Seven Days in Vegas Is a Lot. Here’s How to Not Burn Out.

A week here will wear you down if you try to do every day at Strip intensity. Alternate hard days with easy ones, and don’t schedule anything on day 7 morning except getting to the airport.

Day 1: Land and Settle In

Fly into Harry Reid International, not McCarran, that name’s a decade out of date at this point. Rideshare pickup is inside the parking garage with a flat $4.50 fee added to the fare; taxis queue at baggage claim and are metered, so watch for drivers padding the trip through the I-215 tunnel.

Check into Bellagio or the Cosmopolitan if you want to be centrally located. Walk the Strip past Bellagio, the Mirage, and Caesars Palace, catch the free Bellagio fountains, and ride the High Roller at the LINQ Promenade if the current ticket price feels worth it to you. Dinner at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill covers the “one nice meal” box without going full splurge.

Day 2: Downtown

Fremont Street Experience delivers a free canopy light show and a rougher, more genuine version of Vegas than the Strip’s increasingly corporate feel. The Neon Museum next door is worth the ticket price on its own. The SlotZilla zipline is there if you want the adrenaline hit, extra cost. Eat downtown tonight; it’s cheaper and often better than Strip equivalents.

Day 3: Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon

Rent a car for this one. Hoover Dam is about 45 minutes out and a legitimate half-day trip on its own, pairing well with Lake Mead. Red Rock Canyon is 20-30 minutes in the opposite direction, so doing both properly in one day means an early start; budget the $2 timed-entry reservation plus roughly $20 for vehicle entry if you go. Skip trying to squeeze the Grand Canyon into this day too: even the closer West Rim is 2-2.5 hours each way, and the South Rim is 4.5-5 hours, an overnight trip, not a third stop.

Day 4: Shows and a Real Dinner

Book a show in advance rather than hoping for same-day tickets: Cirque du Soleil, Penn & Teller, and Blue Man Group all sell out on weekends. Pair it with one genuinely nice dinner; Joël Robuchon at Mandalay Bay is the kind of splurge that’s worth doing once on a week-long trip.

Day 5: Shopping and Thrills

Forum Shops at Caesars or the Fashion Show Mall for retail, then Stratosphere’s thrill rides or SkyJump if heights don’t bother you. Keep meals casual today; you’ve got bigger dinners elsewhere in the week.

Day 6: Casinos and Nightlife

This is the day to actually gamble if that’s part of your trip; remember you need to be 21, checked at the door everywhere. Downtown Container Park is a good lower-key stop in the afternoon. If you’re doing nightclubs, go in with eyes open: covers run $50-100+ and bottle minimums start around $500, and sidewalk “free entry” promoters are working a commission, not doing you a favor. Book through the club’s own site if you want the better deal.

Day 7: Departure

Give yourself real buffer time getting to Harry Reid; security lines add up fast on a Sunday. Check your final hotel folio for the resort fee before you leave; it’s mandatory, separate from the room rate, and typically runs $45-65 a night with tax, whether or not anyone mentioned it at booking.

Pack water for the whole week, not just the desert-hike days: dehydration sneaks up on you even walking between casinos in air conditioning. And keep your ID on you at all times if you’re drinking or gambling; nobody in this city takes your word for your age.