What and where exactly is the Las Vegas Strip, and how is it different from downtown?
1 answer
The Strip is about 4.2 miles of Las Vegas Boulevard South, from Mandalay Bay to The STRAT, lined with the big resorts. Downtown is the original town 3 to 5 miles north, older and cheaper, built around Fremont Street.
The Strip
Mega-resorts shoulder to shoulder, the big shows, the expensive dining. The surprise for most people: none of it is inside the city of Las Vegas. The resort corridor is unincorporated Clark County, in a township called Paradise, which is why its lodging tax is 13.38% while a Strip hotel's mail still says Las Vegas.
Downtown
The actual city center. Its core is Fremont Street: five pedestrian blocks under a 1,375-foot LED canopy, the old casinos such as Golden Nugget, Binion's, Four Queens and El Cortez, and a bar district called Fremont East just past the canopy. Rooms are cheaper and resort fees lower ($30 to $50). It feels older, smaller and looser than the Strip. The Arts District, a short hop south, is where locals drink.
Between the two
A stretch of the Boulevard with wedding chapels and motels, walkable in theory and not recommended at night. The Deuce bus runs the whole way 24 hours a day, and a rideshare takes 10 to 15 minutes.
One more name you will hear: the Boulder Strip is Boulder Highway east of town, where locals' casinos like Sam's Town are. The map is in neighborhoods of Las Vegas and the first-trip orientation in first time in Las Vegas.