head to a casino nearby or for drinks.

Additional Sightseeing: We missed the Neon Museum on both of our trips, but it is on our Las Vegas bucket list to explore next. This living museum is a testimony to Vegas’s flamboyant quarters, where historic signs are displayed.

The Neon Museum is located in the northern part of the city, and about 13 minutes from the hotel we stayed in. And there is an entry fee to get inside. 

Day 2 in Las Vegas Itinerary – Red Rock Canyon, Shopping in an outlet mall, food tour in Vegas, evening show and events 

Day 2 of Las Vegas Itinerary started with a quick breakfast at the hotel Excalibur. There are many fast-food chains and restaurants at the hotel for food options.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a perfect place for outdoor enthusiasts in Las Vegas. Located in the Mojave Desert, the conservation area is only 21 minutes by car. You can also book a half-day tour to the Canyons, with free pick up and drop off included from any Vegas hotel. 

This tour takes 4 hours to complete bringing you back to Vegas, a little after 1:00 pm. More on this day tour here.

The Red Rock Canyon is known for its stunning geological features such as the towering red sandstone peaks, which are easily recognizable and iconic. Inside the conservation area (to the south) are hiking trails and seasonal waterfalls. It is a perfect place for a quick hike, walk or climb before returning to the Strip.

There is an entry fee to get into the area which is $15 for a vehicle. You can also buy an annual pass for $30. 

Las Vegas South Premium Outlet Mall & Food Tour

How about some delicious food and then shopping in the evening? After the Red Rock Canyon tour, take a food tour of Vegas in the afternoon. Book your food tour here

The best thing about this FOOD tour is that you can try cuisines from 4 different places, whilst exploring the Las Vegas strip with a local guide.

Next comes shopping! With tons of flagship stores and malls like the Grand Canal Shoppes or the Forum Shops at the Caesars, you can shop till you drop.

Las Vegas South Premium Outlet Mall is a very popular shopping place with over 140 retail stores of designer & household brands. Get your gift shopping done right here.

If shopping is not your thing, use the evening for entertainment. You can head to a fancy place for dinner and drinks or book a live show. On one of our stays in Las Vegas, we went for dinner at the Venetian and on another night, we were at the New York City Hotel.

We also tried our luck playing at slot machines (na, didn’t win any). One of the guides told us that it is better to gamble at older resorts as you have more chances of winning. We don’t know, but just a thought.

Las Vegas Itinerary 3 days – Day trips from Las Vegas

Your day 3 in Las Vegas Itinerary is for a day trip outside of the city. Here are a few day tour options for you to consider 

• Day tour to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon South Rim – Check out the tour here
• Day trip to the Death Valley from Las Vegas – Check out the Death Valley tour here
• Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend tour
• Do something fancy with a helicopter tour and explore Grand Canyon West Rim

We embarked on a day trip to Grand Canyon on the south rim via a guided tour. Here is the tour we recommend – keep in mind this is a FULL day tour with an early morning pick up from your Las Vegas Strip hotel. 

The pick up was on time and we were provided with a boxed breakfast. Our first stop was at the Hoover Dam. The Hoover Dam is a concrete dam built in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border of Nevada and Arizona. It was built between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression. Take pictures and admire this modern creation.

After crossing the Hoover Dam, you will be entering the US state of Arizona. The landscape slowly changes from here and very soon you will be traveling on historic Route 66. Route 66 was one of the original and primary highways in the United States. The original route actually no longer exists.

But in this guided tour, you get to learn about Route 66 and its history. Before your lunch stop, you will see mid-western-style restaurants and salons on the way.

After lunch, the real fun begins at the Grand Canyon – south rim. You will be spending 3-3.50 hours at the Grand Canyon. A short hike is possible and there is a cafe and souvenir store located in the Grand Canyon National Park.

We spent time hiking and exploring the different lookout viewpoints at the Grand Canyon. The beauty of the Canyons is mesmerizing.

The Grand Canyons and the cravings that you see on them are created by the Colorado River, that flows through it. The Colorado River has been cutting and creating these stunning waves on the canyon while simultaneously deepening and widening it.

For many years, this area was inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon. There are many forested areas nearby as well.

 

We saw the sunset at the Grand Canyon National Park, so this FULL day of sitting on the bus was worth it, after all.

After the tour of the National Park, we head back to Las Vegas using the same route, and this time, we saw the Hoover Dam all lit up. It was beautiful. Definitely worth adding a day trip to Grand Canyon from Vegas. 

If you have some energy left, then head out for drinks – like we did to celebrate the time in Las Vegas!

Read Grand Canyon: North Rim vs South Rim – Which one should you go to?

Travel Tips for Las Vegas 3 day itinerary

Here are some quick and handy tips to prepare for your trip to Las Vegas Nevada USA

Travel Documents

As always, don’t forget your passport and travel documents. Tourist visa to the USA must be applied for in advance and secured prior to flying to the country. Depending on your application, you could be granted a visa for up to 10 years.

Passport holders from Canada do not need a visa.

Currency and Budget for Las Vegas

US dollars are used in Las Vegas. Credit cards are widely accepted. You can also get cash in USD from any currency exchange office, to cover your expenses.

Las Vegas could be an expensive trip or a cheap one, it all depends on you.

• Hotels – You can easily score a good hotel deal in Vegas. Remember to include the resort fee as it is not shown upfront when you are booking your hotel. Read the 10 Best Hotels to stay in Las Vegas 
• Food – You will find TONS of places to eat cheaply, either in a fast-food chain or hot dog stall. Food and drink inside the hotels and casinos will be expensive. Taking a food tour as suggested in the itinerary will help you keep costs low and also explore the culinary side of Las Vegas.
• Sightseeing – Las Vegas is popular for its architecture and the exuberant nightlife. If you are staying at the LV Strip you will get to see it all (and people watch). In one of our trips, like the first day of this itinerary, all we did was walk the strip and take in all the stunning hotel views in. Remember all the sights were FREE.
• Shopping, Shows, and Casino – These are the expensive ticket items! If you plan on doing any of these – like – tons of shopping, shows, and gambling – the budget WILL go out of hand. I did that with shopping *oops*. I don’t have much advice on shopping or gambling (other than setting a budget prior to your trip), but here are an attractions pass to save you money on the shows. Grab one right here.
• TIP: To avoid overspending in Vegas, start with a budget. If you plan on shopping, set your budget at home and stick to it. Carry cash for drinks and food and limit the spending accordingly.

Vegas Weddings and Chapels

Las Vegas is also known for its quick weddings. Some of the city’s chapels are very old and very vintage-y. You can even get Elvis Presley to get you married, isn’t that cool? Find one here

I heard there is a drive-through wedding window as well. Check one out right here!

There is no waiting period to getting officiated in LV. You will have to get a marriage license from here

There are tons of options to choose from with regards to venues, from big parties to elopements.

We hope you enjoyed our 3 day Las Vegas weekend itinerary, and are on your way to planning an exceptional getaway to the sin city!

Additional United States Travel Resources

• Find the MOST Romantic things to do in Las Vegas here
• Top Las Vegas to Grand Canyon Day tours 
• Explore San Francisco California San Francisco Itinerary 4 days here
• Get the Winter Guide to vacationing in the United States Best winter destinations in the USA here

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

PIN! Las Vegas Itinerary 3 Days – How to spend 3 days in Las Vegas?

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