Fast, clean, and modern, the Las Vegas Monorail spans four miles of track from the MGM Grand to the Sahara Hotel. The Monorail has a lot to recommend it. However, depending on it for hotel-hopping can be exhausting, as the majority of casino entrances on the Las Vegas Strip are a hike from the stations.
Conventioneers, rather than vacationers, may get the biggest benefit from the Monorail, as it delivers them very close to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
- Good alternative to expensive taxis
- It's a greener way to travel
- Interesting and unusual views of the city from distant heights
- Climate-controlled cars and well-lit stations
- Presence of K-9 security details
- Most drop-off points require a lot of walking to reach the Las Vegas Strip
- Tickets are fairly expensive
- Stations can be empty and isolated
- All up escalators were not functional on a recent visit
- Does not extend to McCarran Airport
- The Las Vegas Monorail runs from 7am to 2am Monday to Thursday and till 3am on Friday through Sunday.
- It takes just 15 minutes to ride the full length of the Las Vegas Monorail.
- Each train seats 72 and has room for 150 standees. At 11pm on a Friday night, I was completely alone in a Monorail car.
- Ticket prices range from $5 for one ride to $40 for a three-day pass. Look for discounts at ticket machines.
On a recent visit to Las Vegas, I rode the Monorail multiple times on a three-day pass, and visited every station. All were clean, well-lit, and featured clear signs and directions.
The Las Vegas Monorail has 7 stations. From north to south, they are:
- Sahara
- Las Vegas Hilton
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- Harrah's/Imperial Palace
- Flamingo/Caesar's Palace
- Bally's & Paris Las Vegas
- MGM Grand
The two hotels that are most convenient to the Monorail are the MGM Grand, which has an entrance from its main floor; and the Las Vegas Hilton. The Monorail station at the Hilton deposits passengers outside its Star Trek attraction.
At this writing, the Las Vegas Monorail does not link to McCarran airport... where it is most needed. Although the taxi line at the airport is well-organized, it can cost upwards of $20 to reach even the closest hotels on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Also, there is no Monorail stop reasonably close to the Fashion Show Mall, a popular destination for non-gamblers and gamblers with loot to spread around.
To reach casinos on the non-Monorail side of the Las Vegas Strip (including Caesars Palace and Bellagio), Monorail passengers must first exit the station, traipse through the nearest casino, navigate its gambling floor to find the entrance on the Strip, and then locate the closest transom pedestrian bridge across the boulevard.
Getting around town in anything other than an air-conditioned car is a daunting trek in desert heat. So if you decide to travel by Monorail — and every visitor to Vegas should experience it at least once — carry water and wear your walking shoes.
