Las Vegas · 4-day itinerary
4 Days in Las Vegas: Strip, Desert and Downtown
Four days lets Las Vegas breathe. You get the headline nights on the Strip, a morning in red-rock desert thirty minutes from your hotel, and one evening where you eat and drink like a local, off the Strip entirely.
- Pace
- One big night, one easy night, alternating
- Desert day
- Red Rock Canyon (timed entry Oct 1 to May 31)
- Off-Strip night
- Herbs & Rye, Golden Tiki, The Sand Dollar
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The plan
Day 1: Arrive and settle in, Center Strip
A soft landing: dinner with a view and a lounge you can walk to.
Dinner
Eiffel Tower Restaurant
Paris Las Vegas, Center Strip
French classics and the Bellagio fountains below; request a window when you book.
French fine dining on the 11th floor of the Paris hotel's tower, with window tables looking straight down on the Bellagio fountains. A dependable anniversary pick.
Evening
Fountains of Bellagio
Bellagio, Center Strip
Walk across for a show or two up close.
The free water-and-music show on Bellagio's lake. After dark the shows run often enough that you can time a walk past it between dinner and a nightcap.
Nightcap
Petrossian Bar
Bellagio lobby, Center Strip
Piano, caviar if you're feeling it, and conversation at a normal volume.
The Bellagio lobby bar under Dale Chihuly's glass ceiling, with pianists on a Steinway grand, caviar on the menu and afternoon tea earlier in the day. One of the few places on the Strip where you can actually talk.
Day 2: Red rocks, then an off-Strip night
Go early, before the heat and the crowds, and be back by lunch for a nap. Tonight you eat where the bartenders eat.
Morning
Red Rock Canyon
About 30 minutes west of the Strip
Drive the 13-mile scenic loop and take a short trail. From October to May, reserve your timed entry on Recreation.gov (slots open 30 days out).
A 13-mile scenic loop through red sandstone and desert trails. From October 1 to May 31, entering the Scenic Drive between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. needs a timed reservation on Recreation.gov plus the vehicle fee.
Dinner
Herbs & Rye
West Sahara Ave (off-Strip)
Old-fashioned steaks and classic cocktails; the happy-hour window is walk-in only, so arrive at opening.
A dim, old-fashioned steakhouse and cocktail bar known for its happy hour on steaks and drinks. Locals come here for serious classic cocktails at off-Strip prices.
Evening
The Golden Tiki
Chinatown (Spring Mountain Rd)
A few minutes away in Chinatown: waterfalls, skulls and a very good Mai Tai.
An over-the-top tiki bar with waterfalls, pirate lore and very good Mai Tais and Zombies. It never closes, so it works as a late stop after a Chinatown dinner.
Late
The Sand Dollar Lounge
Spring Mountain Rd (off-Strip)
Live blues nightly, no cover. The most grown-up late-night bar in town.
A blues bar with history back to 1976, with live blues, soul, funk and rock every night and no cover. Craft cocktails and pizza, and a crowd there for the band.
Day 3: Spa day, supper-club night
The big evening of the trip. Spend the day recovering for it.
Afternoon
Qua Baths & Spa
Caesars Palace, Center Strip
Roman baths, a snowing ice room and couples' treatment rooms.
A large spa built around Roman baths of different temperatures, a laconium, a tea lounge and the Arctic Ice Room, where flakes fall from the ceiling. There are private rooms for couples' treatments.
Dinner
Delilah
Wynn Las Vegas
The Wynn supper club with a live band. Book as early as you can.
Wynn's modern supper club: an old-Hollywood room with a live band and singers through dinner. It is a see-and-be-seen evening with a strict no-photo policy.
Late
Juliet Cocktail Room
The Venetian
Dueling pianos at the Venetian, a short walk south.
The dark, Victorian-styled lounge that replaced The Dorsey, with dueling baby grand pianos playing requests across the decades. DJs take over later in the night.
Day 4: Downtown finale
History in the afternoon, neon at dusk and a romantic cellar dinner.
Afternoon
The Mob Museum
Former federal courthouse, Downtown
Then a drink in the basement speakeasy, The Underground.
The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, set in a historic downtown federal building. Thoughtful, well-made exhibits that are far better than the name suggests.
Dinner
Hugo's Cellar
Four Queens, Fremont Street
Below the Four Queens: a rose for every woman at the table, tableside salads and flambé.
A romantic, below-street-level dining room from 1976 where every woman is handed a long-stemmed rose. Tableside service, steak and seafood, and a Wine Spectator-recognised list.
Evening
The Neon Museum
Las Vegas Blvd N, Downtown
Book an evening guided tour of the sign boneyard; the stories make it.
An outdoor boneyard of rescued Las Vegas signs, some restored and lit, others spotlit. Evening guided tours run after sunset and fill up; the stories are the best part.
Nightcap
Legacy Club
Circa, 60th floor
End on the 60th floor of Circa looking over the lights.
Downtown's rooftop lounge on the 60th floor of the adults-only Circa, with indoor and outdoor seating, a strong cocktail list and live music or DJs. The best sunset view downtown.
Everything here was checked in September 2026, but hours, prices and show schedules change. Confirm times and book directly before you go.
Questions people ask
Is 4 days in Las Vegas too long?
Not if you mix it up. Four days leaves room for a desert morning at Red Rock Canyon and an off-Strip evening, so no two days feel the same.
Do I need a reservation for Red Rock Canyon?
From October 1 to May 31 you need a timed-entry reservation for the Scenic Drive between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., booked on Recreation.gov, plus the vehicle entrance fee. From June to September no timed entry is needed.