Las Vegas · 5-day itinerary
5 Days in Las Vegas: The Unhurried Grown-Up Version
Five days is a real holiday rather than a weekend blitz. This plan alternates a big night with an easy one, adds two desert outings and gives you a full pool day in the middle, so you go home rested instead of needing a holiday from your holiday.
- Shows
- "O" and Absinthe (or Mystère)
- Out of town
- Hoover Dam; Valley of Fire or Seven Magic Mountains
- Pool day
- Circa Stadium Swim or Moorea Beach Club (21+)
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The plan
Day 1: Arrival and the fountains
Keep the first night close to the hotel.
Dinner
Carbone
ARIA, Center Strip
Big-night Italian at ARIA. Book well ahead and dress up.
The Las Vegas outpost of the New York Italian-American restaurant: tuxedoed captains, a big-night-out soundtrack and the famous spicy rigatoni. It feels like a mid-century celebration dinner.
Nightcap
Vesper Bar
The Cosmopolitan, Center Strip
A few minutes' walk to the Cosmopolitan for a proper martini.
A small Bond-themed cocktail bar off the Cosmopolitan lobby, named for the martini in Casino Royale. The bartenders are known for off-menu drinks, and it is open around the clock.
Day 2: Hoover Dam and "O"
Out in the morning, back for an early dinner and the water show.
Morning
Hoover Dam
About 45 minutes southeast
The Power Plant Tour is ticketed through the Bureau of Reclamation's contractor; the longer Guided Dam Tour is sold on site only. Aim for 9 to 11 a.m.
The 1930s dam on the Arizona line. Power Plant Tour tickets are sold through the Bureau of Reclamation's contractor; the longer Guided Dam Tour is sold only on site, first come, first served.
Dinner
Eiffel Tower Restaurant
Paris Las Vegas, Center Strip
An early table with the fountains below.
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.
Show
"O" by Cirque du Soleil
Bellagio, Center Strip
Across the boulevard at Bellagio.
Cirque's water show: acrobats, divers and synchronized swimmers performing in, on and above a stage that turns into a pool. It runs about 90 minutes and is the classic first Vegas show for good reason.
Day 3: Pool day, downtown night
The day you do nothing. Then downtown's best rooms.
Day
Circa Stadium Swim
Circa, Downtown
Circa's 21+ pool amphitheater, open year-round with heated pools.
A 21+ pool amphitheater with six temperature-controlled pools, swim-up bars and a giant screen showing the big games. Open year-round; day passes are sold to non-guests.
Dinner
Oscar's Steakhouse
Plaza Hotel, Fremont Street
Steak under the Plaza's glass dome.
A steakhouse under the Plaza's glass dome (the one in the film Casino), named for former mayor and mob lawyer Oscar Goodman, looking straight down Fremont Street.
Evening
Circa Resort & Casino
Fremont Street, Downtown
Friendlier minimums and a strictly 21+ floor.
The only 21+ resort in the city, so the casino floor has no strollers and no teenagers. Downtown table minimums tend to be friendlier than on the Strip.
Nightcap
The Laundry Room
Inside Commonwealth, Fremont East
Reserve exactly two weeks ahead.
A 16-seat speakeasy hidden inside Commonwealth. House rules: speak quietly, no photos, no standing at the bar. Ideal for a couple who wants real conversation and superb drinks.
Day 4: Desert art, supper club
A short outing and the glamorous night of the trip.
Morning
Seven Magic Mountains
Near Jean, off I-15 south
Free, about 30 minutes south, best in soft morning light. If you'd rather hike, go to Valley of Fire (allow a full day).
Ugo Rondinone's seven towers of day-glo painted boulders in the desert, free and open sunrise to sunset. The installation has been extended to May 31, 2027.
Afternoon
Qua Baths & Spa
Caesars Palace, Center Strip
Soak off the desert dust.
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
Live band, old-Hollywood room, strict no-photo policy.
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 a short walk away.
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 5: Chinatown and a racy finale
A locals' dinner and the naughtiest show on the Strip.
Dinner
Lotus of Siam
East Sahara Ave (off-Strip)
Northern Thai, back in its original Sahara Avenue home, with a famous Riesling list.
The celebrated Northern Thai restaurant, back in its original Sahara Avenue home since May 2026, with a serious wine cellar heavy on German Riesling to match the spice.
Show
Absinthe
Spiegeltent, Caesars Palace
Comedy, circus and burlesque in a tent at Caesars; very adult humour.
Racy comedy, circus and burlesque in a small tent on the Caesars Palace plaza. Acts happen inches away, and the host's humour is very adult: great fun if you like bawdy, skip it if you don't.
Late
High Roller Happy Half Hour
The LINQ Promenade
Finish with 30 minutes of open bar in the sky on the High Roller.
One slow 30-minute turn of the observation wheel in a 21+ cabin with an open bar and a bartender on board. A light-hearted way to see the Strip lit up.
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 5 days in Las Vegas too much for adults?
Not with a mix of desert outings, a pool day and alternating big and easy nights. It is the most relaxing way to see the city.
What is the best day trip on a 5-day Las Vegas trip?
Hoover Dam is the easiest half day. Valley of Fire is the most beautiful, but give it a full day and avoid midday in summer.