Car Rental

You shouldn’t automatically rent a car when you go to Las Vegas because it has plenty of downsides. If you are just planning on visiting a few of the more interesting hotels along the Las Vegas Strip, then there are usually better ways of accomplishing that. Traffic has gotten horrendous and parking is often so inconvenient that you would have walked less by NOT taking the car.

But if you are staying at an Off-Strip hotel, or especially if you want to see more of the area than just the Strip and Downtown, then renting a car can be a key part of an unforgettable trip. And fortunately, prices for renting cars in Las Vegas are relatively cheap. Competition is fierce, so good deals are usually easy to find, even at the last minute. However, prices don’t usually go down as the dates approach, so you are best off finding the best price once you’ve committed to your flight by using a car rental search engine.

You might consider renting a car for only one or two days of your trip and using it those days to see more of the area, but not wasting more days having it sit in a distant parking lot behind your hotel.

Prices

There are a few car rental companies you’ve never heard of that have cars starting a bit over $20 per day for their smallest models, but most of the major companies have compact cars starting around $30 per day and obviously going up from there. You can usually get a plain midsize or full-size car for only a few dollars more than the smallest one, but the sky’s the limit after that.

In Las Vegas you can often rent a convertible for under $50 per day and luxury and premium cars are available with daily rates up to about $200. Most car rental companies give frequent flier miles with their rentals, so picking a company that gives miles on the plan you need miles on most is usually a good idea, especially since most companies are within a few dollars of each other on most rentals.

Places to go with a rental car

Red Rock Canyon

This ultra-scenic area is only 15 miles from the Strip, but it feels thousands of miles away. The Sedona-style canyons are stunningly beautiful in the right light. There is a 13-mile one-way loop through the area, with small parking lots near hiking trails and picnic areas.

Hoover Dam

This engineering marvel is 30 miles from Las Vegas, but it takes an hour or more to get there. You can take a guided 2-hour tour through the dam for $10 for adults, but just seeing it from one of the many observation areas nearby is enough for most people.

Lake Mead

The above-mentioned Hoover Dam created Lake Mead when it was completed in 1936 and now this artificial lake is home to all kinds of boating and water sports.

Grand Canyon

If you keep going for another 220 miles past Hoover Dam you can reach the Grand Canyon. The whole trip can take up to 5 hours each way, so this isn’t the sort of thing you’d do on a whim, but many people do it as a day-trip, and of course spending the night at a hotel near the Grand Canyon can make the visit a bit longer and more civilized.

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