Las Vegas Monorail
There are several options to get around Las Vegas. You can have your own luxury car rental or do the typical tourist of walk and see and hail a cab. While driving the luxury car rental is a lot of fun, it may prove to be hard to sightsee at the same time. Walking down the famous ‘strip’ in Las Vegas from one end to another can be tiring and you do not feel like dealing with the taxi drivers. So what can take you around the sights quickly and efficiently to maximize your vacation time? The Las Vegas Monorail can. So park your luxury car rental at one of the hotels on the route and jump on the monorail!
The Las Vegas Monorail is a mass transit system that connects MGM Grand to the Sahara Hotel. The first fully automated large-scale monorail in the United States, the Las Vegas Monorail is the first privately-financed transit system built in the United States since World War II. There are a total of four monorail lines that stretch between various hotels along the strip but its main route is a 3.9 mile dual-beam line with seven stations along the route. The stations are MGM Grand, Bally’s/Paris, Flamingo, Harrah’s/Imperial Palace, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton and the Sahara. The other three monorail lines cover shorter stretches between hotels that are closer together yet too far to realistically walk to.
Traveling at a speed of 50 miles per hour, you can go from one end of the strip to the other end in less than 15 minutes at the cost of five dollars. Operating from 7am to 2am during the week and till 3am on the weekend starting from Friday, the monorail will be efficiently and comfortably bring you along the strip. The monorail runs along the back of many hotels on the east side of The Strip. If the hotel you need to get to is on the west side of The Strip, you should consult the official monorail map to see which stop is appropriate or maybe the luxury car rental is more handy afterall.
You can purchase tickets in advance through the Las Vegas Monorail website but it is not necessary. The ticket machines at the stations take cash, credit, or debit card. There are several ticket options for you to choose from. The Single-Ride ticket costs five dollars and it is only good for one entry. The Two-Ride ticket costs nine dollars but it could and the Ten-Ride ticket costs thirty-five dollars. However, these two types of tickets can be shared with those in your party. Any unused rides are good for twelve months from date of purchase which is shown on your ticket. There is the Unlimited One-day pass for fifteen dollars and Unlimited Three-day pass for forty dollars. Unfortunately, these are not sharable but they are good for unlimited travel for 24 and 72 consecutive hours from first use during operational hours. The beginning and ending times are stamped on the ticket upon first entry at the fare gate. As for children, all kids five and under can travel for free.
The Las Vegas Monorail is wheelchair friendly and Seeing Eye dogs are allowed with helpful security at each station. Do note that the Monorail stations do not have restrooms. However, all except the Las Vegas Convention Centre stop are attached to casinos with public bathrooms. Open containers are not permitted on the Monorail so be sure to only have your beverages in closed or closable container.
The Las Vegas Monorail is a comfortable and efficient way to travel up and down the strip but if you are planning on going beyond, your luxury car rental would come in very handy. Do not forget to reserve yours as you plan for your next visit to Las Vegas!
