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  • Things to Do in Seattle: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Things to Do in Seattle: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Seattle has a reputation that arrives before you do: rain, coffee, grunge, tech money and the Space Needle. Some of that is true and most of it is beside the point. What first-time visitors actually find is a city squeezed between saltwater and freshwater, with snow-capped volcanoes on the horizon, a century-old public market that is still a working market, a new waterfront that has replaced an elevated highway with a promenade, ferries that double as the cheapest harbor cruise in the country, and neighborhoods that each feel like a small town with its own main street. Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula, the San Juan Islands and Vancouver are all within a few hours. This guide covers the sights that earn a day, the neighborhoods worth a half-day, the food, the sports, the seasons, the day trips that make Seattle a base for the whole Pacific Northwest, and the practical details that turn a cruise stopover or a work trip into a proper visit.

    If you are still comparing cheap flights to Seattle, read this alongside our guides to the best time to fly to Seattle and whether you need a rental car. Between the three you can plan the whole trip.

    The Seattle skyline and the Space Needle with Mount Rainier behind
    Downtown Seattle and the Space Needle, with Mount Rainier on the horizon (Photo: SounderBruce via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Seattle at a glance for first-timers

    • Airport: Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA), about 20 km (13 miles) south of downtown; the Link light rail runs from the terminal to downtown in roughly 40 minutes, and a taxi, ride-hail or rental covers everything else. See our SEA airport guide.
    • Getting around: downtown, Pike Place Market, the waterfront, Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill are walkable, if hilly, and the light rail, buses, streetcars and the monorail link most of what a visitor needs. For Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and the drive to Vancouver, you will want a car.
    • Money: U.S. dollars. Washington has no state income tax, and it makes up for it at the register: the combined sales tax in Seattle is just over 10 percent, among the highest of any big U.S. city, and hotels and rental cars carry extra taxes on top. Tipping 18 to 20 percent in restaurants is standard.
    • Weather: mild all year, rarely very hot or very cold, with a famously gray, drizzly stretch from October to May and a dry, sunny summer from July to September. Our month-by-month guide has the detail.
    • Where to stay: downtown and around Pike Place Market for walking to almost everything; Belltown for bars and restaurants; South Lake Union and Queen Anne for Seattle Center; Capitol Hill for nightlife; the airport strip if you have an early flight or a cruise transfer. Our Seattle hotel search covers them all.

    Pike Place Market and the waterfront

    Start where Seattle starts. Pike Place Market opened in 1907 so that farmers could sell directly to shoppers, and more than a century later it is still a working market rather than a museum: produce stalls, flower sellers, fishmongers, bakeries, butchers, craft tables and tiny restaurants spread over several levels on the bluff above Elliott Bay. Go early, before the cruise-ship and tour-group crowds arrive around mid-morning, and walk the whole thing: the arcade under the famous neon clock, the fish stall where the staff throw salmon over the counter, Rachel the bronze pig, the lower levels full of comic shops and oddities, and Post Alley, with its notorious gum wall. The coffee shop that bills itself as the original Starbucks draws a queue all day; the market is full of better places to sit down. From the market’s newer terraces, the Overlook Walk now carries you straight down the bluff to the waterfront, which the city has rebuilt as a continuous public promenade since the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct was torn down. Along it you will find the Seattle Aquarium and its newer Ocean Pavilion, the Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57, souvenir shops and seafood bars on the old piers, and Colman Dock, the ferry terminal. A short walk north of the market, the Olympic Sculpture Park, run by the Seattle Art Museum, zigzags down to the water with large outdoor works and a view across the Sound to the Olympic Mountains, and it is free.

    The neon Public Market Center sign and clock at Pike Place Market
    Pike Place Market, open since 1907 and still a working market (Photo: Madi Fawcett via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Seattle Center: the Space Needle, Chihuly and MoPOP

    The grounds of the 1962 World’s Fair, about a mile north of downtown, hold three of the city’s most visited sights. The Space Needle is the one everyone photographs, and the observation level, with its glass walls and a rotating glass floor below, gives a full circle of city, water and, on a clear day, Mount Rainier; the view is worth paying for in clear weather and is not in fog, so check the sky before you buy. Beside it, Chihuly Garden and Glass shows the work of the Tacoma-born glass artist Dale Chihuly in darkened galleries, a glass-and-steel conservatory and a garden where glass sculptures grow among the plants; it is far better than its gift-shop reputation suggests. The Museum of Pop Culture, MoPOP, is the lumpy, multicolored Frank Gehry building the monorail runs through, with exhibits on Seattle music from Jimi Hendrix to Nirvana, science fiction, horror and video games, and a hands-on studio where you can play instruments. The Pacific Science Center, with its white Gothic arches, is the family option, and Climate Pledge Arena, rebuilt inside the old roof, hosts the Kraken, the Storm and the big concerts. The best way to arrive is the Seattle Center Monorail, another 1962 survivor, which covers the mile from Westlake Center in about two minutes. For the classic postcard view of the Needle in front of the skyline, walk up to Kerry Park on Queen Anne Hill at sunset.

    Pioneer Square, the Underground and the International District

    Seattle’s original downtown burned to the ground in 1889 and was rebuilt in brick and stone, a story level higher than before, which left the old storefronts at the bottom of the new streets. Pioneer Square is that rebuilt district, with Romanesque buildings, cast-iron pergolas, art galleries, bookshops and bars, and the Underground Tour takes you through the buried sidewalks and basements below with a guide and a good deal of humor. The free Seattle unit of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, in a historic building on the square, explains how the 1897 gold rush turned Seattle into the outfitting town for the stampede north and made the city’s fortune. Smith Tower, which opened in 1914 and was for decades the tallest building on the West Coast, has an open-air observation deck and a speakeasy-style bar. A few blocks east, the Chinatown-International District is one of the oldest Asian American neighborhoods on the West Coast, with Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Filipino roots; the Wing Luke Museum tells that history through the old hotel it occupies, and Uwajimaya, the big Asian grocery, has an excellent food court. The Mariners’ and Seahawks’ stadiums sit just south of both neighborhoods.

    On the water: ferries, lakes and the great parks

    Seattle is built around water, and seeing the city from it is not optional. The simplest and cheapest way is the Washington State Ferries run from Colman Dock to Bainbridge Island, about 35 minutes each way, with the skyline, the Space Needle and, in clear weather, Mount Rainier and the Olympics all in view from the outside decks; walk-on passengers pay only on the westbound leg, and Winslow, the town at the ferry landing, has cafés, a small museum of art and wine bars within a few minutes’ walk. The run to Bremerton is longer and threads through narrower passages. On the city’s freshwater side, Lake Union is ringed with houseboats, seaplane docks and kayak rentals, and paddling past the floating homes of Eastlake and Westlake is a classic summer afternoon. Gas Works Park, on the north shore, turned a rusting gasification plant into a grassy hill with the best view of downtown across the lake. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard lift boats between the lake system and Puget Sound, and the fish ladder beside them has an underwater viewing room where you can watch salmon climbing upstream, best from July into September. Discovery Park, the largest park in the city, has bluffs, meadows, forest trails and a beach walk to the West Point Lighthouse; the Washington Park Arboretum and its Japanese Garden are the city’s gardens; and Alki Beach in West Seattle, reached by the water taxi from Pier 50 and a short walk or shuttle, has a long beach promenade with a skyline view.

    A Washington State ferry crossing Elliott Bay, seen from Queen Anne Hill
    The Bainbridge Island ferry: the cheapest harbor cruise in the country (Photo: Guywelch2000 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    Neighborhoods worth a half-day

    Capitol Hill

    The densest, liveliest neighborhood in the city, a short ride from downtown on the light rail. The Pike and Pine corridor is Seattle’s nightlife and restaurant strip, with record stores, cocktail bars, music venues and a long history as the center of the city’s LGBTQ community. At the north end, Volunteer Park has a Victorian glass conservatory, a water tower you can climb for the view and the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and Lake View Cemetery next door is where Bruce Lee and his son Brandon are buried.

    Fremont

    The self-declared “Center of the Universe” has a sense of humor about itself: a giant concrete troll crushing a real Volkswagen under the Aurora Bridge, a salvaged Soviet-era statue of Lenin, a rocket bolted to a building, and a Sunday market. It sits on the Ship Canal with a flat towpath trail along the water toward Gas Works Park, and its streets are full of cafés, breweries and vintage stores. The Fremont Solstice Parade, with its painted cyclists, is the neighborhood’s big day in June.

    Ballard

    Settled by Scandinavian fishermen and still home to the fishing fleet that works the Alaska waters, Ballard is now one of the city’s best places to eat and drink. The National Nordic Museum tells the story of Nordic immigration to the Northwest, the brewery district between the Locks and downtown Ballard has more than a dozen taprooms within walking distance, Ballard Avenue is lined with restaurants in old brick buildings, and the Sunday farmers market is one of the best in the city.

    Queen Anne and South Lake Union

    Queen Anne rises steeply above Seattle Center, with grand old houses, Kerry Park’s famous view and a pleasant village along the top of the hill. South Lake Union, below it, has been rebuilt as Amazon’s headquarters district, with the glass Spheres downtown, the Museum of History and Industry in Lake Union Park, and the Center for Wooden Boats, where you can rent a rowboat or sailboat by the hour.

    The University District

    The University of Washington’s campus has a Gothic-style library, views of Rainier across the Drumheller Fountain, and a quad of cherry trees that draws crowds when they bloom in late March. The Burke Museum of natural history and culture, with its visible working labs, and the Henry Art Gallery are both on campus, and the light rail makes it an easy trip from downtown.

    Museums, culture and family attractions

    The Seattle Art Museum downtown, with Jonathan Borofsky’s giant Hammering Man outside, has strong collections of Northwest Coast Native art, Asian art and modern American painting; its sister museum, the Asian Art Museum, is in Volunteer Park. The Museum of Flight, beside Boeing Field in the south of the city, is one of the largest air and space museums in the world, with a Concorde, the first jet Air Force One, a space shuttle trainer and the original red barn where Boeing began; plan half a day. The Frye Art Museum on First Hill is free, and the Seattle Aquarium on the waterfront has sea otters, a giant Pacific octopus and a focus on the life of Puget Sound. For performing arts, Benaroya Hall is home to the Seattle Symphony, McCaw Hall at Seattle Center hosts Seattle Opera and Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Paramount and the Moore are the grand old theaters for touring shows, and the Showbox, the Crocodile and the Neptune keep the city’s music reputation alive. For what is on stage and in the arenas during your dates, our Seattle events page lists concerts, shows and games.

    Sports

    Seattle is a loud sports town, and its stadiums are downtown, which makes a game easy to fit in. The Seahawks play NFL football at Lumen Field from September to January, in a stadium designed to trap crowd noise, and the Seattle “12th Man” is famous for it. The Sounders, one of the best-supported clubs in Major League Soccer, share the same stadium and march to their matches with a crowd behind a band, and the Reign play women’s professional soccer there too; Lumen Field also hosted matches during the 2026 World Cup. Next door, the Mariners play baseball at T-Mobile Park from April to September under a retractable roof that keeps rain off without closing the stadium in. The Kraken, the city’s NHL team, and the Storm, a four-time WNBA champion, play at Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, and University of Washington football at Husky Stadium on the lake is a fall Saturday tradition, with fans arriving by boat. Check what is on sale in Seattle for your dates before you book flights.

    What to eat, and where

    Seattle eats from the water. Salmon is the signature, grilled, smoked or cured, and the first Copper River salmon of the season, flown in from Alaska in May, is a local event. Oysters from Puget Sound and Hood Canal, Dungeness crab and geoduck, the giant local clam, turn up on menus from waterfront shacks to the city’s best restaurants, and an oyster happy hour is one of the city’s great bargains. Coffee is the other obsession: the city built the modern espresso-bar culture, and independent roasters on Capitol Hill, in Fremont and in Ballard are where to taste it. Beyond that, Seattle’s food reflects its Pacific Rim ties: dim sum, pho and Vietnamese sandwiches in the International District, Japanese and Korean cooking across the city, and teriyaki, which Seattle adopted as its own everyday takeout decades ago. At the market, look for Beecher’s handmade cheese, the Russian pastries at Piroshky Piroshky and the tiny doughnuts at the Daily Dozen. The local street food is the Seattle dog, a grilled hot dog with cream cheese and onions, sold outside the stadiums and bars late at night. Washington is the second-largest wine-producing state in the country, and the tasting rooms of Woodinville, half an hour northeast, make an easy afternoon; Ballard and Fremont are the center of the craft beer scene.

    Seattle through the seasons

    Seattle is two cities, depending on when you arrive. Summer (July to September) is the reason locals put up with the rest of the year: dry, sunny, rarely hot, with long evenings that stay light past nine and the mountains visible almost every day. This is the season for ferries, kayaks, the Locks’ salmon run, rooftop bars and day trips to Rainier and the Olympics, and it is also the Alaska cruise season, when ships dock at the city’s piers every weekend. Seafair fills late July and early August with neighborhood parades, hydroplane races on Lake Washington and an air show over the lake, and Bumbershoot takes over Seattle Center on Labor Day weekend. Fall (October to November) starts golden and turns gray, with the rain usually returning by mid-October; it is a good season for museums, food and the start of the Seahawks and Kraken seasons. Winter (December to February) is mild, dark and damp, with snow rare in the city but deep in the mountains an hour east, where the ski areas at Snoqualmie Pass open. Spring (March to June) brings cherry blossoms on the university quad in late March, the tulip fields of the Skagit Valley in April, the Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center on Memorial Day weekend, and Pride at the end of June. Our month-by-month guide has the fare patterns that go with each season.

    Seattle with kids

    Seattle is an easy city with children, rain or shine. Seattle Center is the obvious base, with the Pacific Science Center, the Seattle Children’s Museum, MoPOP’s instrument studio, the International Fountain, which children run through all summer, and the monorail to get there. The Woodland Park Zoo in the north of the city is known for its naturalistic habitats, and the Seattle Aquarium and a ferry ride to Bainbridge make a full waterfront day. The Museum of Flight lets kids sit in cockpits and walk through a Concorde, the fish ladder at the Locks is a hit in late summer, and the beaches at Alki and Golden Gardens are the summer afternoons. For rainy days, the Pacific Science Center, the children’s floors at the Central Library and the indoor play spaces of the big museums fill the gap. For families heading out on day trips to Rainier or the Olympics, our family car rental guide covers the vehicle question.

    Seattle on a budget

    Seattle is not a cheap city, but a lot of its best is free: Pike Place Market, the waterfront promenade, the Olympic Sculpture Park, the Klondike Gold Rush museum in Pioneer Square, the Locks and the fish ladder, Gas Works Park, Discovery Park, Kerry Park, the Fremont Troll and the Central Library, a striking glass-and-steel building downtown. The Frye Art Museum is always free, and several other museums offer free or reduced entry on certain days; check their sites. The Bainbridge ferry is one of the best-value harbor views anywhere, and children and teenagers 18 and under ride most local transit free. Eat well for less in the International District, at the market’s counters, at oyster and seafood happy hours, and at the city’s many teriyaki shops. A combination ticket like the CityPASS can pay off if you plan to do the Needle, Chihuly, the aquarium and MoPOP. Hotels are cheapest from November to March and most expensive on summer cruise weekends; compare rates by neighborhood on our Seattle hotel search.

    Day trips from Seattle

    Mount Rainier, the 4,392-meter (14,410-foot) volcano that dominates the skyline, is about two to two and a half hours to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park, where the wildflower meadows peak from late July into August; the park has used timed-entry reservations for its busiest areas in peak summer, so check before you go. Snoqualmie Falls, an 82-meter (268-foot) waterfall, is about 45 minutes east. The Olympic Peninsula, across the Sound by ferry, has Hurricane Ridge, glacier-fed lakes, the Hoh Rain Forest and wild Pacific beaches; it is better as an overnight trip. Bainbridge Island is the easiest half-day by ferry, and the San Juan Islands, reached by state ferry from Anacortes about 90 minutes north, are the place for orca-watching and island inns. Leavenworth, a Bavarian-themed mountain town over Stevens Pass, is about two and a half hours east, and Tacoma, 45 minutes south, has the Museum of Glass and Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass.

    Vancouver is the big one, and it works better as two or three nights than as a day trip. It is about three hours north on I-5 when the border queue is short, or a scenic four-hour ride on the Amtrak Cascades train, which runs along the shore of Puget Sound and Chuckanut Bay for long stretches; see our Vancouver guide for what to do when you arrive and our Seattle to Vancouver route guide for the drive. Crossing into Canada, every traveler needs acceptable identity and travel documents for their citizenship, and the rules for returning to the U.S. are set separately; check the Canada Border Services Agency before you go north and U.S. Customs and Border Protection before you come back. Apart from Bainbridge and the train to Vancouver, these day trips are car trips; see our Seattle car rental page, and carry tire chains for Rainier and the mountain passes in winter.

    Mount Rainier above the wildflower meadows at Paradise
    Mount Rainier from Paradise, about two and a half hours from downtown Seattle (Photo: Mount Rainier National Park from Ashford, WA, United States via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

    Two sample itineraries

    Three days, no car

    Day one: Pike Place Market at opening time, the Overlook Walk down to the waterfront and the aquarium, the Olympic Sculpture Park in the afternoon, and dinner in Belltown. Day two: the monorail to Seattle Center for the Space Needle, Chihuly and MoPOP, then an afternoon ferry to Bainbridge and back for the skyline at sunset, and oysters downtown. Day three: the Underground Tour and the Klondike museum in Pioneer Square, lunch in the International District, the light rail to Capitol Hill for Volunteer Park and an evening on Pike and Pine, with a Mariners, Sounders or Kraken game if one is on.

    Five days, with the mountains and Vancouver

    Add a day for Fremont, Ballard and the Locks by bus or bike, then pick up a car and drive to Mount Rainier for a day, and either spend a night on the Olympic Peninsula or head north to Vancouver for two days, returning the car in Seattle or, if the rental company allows it, one way across the border.

    Practical details

    • Transit: load an ORCA card or a mobile ticket for the light rail, buses, streetcars, water taxis and monorail. Sound Transit has the Link maps; our car-versus-transit guide goes into detail.
    • From SEA: the Link light rail to downtown, a taxi or ride-hail from the parking garage, or a rental from the off-site rental car facility. The Port of Seattle, which runs the airport, covers ground transport.
    • Weather: layers and a waterproof jacket in every season; locals rarely carry umbrellas, because the rain is usually a drizzle. Sunglasses in summer, when the light is long and bright.
    • Time zone: Pacific, three hours behind New York, the same as Vancouver.
    • Entry requirements: Canadians need a valid passport to fly in; visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding, and everyone else needs a visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the authoritative source. Visit Seattle has the current events calendar.
    • Safety: the tourist areas are generally safe with ordinary big-city awareness; parts of downtown around Third Avenue and Pioneer Square can feel rough at night, and car break-ins are common, so leave nothing visible in a parked car.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many days do you need in Seattle?

    Three days covers Pike Place, the waterfront, Seattle Center, Pioneer Square, a ferry ride and two neighborhoods; add one for Mount Rainier and two for Vancouver or the Olympic Peninsula.

    What is the number one thing to do in Seattle?

    Pike Place Market at opening time, followed by the walk down to the waterfront and a ferry to Bainbridge for the view of the city from the water.

    Is Seattle walkable?

    Downtown, the market, the waterfront, Pioneer Square, Belltown and Capitol Hill are, although the hills are steep. The light rail, buses and monorail link most of the rest.

    Do I need a car in Seattle?

    Not for the city itself, where parking is expensive and transit is good. For Mount Rainier, the Olympic Peninsula and the drive to Vancouver, yes; rent it for those days only.

    Does it really rain all the time in Seattle?

    No. Seattle gets less rain in a year than New York or Boston, but it falls as frequent drizzle from October to May under gray skies. July to September is dry and sunny.

    What is Seattle known for?

    Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, coffee, seafood, Boeing and the tech industry, the grunge music of the early 1990s, and a setting between Puget Sound, the lakes and the mountains.

    Ready to go? Compare flights to Seattle, find a place to stay with our Seattle hotel search, and if Rainier or Vancouver is on the list, price a rental car for those days.

    Keep planning with TicketScanner

  • Best Time to Fly to Las Vegas: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Best Time to Fly to Las Vegas: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Las Vegas breaks most of the rules about when to fly. In most cities, weekends are cheap for hotels and summer is peak season; in Las Vegas, Friday and Saturday nights cost several times what a Tuesday does, and the hottest months of the year are among the cheapest. The city’s calendar is driven by three forces that have little to do with school holidays: the desert climate, which makes spring and fall glorious and midsummer punishing; the convention calendar, which can fill much of the city’s roughly 150,000 hotel rooms midweek with trade-show crowds; and a growing list of huge events, from the Electric Daisy Carnival to the Formula 1 Grand Prix, that can double room rates for a weekend. Airfares are the easier half of the equation, because Harry Reid International is one of the best-connected leisure airports in the country and competition keeps fares low. This guide walks through the weather month by month, the fare and hotel seasons, the events that move prices, and how to handle the airport.

    The short answer

    For the best weather, come in March to May or late September to early November, when days are warm, the pools are open and the desert parks are comfortable for hiking. For the lowest prices, look at July and August, when the heat keeps crowds away and resorts discount heavily, at the first half of December outside the rodeo, and at the weeks after CES in January. The most expensive stretches are New Year’s Eve, the Grand Prix weekend in November, big convention weeks such as CES in early January, and the spring and fall weekends generally, when the weather is perfect and the city is full. Whatever you choose, fly and stay Sunday to Thursday if you can, and check the convention calendar before you commit; then run a flexible-date search on our Las Vegas flights page, where shifting a trip by a couple of days can change the total cost dramatically.

    The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign at the south end of the Strip
    The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, in the median of the boulevard since 1959 (Photo: Tomás Del Coro via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

    Las Vegas weather, season by season

    Las Vegas sits in a basin in the Mojave Desert, about 600 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level and ringed by mountains. It gets only about 100 mm (4 inches) of rain a year, sunshine on the great majority of days, low humidity, mild winters and some of the hottest summers of any large city in the country. The figures below are approximate seasonal patterns at the airport, based on the long-term climate normals published by NOAA and the National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office; check the current forecast before you pack, especially for heat warnings in summer and wind in spring.

    MonthTypical daytime highTypical overnight lowWhat it feels likeFare pressure
    Januaryaround 15 °C (59 °F)around 4 °C (40 °F)Cool, clear and sunny; cold after darkHigh for New Year and CES, then low
    Februaryaround 17 °C (63 °F)around 6 °C (43 °F)Mild days, chilly nights, the odd rainy spellModerate; Super Bowl and Presidents’ Day weekends busy
    Marcharound 22 °C (71 °F)around 10 °C (50 °F)Spring arrives; windy days are commonHigh; spring break and March Madness
    Aprilaround 26 °C (79 °F)around 14 °C (57 °F)Near-perfect; pools open, desert in flowerHigh
    Mayaround 32 °C (89 °F)around 19 °C (66 °F)Hot afternoons, warm evenings, full pool seasonHigh, with EDC and Memorial Day spikes
    Junearound 37 °C (99 °F)around 24 °C (76 °F)Very hot and dry; outdoor sightseeing at dawn onlyModerate, falling
    Julyaround 40 °C (104 °F)around 27 °C (81 °F)The hottest month; monsoon storms possibleLow, except the Fourth of July
    Augustaround 39 °C (102 °F)around 27 °C (80 °F)Extreme heat, more humid; flash-flood stormsLow
    Septemberaround 35 °C (95 °F)around 23 °C (73 °F)Still hot, cooling toward the end of the monthModerate, rising
    Octoberaround 27 °C (81 °F)around 15 °C (59 °F)Warm, dry and bright; ideal for hikingHigh
    Novemberaround 19 °C (67 °F)around 8 °C (47 °F)Pleasant days, cool nightsHigh for trade shows and the Grand Prix, low at Thanksgiving
    Decemberaround 14 °C (57 °F)around 4 °C (39 °F)Cool and sunny; frost some nights, snow on the mountainsModerate for the rodeo, low mid-month, peak at New Year

    Three things the table cannot show. First, the heat is dry, until it isn’t: for most of the year the humidity is so low that 35 °C (95 °F) feels bearable in the shade, but the desert sun is fierce, you dehydrate faster than you notice, and from mid-June to mid-September walking between resorts in the afternoon is genuinely dangerous for some people. Second, the monsoon: from July to September, moisture from the south brings sudden afternoon thunderstorms, dust storms and flash floods that can close roads and turn dry washes into rivers in minutes. Third, the evenings: the desert cools quickly after sunset in winter and spring, so a warm January afternoon at the pool can become a jacket night by eight o’clock, while in July the overnight low barely drops below 27 °C (80 °F).

    How Las Vegas fare seasons work

    Airfares into Las Vegas are among the most competitive in the country. Harry Reid is a huge leisure market served by almost every U.S. airline, with Southwest the largest carrier and low-cost airlines such as Frontier and Allegiant adding capacity, so seats from the West Coast and the Mountain states are plentiful and fares rarely spike as sharply as hotel rates do. The real price swings in Las Vegas are in the rooms. Three calendars drive them: the weekly cycle, in which Friday and Saturday nights cost far more than Sunday to Thursday; the convention calendar, which can make a Tuesday the most expensive night of the month; and the weather, which fills the city in spring and fall and empties it in the heat. The result is that the cheapest total trip is usually a midweek stay in a low season with no big convention in town.

    Peak season

    March to May and late September to mid-November, plus New Year’s Eve and the biggest event weekends. Spring and fall weekends fill every resort on the Strip, and room rates on a Saturday can be several times the Wednesday rate. Stack a convention on top, and even midweek rates climb. If you must travel in peak, book early, stay Sunday to Thursday, and consider a downtown or off-Strip hotel, where rates rise less sharply.

    Shoulder season

    February, early June and early September. The weather is either not quite warm enough for the pool or a little too hot for comfort, and prices sit in the middle. February is interesting because the Super Bowl weekend is one of the busiest betting weekends of the year, and Chinese New Year and Presidents’ Day draw crowds; outside those, it is good value with mild weather.

    Low season

    Late June to August, the first three weeks of December outside the National Finals Rodeo, and the middle of January once CES has left town. Summer is the classic Vegas bargain: the resorts discount heavily to fill rooms, the pools are at their best, and everything but outdoor sightseeing works as normal. Early December is quiet and festive. Thanksgiving week, oddly, is also often cheap on the Strip, because business travel stops and the city is not a traditional family destination.

    As elsewhere, mid-week departures and early or late flights usually price below Friday and Sunday afternoons on the same route, and a search across a whole month reveals cheaper pairs of dates close to your first choice. Our guide to the best times to book explains how to read those patterns, and our guide to cheap flight tickets to Las Vegas goes deeper on the airfare side.

    Las Vegas month by month

    January

    The year starts expensive. New Year’s Eve, when the Strip closes to traffic for fireworks from the resort rooftops, is one of the priciest nights of the year, and CES, the giant consumer-electronics show in the first full week of the month, fills the city with well over 100,000 attendees and sends room rates soaring. Once CES leaves, January becomes one of the cheapest months of the year: cool, sunny days around 15 °C (59 °F), quiet casinos, and ideal hiking weather at Red Rock and the Valley of Fire. The Golden Knights are in season, and the NFL playoffs keep the sportsbooks lively.

    February

    Mild and good value, with a few spikes. Super Bowl weekend in early February is one of the busiest weekends of the year for the sportsbooks and the parties; Chinese New Year brings lavish decorations to the resorts and crowds from the West Coast and Asia; and Presidents’ Day weekend and Valentine’s Day, with the city’s famous wedding chapels at full stretch, fill hotels too. Midweek in February is excellent value.

    March

    Spring arrives, and so do the crowds. Spring break brings college students and families; college basketball’s conference tournaments early in the month and the opening rounds of March Madness fill the sportsbooks from morning to night; and the weather is warm enough for the pools to open. Windy days are common. Weekends are expensive; midweek is manageable.

    April

    Possibly the best month of the year: warm, sunny, not yet hot, with the desert in bloom and the pools and dayclubs open. It is also one of the busiest, with conventions midweek and full resorts every weekend. Book early, and consider the Easter weekend and the big April trade shows when choosing dates.

    May

    Hot afternoons and warm nights, full pool season, and two big spikes. The Electric Daisy Carnival, one of the largest dance-music festivals in the world, takes over the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for three nights in mid-May and fills hotels across the valley; Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and one of the biggest pool-party weekends of the year. Between those, May is excellent.

    June

    The heat arrives in earnest, with highs near 37 °C (99 °F) and rising, and prices begin to fall through the month. Father’s Day weekend and the big summer trade shows add pressure, but late June is often good value. Do outdoor sightseeing at dawn and spend the afternoons in the pool or inside.

    July

    The hottest month, with afternoons around 40 °C (104 °F) and nights that barely cool. It is also one of the cheapest: outside the Fourth of July weekend, when the resorts put on fireworks and the pools overflow, room rates drop to some of their lowest of the year. The monsoon can bring thunderstorms and flash floods in the second half of the month. If you are coming for the casinos, shows, restaurants and pools, July is a genuine bargain.

    August

    Still extremely hot, a little more humid, and still cheap. The monsoon storms are at their most frequent, and the big cybersecurity conferences and fashion trade shows fill midweek rooms for a few days. The Aces are in season, and the pools stay open. Book the desert day trips for sunrise, or skip them until fall.

    September

    Summer hangs on, with highs in the 30s °C (90s °F) most of the month, but prices climb as the conventions return after Labor Day and the weather improves. The Raiders’ season starts, the college football season fills weekends, and the last week of September is often very pleasant. Labor Day weekend is the last big pool party of the year.

    October

    One of the two best months: warm, dry, bright and ideal for hiking Red Rock, the Valley of Fire and the Grand Canyon. It is correspondingly busy and expensive, with big conventions midweek and full weekends, plus Halloween, when the Strip’s clubs and bars throw costume parties all weekend. Book early.

    November

    A month of extremes. The SEMA auto-industry show in the first week brings one of the largest trade crowds of the year, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a Formula 1 night race on a circuit through the Strip, sends room rates for its weekend in the second half of the month to eye-watering levels and closes streets for days. Then Thanksgiving week is often one of the cheapest of the year. Days are pleasant and nights cool.

    December

    The National Finals Rodeo, ten days in the first half of the month, brings cowboy hats, country concerts and full hotels to the whole city. The rest of early and mid December is quiet, festive and inexpensive, with the resorts dressed for the holidays and the Ethel M cactus garden lit up. From Christmas to New Year’s Eve, prices climb steeply for the biggest party of the year.

    A winding road through the red rock of Valley of Fire State Park
    Valley of Fire, an hour from the Strip and at its best from October to April (Photo: Gzzz via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    Events that move Las Vegas flight and hotel prices

    Cross-check these against your dates before you book. Exact dates shift each year; the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority keeps the current calendar, including the major conventions.

    • New Year’s Eve: the most expensive night of the year on the Strip.
    • CES (the first full week of January): the biggest convention of the year.
    • Super Bowl weekend (early February) and Chinese New Year (late January or February).
    • March Madness (conference tournaments and the opening rounds, early to mid-March) and spring break.
    • Electric Daisy Carnival (three nights in mid-May) and Memorial Day weekend.
    • Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends: the big pool-party weekends.
    • SEMA (early November) and the Las Vegas Grand Prix (a weekend in the second half of November).
    • National Finals Rodeo (ten days in the first half of December).
    • Big fights, residency openings, Raiders and Golden Knights games and stadium concerts. Our Las Vegas events page shows what is on sale for your dates.
    • Midweek trade shows, which can fill the city without warning; if your Tuesday rate looks higher than your Saturday rate, that is usually why.

    Getting in from the airport

    Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), named after the former Nevada senator and known as McCarran until 2021, is one of the busiest airports in the country and sits directly beside the south end of the Strip, about 8 km (5 miles) from its center. It has two terminals: Terminal 1, which handles Southwest and many domestic airlines, and Terminal 3, which handles international flights and several domestic carriers, connected airside by a tram to the D gates. Yes, there are slot machines at the gates. Getting to the Strip is quick: taxis wait at both terminals and the ride takes 15 to 25 minutes; ride-hail pickups are in designated areas of the parking garages; shared shuttle vans serve the major resorts; and RTC buses stop at the terminals, though with luggage and a transfer they are slower. All the rental companies operate from the off-airport Rent-A-Car Center, about 5 km (3 miles) away and reached by free dedicated shuttle buses from both terminals. Our Las Vegas rental car guide works through whether you need one, and our LAS airport guide covers the layout.

    Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), formerly McCarran, in Las Vegas
    Harry Reid International, known as McCarran until 2021, sits right beside the south end of the Strip (Photo: Craig Butz via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

    Timing tricks that work for Las Vegas

    • Check the convention calendar first. A cheap fare into a CES or SEMA week is not cheap once the room is added. Run a Las Vegas hotel search for the same dates before you commit to either.
    • Stay Sunday to Thursday. Weekend nights on the Strip can cost several times the midweek rate for the same room; even shifting one night makes a difference.
    • Compare total prices. Nightly resort fees and parking charges add a substantial amount to the advertised room rate, so compare the all-in price, not the headline.
    • Use the summer. If the pool, the shows and the restaurants are the point, July and August offer the lowest rates of the year; do the desert at dawn or save it for another trip.
    • Consider driving from Southern California or Arizona. Las Vegas is a classic road trip from Los Angeles and Phoenix; see our Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Las Vegas to Phoenix route guides.
    • Leave time at the airport. Security lines at LAS can be long on Sunday and Monday mornings after a big weekend or convention. Our guide to how early to arrive covers what to allow.
    • Flying out of Las Vegas instead? The same seasonality applies in reverse; see cheap flights from Las Vegas.
    The High Roller observation wheel at the LINQ in Las Vegas
    The High Roller at the LINQ; spring and fall bring the best weather and the highest weekend rates (Photo: Tony Webster from San Francisco, California via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

    What to pack, by season

    Winter (December to February): layers for mild days, a warm jacket for evenings that drop close to freezing, and sunglasses. Spring (March to May): light clothing, swimwear, a layer for the evenings, and sunscreen, because the sun is already strong. Summer (June to September): the lightest clothing you own, a hat, high-factor sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, and a sweater for the aggressively air-conditioned casinos and theaters. Fall (October to November): summer clothing into October, with a jacket for the cooler nights of November. In every season, bring comfortable walking shoes, because a stroll between two neighboring resorts can be longer than it looks, and something smarter for the restaurants and nightclubs, which enforce dress codes.

    The best time to fly to Las Vegas for…

    Pool parties

    April to early June, and September, when the dayclubs are in full swing and the heat is manageable; Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are the biggest parties.

    Hiking and the national parks

    March to May and October to November for Red Rock, the Valley of Fire, Zion and the Grand Canyon; winter works for the lower desert parks but brings snow to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and Zion’s higher trails.

    Shows and dining on a budget

    July and August, the first half of December, or mid-January to early February, midweek.

    The lowest fares and rates

    Midweek in July, August or early December, with no major convention in town.

    Families

    Spring break or a fall break for comfortable weather for the Hoover Dam and the parks; summer is cheap, but the heat makes outdoor sightseeing hard with children.

    International visitors

    Canadians need a valid passport; visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding, and everyone else needs a visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection explains what applies to you, and the TSA lists what you can carry through security. Grand Canyon National Park and the other national parks charge an entrance fee per vehicle; the National Park Service sells passes online and at the gates.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the cheapest month to fly to Las Vegas?

    July and August are usually the cheapest for the whole trip, followed by the first half of December and mid-January after CES. Airfares vary less than hotel rates, so the room is where the savings are.

    What is the best month to visit Las Vegas for weather?

    April and October, with March, May and early November close behind.

    Is Las Vegas too hot in summer?

    For outdoor sightseeing in the afternoon, yes; highs around 40 °C (104 °F) are normal. For the pools, casinos, shows and restaurants, which are all air-conditioned or built for the heat, summer is fine and far cheaper.

    Why are Las Vegas hotels so expensive on some weekdays?

    Conventions. The city hosts some of the largest trade shows in the world, and a big one can fill every resort midweek. Check the convention calendar before booking.

    Is it cheaper to go to Las Vegas midweek?

    Almost always. Sunday to Thursday nights are far cheaper than Friday and Saturday, unless a large convention is in town.

    How far ahead should I book?

    Earlier for New Year’s Eve, the Grand Prix, EDC, CES week and spring and fall weekends, when rates only rise; for midweek summer and early-December stays, rates are stable enough that finding the right dates matters more.

    Does it rain in Las Vegas?

    Rarely, about 100 mm (4 inches) a year, but winter storms and summer monsoon thunderstorms can bring sudden downpours and flash floods. Never drive into a flooded road.

    Ready to pick your dates? Compare fares across the whole month on our Las Vegas flights page, then find a room with our Las Vegas hotel search. For what to do when you land, start with our first-timer’s guide to Las Vegas.

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  • Las Vegas: Do You Really Need a Rental Car?

    Las Vegas: Do You Really Need a Rental Car?

    Las Vegas is a strange case for the “should I rent a car?” question. The valley is a sprawling, car-built desert metropolis of more than two million people, with freeways, huge parking garages and almost no rail transit. Yet most visitors spend nearly all their time on a single boulevard about 6 km (4 miles) long, where a car is more of a burden than a help: the resorts charge for parking, the traffic on the Strip crawls at night, and the Monorail, the Deuce bus, free trams and your own feet cover the distances. The answer changes the moment the desert enters the plan, because Red Rock Canyon, the Hoover Dam, the Valley of Fire and the national parks beyond are all car trips or organized tours. This guide explains how the city is laid out, how the Monorail, buses and trams work, what driving and parking are really like, when a rental is worth it, and gives you a straightforward way to decide.

    The short answer

    Skip the car if you are staying on the Strip or downtown for a few nights and your plans are casinos, shows, pools, restaurants and Fremont Street; taxis, ride-hail, the Monorail, the Deuce and walking will cover that, and you will save on parking fees. That is most first-time visitors. Rent a car if Red Rock, the Hoover Dam, the Valley of Fire, Mount Charleston, Zion or the Grand Canyon are on the itinerary, if you are staying off the Strip in Summerlin or Henderson, if you are traveling with young children, or if Las Vegas is one stop on a Southwest road trip. And the hybrid, car-free on the Strip and a one- or two-day rental for the desert, is often the smartest plan of all. Compare rental rates for any of these plans on our Las Vegas car rental page.

    How Las Vegas is laid out

    The Las Vegas Valley is a wide desert basin ringed by mountains, and the city spreads across it on a grid of long, straight arterial roads. Its spine is Las Vegas Boulevard. The southern section, the Strip, technically lies outside the city limits in unincorporated Clark County and runs from Mandalay Bay and the Welcome sign in the south to the STRAT tower in the north, with the big resorts lined up on both sides. Interstate 15 runs parallel to it a few hundred meters to the west, and the airport sits directly to the southeast. North of the STRAT, the boulevard continues to downtown, the original city around Fremont Street, about 3 km (2 miles) beyond the end of the Strip, with the Arts District in between. East of the Strip are the Convention Center and Paradise Road; west, across I-15, are Chinatown on Spring Mountain Road and then the suburbs rising toward Summerlin and Red Rock Canyon. Henderson spreads to the southeast. The Strip and downtown are dense; everything else assumes a car.

    Hotels cluster along the Strip, around downtown and Fremont Street, near the Convention Center, and in the locals’ resorts of Summerlin and Henderson. Our Las Vegas hotel search lets you compare them.

    Getting in from the airport

    Harry Reid International (LAS) is one of the most conveniently placed big airports in the country: its runways run right beside the south end of the Strip, about 8 km (5 miles) from its center, and downtown is about 20 minutes away. Taxis queue at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, the ride to a Strip resort takes 15 to 25 minutes, and fares are regulated by the state. Ride-hail pickups are in designated areas of the terminal parking garages, which are well signed. Shared shuttle vans serve the major resorts, and several RTC bus routes stop at the airport, although none runs along the Strip itself, so a bus trip with luggage usually means a transfer. All the rental companies operate from the off-airport Rent-A-Car Center, about 5 km (3 miles) from the terminals and reached by free dedicated shuttle buses that run every few minutes; allow extra time for that shuttle when you return the car. Check the airport’s site for current ground-transport details; our LAS airport guide covers the layout.

    A Las Vegas Monorail train running behind the Strip resorts
    The Monorail runs along the east side of the Strip from the MGM Grand to the SAHARA (Photo: Nandaro via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

    Las Vegas transit, explained

    Las Vegas has no subway or light rail. What it has is a privately built Monorail along the east side of the Strip, a public bus network run by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) with two Strip routes that run all day and night, and a set of free trams and tunnels that link specific resorts. For a Strip-and-downtown trip, together they are entirely adequate; for anything beyond, they thin out fast.

    The Las Vegas Monorail

    The Las Vegas Monorail runs for about 6 km (4 miles) along the east side of the Strip, from the MGM Grand in the south to the SAHARA in the north, with stations at the back of several resorts along the way, including Paris and Horseshoe, Flamingo and Caesars Palace, Harrah’s and the LINQ, and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Trains are frequent and the ride from end to end takes about a quarter of an hour. It is ideal for convention-goers and for hopping between the east-side resorts, but it has limits: the stations are tucked behind the casinos, so reaching them can mean a long walk through the resort, it does not serve the west side of the Strip directly, and it goes neither to the airport nor to downtown. It runs from the morning until after midnight, later on weekends; single rides and multi-day passes are sold at the stations and online.

    The Deuce and the SDX

    RTC’s Deuce is a double-decker bus that runs the full length of the Strip and on to downtown, 24 hours a day, stopping in front of or beside nearly every resort. It is slow in the evening traffic, but the view from the top deck is a sightseeing tour in itself, and it is the only transit that covers both sides of the Strip and downtown in one ride. The SDX (Strip and Downtown Express) runs a similar route with far fewer stops, which makes it the faster choice between the Strip and Fremont Street. Both stop at the South Strip Transfer Terminal, where other routes connect to the airport.

    Fares and tickets

    RTC sells passes for set periods, such as two hours, a day or three days, that cover the Deuce, the SDX and the rest of the bus network. Buy them on the rideRTC app on your phone or from the ticket machines at the Strip stops; the Strip routes cost more than the regular residential routes. Monorail tickets are separate. If you plan to ride more than twice in a day, a day pass is the obvious choice. Check RTC’s site for current fares before you go.

    Accessibility

    RTC buses are low-floor and accessible, and the Monorail stations have elevators. The pedestrian bridges over the Strip’s main intersections have elevators and escalators, although they are not always working, and distances inside the resorts are long.

    Beyond RTC and the Monorail

    • Walking and the pedestrian bridges. The Strip is walkable in stretches, and at the busiest intersections, such as Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road, you cross the boulevard on overhead bridges rather than at street level. Distances are deceptive: a resort that looks next door can be a 15-minute walk away, and in summer that walk is hot.
    • Free trams. A free tram links Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur on the west side of the south Strip, and another connects Park MGM, Aria and Bellagio. They save a surprising amount of walking.
    • The Vegas Loop. The Boring Company’s tunnels under the Convention Center campus carry visitors in Tesla cars between the halls for free, and the network is being extended to more resorts. Useful for conventions; check what is open when you travel.
    • Taxis and ride-hail. Taxis wait at every resort’s taxi stand, and Uber and Lyft pick up at designated ride-hail zones, usually in or beside the parking garages. For a group of three or four, a ride is competitive with bus passes and far quicker.
    • Tours and shuttles. Organized tours run from the Strip resorts to the Hoover Dam, Red Rock, the Valley of Fire, the Grand Canyon and Zion, with hotel pickup; for visitors who do not want to drive in the desert, they are a genuine alternative to a rental.
    • Intercity coaches connect Las Vegas with Los Angeles, Phoenix and other cities. A high-speed rail line to Southern California is under construction, but until it opens the choices are drive, fly or take the bus.
    An RTC Deuce double-decker bus on the Las Vegas Strip
    The Deuce runs the length of the Strip and on to downtown, 24 hours a day (Photo via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

    Driving in Las Vegas: what it is really like

    Outside the Strip, Las Vegas is an easy place to drive: wide, straight roads, a logical grid, freeways that are mostly free-flowing outside rush hour, and ample parking at the malls, locals’ casinos and attractions. The frustrations are concentrated on and around the Strip. Las Vegas Boulevard itself is slow at almost any hour and gridlocked on weekend nights, when it is full of cruising cars and limousines; locals avoid it and use the parallel roads, Frank Sinatra Drive and Dean Martin Drive on the west side and Koval Lane and Paradise Road on the east, which reach the back entrances and garages of the resorts. I-15 through the resort corridor jams at rush hour and on Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings, when visitors from Southern California arrive and leave. And the big events, from New Year’s Eve to the Grand Prix, close streets for days.

    Stopped traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard on the Strip
    Las Vegas Boulevard at night: often slower than walking, which is why locals use the back roads (Photo: Coolcaesar via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Parking

    Parking is the main reason a car costs more on the Strip than it seems. Most of the big resorts now charge for self-parking and valet, including for their own hotel guests at many properties, and the daily charge adds up over a stay; some loyalty-program tiers and a few off-Strip and downtown properties offer free or validated parking. The garages themselves are enormous and well signed, but it can be a ten-minute walk from your space to the lobby. Downtown, most casinos validate parking for guests and players, and the Arts District has street parking. Outside the resort corridor, parking at Chinatown, the malls, the Springs Preserve and the locals’ casinos is generally free and easy. If you do rent for the whole stay, factor the parking fee into the room rate when you compare hotels.

    Rules and conditions worth knowing

    • The heat. From June to September, the car can be dangerously hot inside after sitting in the sun; never leave children or pets in it, carry plenty of water on any desert drive, keep the fuel tank topped up, and know that services are far apart once you leave the city. A breakdown in the desert in July is serious.
    • Flash floods. During the summer monsoon and winter storms, water pours across roads and fills the dips and washes that are signed as flood zones. Never drive into flowing water; the storms pass within hours.
    • Handheld phones are banned while driving in Nevada; use hands-free only.
    • Pedestrians are everywhere on and around the Strip, often distracted; watch for them at the resort entrances and turning lanes.
    • Right turns on red are permitted after a full stop unless signed otherwise.
    • Impaired driving is enforced heavily in a city built around drinking; take a taxi after a night out.
    • Park entry. Red Rock’s scenic drive requires a timed-entry reservation during the day for much of the year, and the national parks charge an entrance fee per vehicle. NVRoads publishes Nevada road conditions and closures.
    The Hoover Dam with the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge behind it
    The Hoover Dam and its bypass bridge, about 45 minutes from the Strip by car (Photo: Alan Stark from Goodyear, AZ, United States via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

    When renting a car makes sense

    • Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston. Both are 30 to 45 minutes from the Strip, with no practical transit, and the scenic drive and the trailheads need a car.
    • The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. About 45 minutes southeast; a car lets you combine the dam, the bypass bridge walkway, Boulder City and the lake in one day.
    • The Valley of Fire, an hour northeast, is a car trip, and its best light is early and late in the day.
    • Zion, the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. Each is a long day or an overnight; a car gives you the freedom to start at dawn and stop where you like.
    • Staying off the Strip. Summerlin and Henderson resorts and vacation rentals are spread out and assume a car.
    • Southwest road trips. Las Vegas pairs naturally with Los Angeles, Phoenix, Utah’s national parks and the Grand Canyon; our Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Las Vegas to Phoenix route guides cover the two classic drives.

    If any of those apply, our rental car booking tips cover insurance, deposits and the questions to ask at the counter, and our family car rental guide looks at vehicle choice.

    When it does not

    • You are staying on the Strip or downtown and your plans are casinos, shows, pools and restaurants.
    • You are in town for a convention, where the Monorail, the Vegas Loop and taxis serve the halls.
    • You are coming for a big weekend event, such as New Year’s Eve, EDC or the Grand Prix, when streets close and parking is at its worst.
    • You want the Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon for a single day and are happy to take an organized tour with hotel pickup.
    • You plan to drink; taxis and ride-hail are everywhere and cheaper than a DUI.

    The hybrid plan for a Strip-plus-desert trip

    Go car-free for the Strip days and rent only for the desert days, and think about where you pick up. Renting at the airport’s Rent-A-Car Center makes sense if you are heading straight out of town on arrival, to Zion, the Grand Canyon or Death Valley, because the freeways are minutes away and you never enter the Strip traffic. For a mid-trip day or two in the desert, many Strip resorts have rental desks in the lobby or nearby, which saves a taxi ride to the airport and the airport’s concession fees, and means you pay for parking only on the nights you have the car. A common pattern that works well: taxi from the airport to the Strip, two or three car-free days, pick up a rental at your resort for Red Rock and the Hoover Dam or a long day to the Grand Canyon, and return it at the airport on the way to your flight home. Book ahead for spring, fall and the big event weekends. Compare the day rates on our Las Vegas car rental page against a full-trip rental and the difference is usually obvious.

    A worked cost comparison

    Numbers change with the season and the booking window, so treat this as a method rather than a quote, and check current rates before deciding. For a four-night Strip trip for two people, the car-free version costs a return taxi or ride-hail from the airport, a couple of Deuce day passes, and a few rides between resorts and downtown; the rental version adds four days of a compact car, four nights of resort parking fees, fuel, and the taxes and airport fees that add a noticeable percentage to the headline rate, and buys you very little on a boulevard where traffic is slower than the bus. The car-free option wins easily. For the same four nights with one day at Red Rock and the Hoover Dam, the tour version adds two seats on a day tour; the hybrid version adds a one-day rental picked up on the Strip, one night of parking, fuel, and the Red Rock entry fee. Priced honestly, a tour is often similar for one or two people, the rental usually wins for three or four, and the rental wins on flexibility for anyone who wants to hike, linger for sunset or see both places at their own pace. For a week that includes Zion and the Grand Canyon, a rental is the only practical answer, and an airport pickup is simplest. Run the rental rates for your dates on our Las Vegas car rental page and put them beside the tour prices before you choose.

    Driving out of Las Vegas in each season

    The highways out of Las Vegas are among the most scenic in the West, and the seasons change them. In summer, the challenge is heat: temperatures in Death Valley and on the desert stretches of I-15 and US-93 can pass 45 °C (113 °F), so leave at dawn, carry several liters of water per person, keep the air conditioning and the tank in good order, and watch for monsoon storms and flash floods in the afternoons from July to September. In fall, conditions are ideal, and the weekend traffic is the main issue: the drive back to Southern California on I-15 on a Sunday afternoon can take hours longer than the four or so it takes on a quiet weekday, with the bottlenecks at the state line near Primm and at the Cajon Pass. In winter, the desert roads are mild, but snow and ice reach the higher country: the road up to Mount Charleston can require chains or four-wheel drive, and the routes to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and to Zion via the high plateaus can be icy; check conditions before you go. In spring, strong winds blow dust across the highways and can make high-sided vehicles hard to handle, while the wildflowers and the mild temperatures make it the best season for the long drives. In every season, remember the clock: Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so on the drive to the Grand Canyon or Phoenix the time is the same as Nevada’s in summer and an hour ahead in winter.

    Decision table

    Your tripRecommendationWhy
    Strip weekend, couple or soloNo carTaxis, the Monorail, the Deuce and walking cover it; parking fees add up
    Convention tripNo carThe Monorail, the Vegas Loop and taxis serve the halls
    Big event weekend (New Year’s Eve, EDC, the Grand Prix)No carStreet closures, heavy traffic and scarce parking
    Strip plus Red Rock or the Hoover DamHybrid: rent for a day, or take a tourCar-free Strip days, car or tour for the desert
    Zion, the Grand Canyon or Death ValleyRent at the airportLong distances, early starts and the freeways minutes from the rental center
    Staying in Summerlin or HendersonRent for the whole staySuburban distances and free parking make the car worthwhile
    Family with young childrenRent, or hybridCar seats, heat and day trips all argue for a car
    Southwest road tripRent (consider one-way to Los Angeles or Phoenix)Las Vegas is a stop, not the destination

    Money-saving tips for both options

    • On transit: buy a day or three-day RTC pass if you will ride more than twice a day; use the free trams on the south Strip; take the SDX rather than the Deuce when speed matters.
    • On a rental: compare airport and Strip pickup, book early for spring, fall and the big weekends, decline extras you already have through a credit card or home policy (check first), and return the car full, because fuel near the rental center costs more.
    • On the hotel: if you are renting, price the parking fee and the resort fee into the room rate, and look at downtown and off-Strip resorts where parking is often free or validated.
    • On timing: avoid Las Vegas Boulevard on weekend nights and I-15 toward California on Sunday afternoons; the best time to fly to Las Vegas guide lists the busiest weekends.
    • On tours: for one or two people doing a single desert day, compare a tour with hotel pickup against a rental plus parking, fuel and entry fees; the tour is often close in price and there is no driving after a late night.

    Frequently asked questions

    Do you need a rental car in Las Vegas?

    For the Strip and downtown, no; taxis, ride-hail, the Monorail, the Deuce and walking are enough. For Red Rock, the Hoover Dam, the Valley of Fire and the national parks, yes, or an organized tour.

    Is public transportation good in Las Vegas?

    Good along the Strip and to downtown, with the 24-hour Deuce, the faster SDX and the Monorail. Beyond the resort corridor, buses are slower and less frequent, and there is no rail to the airport.

    How do I get from Las Vegas airport to the Strip?

    A taxi or ride-hail in 15 to 25 minutes, a shared shuttle van, or an RTC bus with a transfer. All rental cars are collected from the off-airport Rent-A-Car Center by shuttle.

    Is parking free on the Las Vegas Strip?

    At most big resorts, no; they charge for self-parking and valet, often even for hotel guests. Some off-Strip and downtown casinos offer free or validated parking.

    Can I get to the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas without a car?

    Yes, on an organized day tour by coach, or by air tour; the West Rim is about two and a half hours away and the South Rim about four and a half.

    Is it easy to drive in Las Vegas?

    Outside the Strip, yes: wide, straight roads and plentiful parking. On the Strip itself, traffic is slow, pedestrians are everywhere, and the back roads behind the resorts are faster.

    Should I rent a car to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas?

    It is one of the classic American road trips, about four hours on I-15 without traffic, and a one-way rental is widely available; just avoid the return on a Sunday afternoon.

    Whichever way you go, start with the flight. Compare cheap flights to Las Vegas, choose a neighborhood with our Las Vegas hotel search, and if the desert is on the list, price the rental for those dates on our Las Vegas car rental page. For what to see, start with our first-timer’s guide to Las Vegas.

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  • Things to Do in Las Vegas: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Things to Do in Las Vegas: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Las Vegas is the easiest city in America to do badly. Plenty of visitors fly in, spend three nights between a casino floor and a pool, see one show and fly home without noticing that the city has changed completely in the last decade. The Strip is still the main event, but it now has a globe-shaped arena that glows from across the valley, a major-league hockey team that won the Stanley Cup, an NFL stadium, a Formula 1 race through the resorts, and some of the best restaurants in the country. Downtown, the old Las Vegas of Fremont Street has been reborn around a museum of the mob, a boneyard of restored neon and an arts district full of bars. And the desert around the city, from Red Rock Canyon to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon, is some of the most spectacular landscape in the West. This guide covers the sights that earn your time, the neighborhoods beyond the casinos, the shows, the food, the day trips, and the practical details that turn a weekend into a trip.

    If you are still comparing cheap flights to Las Vegas, read this alongside our guides to the best time to fly to Las Vegas and whether you need a rental car, and our guide to cheap flight tickets to Las Vegas. Between them you can plan the whole trip.

    The Las Vegas Strip skyline with its resort towers
    The Strip, about 6 km of resorts from Mandalay Bay to the STRAT (Photo: King of Hearts via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Las Vegas at a glance for first-timers

    • Airport: Harry Reid International (LAS), which sits right beside the south end of the Strip, about 8 km (5 miles) from the center of it; a taxi, ride-hail or a rental gets you in within 15 to 25 minutes. See our LAS airport guide.
    • Getting around: the Strip is walkable in pieces, the Monorail runs along its east side, and the Deuce double-decker bus runs its full length to downtown around the clock. For Red Rock, the Hoover Dam and anything farther, most visitors rent a car for a day or two.
    • Money: U.S. dollars. Almost every Strip resort adds a nightly resort fee to the room rate, and most charge for parking, so compare total prices rather than headline rates. Tipping 18 to 20 percent in restaurants is standard, and dealers, bartenders and valets are tipped too.
    • Weather: desert sun almost every day, mild winters, glorious springs and falls, and summers that regularly pass 40 °C (104 °F). Our month-by-month guide has the detail.
    • Where to stay: the Strip for the big resorts, the shows and the pools; downtown and Fremont Street for lower rates, older casinos and the best bars; off-Strip resorts and Summerlin for quiet and easy parking. Our Las Vegas hotel search covers them all.

    The Strip: fountains, gondolas and the big resorts

    Las Vegas Boulevard South, the Strip, runs for about 6 km (4 miles) from Mandalay Bay in the south to the STRAT tower in the north, and walking a stretch of it is the essential first evening. Start at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, designed by Betty Willis in 1959 and planted in the median just south of Mandalay Bay, which now has its own small parking lot and a queue for photographs. Then head north. The fountains of Bellagio dance to music in the lake in front of the resort every half hour in the afternoon and every 15 minutes in the evening, and they are free; so is the Bellagio Conservatory inside, whose flower displays change with the seasons. Across the road, Paris has its half-scale Eiffel Tower with an observation deck, and farther north the Venetian and the Palazzo have indoor canals under a painted sky, with gondoliers who sing as they row. Caesars Palace, the grande dame of the Strip since 1966, has the Forum Shops and the Colosseum theater. The resorts themselves are the attractions: each one is a small city of casino floor, restaurants, shops, pools and theaters, and most visitors underestimate how long it takes to walk through one, let alone between two.

    The Bellagio fountains lit up at night on the Las Vegas Strip
    The Bellagio fountains: free, every 15 minutes in the evening, and the best show on the Strip for the price (Photo: Matt Kieffer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

    Sphere, the High Roller and the view from above

    The newest landmark is Sphere, the enormous LED-covered globe behind the Venetian that opened in 2023. Its outer skin plays animations that you can see from the freeway and from hotel windows across the valley, which is free; inside, a wraparound screen and a seat-shaking sound system host immersive films and concert residencies, and a ticket is worth it at least once. The High Roller at the LINQ, a 167-meter (550-foot) observation wheel, takes about half an hour to turn and gives the best view of the whole Strip, especially at dusk; some cabins come with a bar. At the north end, the STRAT has the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States, with an indoor and outdoor deck and, for the brave, thrill rides that hang over the edge of the roof and a controlled free-fall jump down the side. The Eiffel Tower deck at Paris gives a closer view of the Bellagio fountains from above. If you only do one, make it the High Roller at sunset, then walk back down the Strip as the lights come on.

    Downtown: Fremont Street, the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum

    Downtown is where Las Vegas began, around the railroad depot in 1905, and it is where the city’s history is best told. The Fremont Street Experience is a five-block pedestrian mall covered by a giant LED canopy that plays light-and-music shows every evening, lined with the old casinos: the Golden Nugget, the Golden Gate, which opened in 1906 and is the oldest hotel in the city, and the El Cortez, still operating in its 1941 building. The SlotZilla zip line flies riders under the canopy. Two blocks away, The Mob Museum fills the 1933 federal courthouse where one of the Senate’s organized-crime hearings was held in 1950, and it is one of the best museums in the West, with a working speakeasy and distillery in the basement. A short ride north, the Neon Museum keeps the signs of demolished casinos in its Neon Boneyard, with a lobby in the shell-shaped former La Concha Motel; the guided tours after dark, when the restored signs are lit, are the ones to book, and they sell out. East of the canopy, Fremont East has the city’s best cocktail bars and the Downtown Container Park, built from shipping containers.

    The LED canopy of the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas
    Fremont Street, where Las Vegas began, under its LED canopy (Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author or not provided via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

    Neighborhoods worth a half-day

    The Arts District

    South of downtown, around Main Street and Charleston Boulevard, the Arts District, also called 18b, is the city’s most walkable neighborhood away from the casinos: galleries, vintage and antique stores, breweries and some of the most interesting independent restaurants in town. On the first Friday of every month it hosts an art walk that draws thousands of locals.

    Chinatown and Spring Mountain Road

    A few minutes west of the Strip, Spring Mountain Road is lined for several miles with strip malls full of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and Filipino restaurants, many open late for casino workers. It is where the city’s chefs eat on their nights off, and it is the best-value dinner in Las Vegas.

    Summerlin and the west side

    The master-planned suburb at the foot of Red Rock Canyon has Downtown Summerlin, an open-air shopping district, the ballpark of the Las Vegas Aviators minor-league baseball team, and the Red Rock and other locals’ casinos, where the rooms and parking are cheaper and the canyon is fifteen minutes away.

    Henderson

    Southeast of the airport, Henderson has the Ethel M chocolate factory with its free cactus garden, which is lit up for the holidays each winter, the Clark County Wetlands Park, and the Green Valley Ranch and other locals’ resorts. It is also on the way to the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.

    The Strip’s east side and Paradise Road

    Behind the Strip resorts, the neighborhood around the Convention Center and Paradise Road holds non-casino hotels, apartment towers and a strip of restaurants that serve the convention crowds, and it is where the Monorail and the Vegas Loop tunnels do their work.

    Museums, culture and family attractions

    The Springs Preserve, on the site of the natural springs that gave Las Vegas, “the meadows” in Spanish, its name, has botanical gardens, desert trails, a butterfly habitat and the Nevada State Museum, and it is the best place to understand how a city came to exist in the desert. The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay has sharks, rays and a walk-through tunnel. AREA15, just off the Strip to the west, is a warehouse of immersive art and entertainment anchored by Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart, a surreal supermarket whose freezer doors open into other worlds. The Discovery Children’s Museum and the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, home of touring Broadway shows and the city’s philharmonic, sit side by side in Symphony Park downtown. The Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art hosts rotating exhibitions, and the Pinball Hall of Fame, a nonprofit arcade of hundreds of working machines, now sits near the Welcome sign at the south end of the Strip. For what is playing in the arenas and theaters during your dates, our Las Vegas events page lists concerts, shows and games.

    Shows, residencies and nightlife

    Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the country, and seeing a show is not optional. Cirque du Soleil has several permanent productions on the Strip, including O at Bellagio, performed in and above a pool, and Mystère at Treasure Island, which has run since 1993; they are the benchmark. Residencies by major singers and bands fill the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Dolby Live at Park MGM, Sphere and other theaters, often for a few weekends at a time, and they sell out quickly when a big name is announced. Comedy clubs, magicians and adult revues fill the gaps, and the big resorts’ lounges have free live music every night. Nightlife runs in two shifts: the dayclubs, pool parties with DJs from roughly spring to early fall, and the nightclubs, which get going after 11 p.m. Dress codes apply at both. For something older and cheaper, the lounges and bars along Fremont East are where locals drink. Book the headline show before you book the flight if your dates are fixed; for everything else, same-week tickets are easy to find.

    Sports

    A decade ago Las Vegas had no major-league teams; now it is one of the busiest sports cities in the country. The Vegas Golden Knights play hockey at T-Mobile Arena, just off the Strip behind New York-New York, and the pregame show, a medieval spectacle with knights and swords, is worth arriving early for; the team won the Stanley Cup in 2023. The Las Vegas Raiders play NFL football at Allegiant Stadium, across I-15 from Mandalay Bay, from September to January, and the stadium also hosts college football, concerts and the occasional soccer match. The Las Vegas Aces, WNBA champions in 2022 and 2023, play at Mandalay Bay in summer. Major League Baseball’s Athletics are building a ballpark on the Strip. In November, the Las Vegas Grand Prix turns the Strip into a Formula 1 night circuit, and in December the National Finals Rodeo brings ten days of cowboys to town. The sportsbooks at every casino make any big game a party. Check what is on sale in Las Vegas for your dates before you book flights.

    What to eat, and where

    Las Vegas has become one of the great restaurant cities in America, and you can eat at almost every level. At the top, nearly every famous chef in the world has a restaurant on the Strip, and a splurge dinner at one of them is a reasonable use of a trip’s budget. The buffets, the old Las Vegas signature, have shrunk in number but grown in ambition; the big ones at Caesars Palace, the Cosmopolitan and the Wynn are feasts, priced accordingly, and best at weekend brunch. Below that, the best food in the city is off the Strip: the Asian restaurants along Spring Mountain Road, the Mexican taquerias on the east side, the independent kitchens in the Arts District, and the steakhouses and cocktail bars downtown. Old-school pleasures survive too: the shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate, served there since the 1950s, the late-night diners in the casinos, and the classic Italian rooms with red booths. Reservations matter on the Strip on weekends and during conventions; book the special dinners when you book the hotel.

    Las Vegas through the seasons

    Las Vegas is open every hour of every day, but the season shapes what you do. Winter (December to February) is mild and sunny, cool enough in the evenings for a jacket, with snow on Mount Charleston 45 minutes away and the Golden Knights and the Raiders in season. It is the best time to hike Red Rock and the Valley of Fire, and the resorts dress up for the holidays. Spring (March to May) is the city at its best: warm, dry and bright, with the pools opening, the desert in flower, the Electric Daisy Carnival in May and the busiest weekends of the year. Summer (June to August) is brutally hot, often above 40 °C (104 °F), and the city moves indoors and into the pools; hotel rates drop, dayclubs peak, and any outdoor sightseeing should be done at dawn. Fall (September to November) is the second golden season: warm days, pool weather into October, football, the Grand Prix, and the big trade shows. Our month-by-month guide has the fare patterns that go with each season.

    Las Vegas with kids

    Las Vegas is an adult city, and in Nevada anyone under 21 cannot gamble or linger on casino floors, but it works for families who plan around that. The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, the Bellagio fountains and conservatory, the gondolas at the Venetian, the High Roller and the Welcome sign all please children. Circus Circus has the Adventuredome, an indoor theme park under a pink dome with a roller coaster, and the free circus acts that give the resort its name. The Discovery Children’s Museum downtown and the Springs Preserve are made for younger kids, and Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart at AREA15 fascinates teenagers. Several Cirque du Soleil shows are family-friendly. The best family days, though, are outside the city: the Hoover Dam, the red rocks and petroglyphs at the Valley of Fire, and a day at the Grand Canyon. Choose a resort with a big pool and no casino requirement to reach the rooms, and our family car rental guide covers the vehicle question for the day trips.

    Las Vegas on a budget

    A surprising amount of the best of Las Vegas is free: the Bellagio fountains and conservatory, the canals at the Venetian, the light shows on the Fremont Street canopy, Sphere’s exterior, the Welcome sign, the lounges with live music, the First Friday art walk and the Ethel M cactus garden. Downtown hotels are usually much cheaper than the Strip and often charge lower resort fees; Sunday-to-Thursday stays cost far less than Friday and Saturday nights on the Strip, unless a big convention is in town. Eat well for less in Chinatown and at happy hours, which many Strip restaurants run in the late afternoon. Buy show tickets directly from the box office and watch for weeknight discounts. The Deuce bus’s day pass covers the whole Strip and downtown, and walking between neighboring resorts costs nothing but time. Compare rates by neighborhood on our Las Vegas hotel search.

    Day trips from Las Vegas

    Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, about 30 minutes west, has a one-way scenic drive through red and cream sandstone, and some of the best short hikes and rock climbing in the country; for much of the year a timed-entry reservation is required for the scenic drive during the day. The Hoover Dam, about 45 minutes southeast, is one of the great engineering works of the 20th century, with tours inside and a pedestrian walkway on the bypass bridge that looks straight down on it; Lake Mead National Recreation Area surrounds it. The Valley of Fire, an hour northeast, is Nevada’s oldest state park, with fiery red rock and ancient petroglyphs. Mount Charleston, 45 minutes northwest, is much cooler than the city and has a ski area in winter. The Grand Canyon is the big one: the West Rim, run by the Hualapai Tribe and home of the glass Skywalk, is about two and a half hours away, while the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is about four and a half hours each way and better as an overnight trip. Zion National Park in Utah and Death Valley in California are each about two to three hours. All of these are car trips or organized tours; see our Las Vegas car rental page, and carry plenty of water in summer. Travel Nevada covers the wider state.

    The red sandstone Calico Hills in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
    Red Rock Canyon, about 30 minutes west of the Strip (Photo: Sixflashphoto via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Two sample itineraries

    Three days, no car

    Day one: the Welcome sign and Mandalay Bay’s Shark Reef in the morning, a walk north past New York-New York and the Bellagio fountains, lunch in a resort food hall, the pool in the afternoon, and dinner and a Cirque show at night. Day two: the Venetian’s canals and Sphere by day, the High Roller at sunset, and a Golden Knights game or a residency show. Day three: the Deuce to downtown for the Mob Museum, lunch on Fremont East, the Neon Museum at dusk, and cocktails under the Fremont canopy.

    Five days, with the desert

    Add a morning at Red Rock Canyon and an afternoon at the Hoover Dam in a rental car picked up on the Strip, then a long day to the Grand Canyon’s West Rim or the Valley of Fire, returning the car at the airport’s rental center on the way home.

    Practical details

    • Transit: buy Deuce and RTC bus passes on the rideRTC app or at ticket machines at the Strip stops, and Monorail passes at its stations. RTC Southern Nevada has maps; our rental car guide goes into detail.
    • From LAS: a taxi or ride-hail to the Strip in 15 to 25 minutes, a shuttle van, RTC buses, or a rental from the off-airport Rent-A-Car Center. The airport’s site covers ground transport.
    • Weather: sun protection and water every day of the year, a jacket for winter evenings, and serious heat precautions from June to September. The National Weather Service’s Las Vegas office issues the heat warnings.
    • Time zone: Pacific, three hours behind New York. Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so in winter the Grand Canyon and Phoenix are an hour ahead.
    • Entry requirements: Canadians need a valid passport; visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding, and everyone else needs a visa. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the authoritative source.
    • Safety: the Strip and Fremont Street are heavily policed and busy at all hours; keep an eye on your drink and your phone in crowds, use the pedestrian bridges to cross the Strip, and take the heat seriously on foot.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many days do you need in Las Vegas?

    Three nights covers the Strip, a show and downtown; four or five lets you add Red Rock, the Hoover Dam and a day at the Grand Canyon.

    What is the number one thing to do in Las Vegas?

    Walk the Strip at night, from the Bellagio fountains to the Venetian, with a stop at the High Roller at sunset. Then see a Cirque du Soleil show.

    Is Las Vegas walkable?

    The Strip is, in stretches, though distances are longer than they look and summer heat is punishing. Fremont Street and the Arts District are walkable; the rest of the valley assumes a car.

    Do I need a car in Las Vegas?

    Not for the Strip and downtown. For Red Rock, the Hoover Dam, the Valley of Fire and the national parks, yes, or an organized tour.

    Is Las Vegas expensive?

    It can be either. Midweek rooms, Chinatown dinners and the free sights keep it cheap; weekend rates, resort fees, parking and a headline show add up fast.

    What is Las Vegas known for?

    Casinos, the neon of the Strip, world-class shows and restaurants, weddings, conventions, and, increasingly, major-league sports and the desert parks on its doorstep.

    Ready to go? Compare flights to Las Vegas, find a place to stay with our Las Vegas hotel search, and if the desert is on the list, price a rental car for those days.

    Keep planning with TicketScanner

  • Best Time to Fly to Atlanta: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Best Time to Fly to Atlanta: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Atlanta has the busiest airport in the world, and that fact shapes everything about the cost of getting here. Hartsfield-Jackson is Delta’s largest hub and a major base for several low-cost carriers, and the competition keeps fares into Atlanta lower than into many smaller cities. The price that swings is the hotel. Atlanta is one of the biggest convention cities in the country, it hosts a full calendar of college football, professional sports and stadium concerts, and a handful of weekends, from Dragon Con to the SEC Championship, fill every room downtown. Add a climate with a glorious spring, a long, sticky summer, a golden fall and a mild but occasionally icy winter, and the “best time” depends as much on the event calendar as on the weather. This guide walks through the weather, the fare and hotel seasons, the events that move prices, and the airport.

    The short answer

    For the best combination of weather and value, aim for late April to mid-May, after the spring-break and pollen peak and before the summer heat, and mid-October to mid-November, when the air is dry, the leaves turn and the city is at its most comfortable. The cheapest fares and hotel rates usually come in January and February, outside the big trade shows and holiday weekends, and in the second half of August, when Georgia’s schools are already back in session and the heat keeps leisure visitors away. The most expensive stretches are spring break in March and early April, Thanksgiving and the Christmas and New Year holidays, and specific event weekends, above all Labor Day weekend for Dragon Con and college football and the first weekend of December for the SEC Championship. Whatever you choose, run a flexible-date search on our Atlanta flights page; a shift of a few days can change the total cost entirely.

    Piedmont Park and the Midtown Atlanta skyline in early spring
    Piedmont Park in March, when spring comes early and the festival season begins (Photo: Thomson200 via Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

    Atlanta’s weather, season by season

    Atlanta sits in the foothills of the Appalachians at an elevation of about 300 meters (1,000 feet), which takes a little of the edge off the Southern heat. It still has a humid subtropical climate: long, hot and humid summers with afternoon thunderstorms, short and mild winters with the occasional hard freeze, and springs and falls that are the reason people move here. The figures below are approximate seasonal patterns based on the long-term climate normals for Hartsfield-Jackson from NOAA’s National Weather Service; check the current forecast before you pack, because spring and fall can swing ten degrees from one day to the next.

    MonthTypical daytime highTypical overnight lowWhat it feels likeFare pressure
    Januaryaround 12 °C (53 °F)around 1 °C (34 °F)Cool and often gray; a rare ice or snow event can close the cityLow, except MLK weekend and trade-show weeks
    Februaryaround 14 °C (57 °F)around 3 °C (37 °F)Mild spells and cold snaps; the first blossoms by month’s endLow; rises for Presidents’ Day weekend
    Marcharound 18 °C (65 °F)around 7 °C (44 °F)Spring arrives; dogwoods and azaleas, pollen and stormsHigh for spring break
    Aprilaround 23 °C (73 °F)around 11 °C (51 °F)The loveliest month; festivals every weekendHigh early in the month, easing later
    Mayaround 27 °C (80 °F)around 16 °C (60 °F)Warm and green; humidity starts to buildModerate; graduations fill some weekends
    Junearound 31 °C (87 °F)around 19 °C (67 °F)Hot and humid; afternoon thunderstorms beginModerate to high with summer travel
    Julyaround 32 °C (90 °F)around 22 °C (71 °F)The hottest month; heat index often far above the air temperatureModerate; July Fourth weekend is busy
    Augustaround 31 °C (88 °F)around 21 °C (70 °F)Still hot and sticky; storms most afternoonsLow to moderate once schools are back
    Septemberaround 28 °C (83 °F)around 18 °C (64 °F)Summer lingers; the humidity finally breaks late in the monthPeak on Labor Day weekend, then moderate
    Octoberaround 23 °C (74 °F)around 12 °C (53 °F)Dry, sunny and comfortable; often the best weather of the yearModerate to high with conventions and football
    Novemberaround 17 °C (63 °F)around 6 °C (42 °F)Crisp and bright; peak fall color in the city early in the monthModerate, then peak for Thanksgiving
    Decemberaround 13 °C (55 °F)around 2 °C (36 °F)Cool and damp; festive lights; the odd frostLow until mid-month, then peak

    Three things the table cannot show. First, the humidity: a July afternoon at 32 °C in Atlanta regularly feels closer to 38 °C (100 °F), and the heat builds through the day until a thunderstorm breaks it. Plan the BeltLine and the outdoor sights for the morning and the evening, and the aquarium and the museums for the middle of the day. Second, the storms: spring brings severe thunderstorms and, some years, tornado warnings, and summer afternoons bring short, violent downpours that can halt operations at the airport for an hour. Because so many connections pass through Atlanta, a ground stop here ripples across the network. Third, winter ice: Atlanta sees little snow in a normal year, but a light glaze of freezing rain on untreated roads can bring the metro area to a standstill for a day, and flights cancel when it does.

    How Atlanta’s fare seasons work

    Three forces drive the cost of a trip to Atlanta. The first is the airport itself: because Hartsfield-Jackson is the country’s biggest connecting hub, there is enormous capacity into the city from almost everywhere, and airfares tend to follow national travel patterns (spring break, summer, the holidays) rather than local ones. The second is the convention and event calendar: the Georgia World Congress Center downtown is one of the largest convention centers in the country, AmericasMart holds huge trade markets, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena host major games and concerts almost every week, so downtown hotel rates can jump on a Tuesday for a trade show nobody outside the industry has heard of. The third is the weather, which pushes leisure visitors into spring and fall and away from the peak of summer.

    Peak season

    Mid-March to mid-April, Thanksgiving week, and roughly December 20 to January 2, plus specific event weekends at any time of year. Spring break sends families through Atlanta in both directions, many of them connecting to Florida, which fills flights even when Atlanta’s hotels are not. The Thanksgiving and Christmas periods bring some of the heaviest days of the year at the airport, with security lines to match. The event weekends, Dragon Con and college football over Labor Day, the SEC Championship in early December, and big concerts and conventions, spike hotel rates without necessarily moving airfares. If you must travel in peak, book early, fly mid-week, and compare hotels in Midtown and Buckhead, which are on MARTA and often cheaper than downtown during big events.

    Shoulder season

    Late April to May and late September to mid-November. This is when Atlanta is at its best: warm, dry days, festivals in Piedmont Park, patios open all day, and fall color in the city in early November. Both have busy weekends, but mid-week travel is consistently good value. Watch Memorial Day weekend and the convention calendar.

    Low season

    January and February outside the holiday weekends and the biggest trade shows, early December before the holidays, and the second half of August. In winter, fares and hotel rates are at their annual lows, the city is quiet, and the weather is cool but rarely harsh. In late August, Georgia’s schools have gone back, family travel stops, and the heat keeps leisure visitors away, so hotel rates soften everywhere except around conventions.

    As elsewhere, mid-week departures and early or late flights usually price below Friday and Sunday afternoons on the same route, and a search across a whole month reveals cheaper pairs of dates close to your first choice. Our guide to the best times to book explains how to read those patterns.

    Atlanta month by month

    January

    Cool, quiet and one of the two cheapest months to visit, once the New Year holiday rush has cleared. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on the third Monday of the month, brings commemorations at Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center and a parade on Auburn Avenue, Watch for the January market at AmericasMart and the big trade shows at the Georgia World Congress Center, which fill downtown hotels for several days at a time. An ice storm is rare but possible.

    February

    Mild spells alternate with cold snaps, and the first blossoms appear by the end of the month. Fares are low outside Presidents’ Day weekend, and Black History Month brings programming across the city’s museums. The Hawks and college basketball are in season. This is a strong value month for a museum-and-food trip.

    March

    Spring arrives early here. The Bradford pears, then the dogwoods and azaleas bloom across the city, the patios fill, and the Braves open their season at the end of the month or in early April. It is also spring break season, which pushes fares through Atlanta up for most of the month, and the start of pollen season, when pine pollen turns cars and sidewalks yellow for several weeks; allergy sufferers should pack medication. Severe thunderstorms are possible.

    April

    The month many Atlantans would pick: warm, green and blooming, with a festival every weekend, including the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park and the Inman Park Festival at the end of the month. The first half of April is still busy with spring break, and Masters week in Augusta, about two and a half hours east, sends thousands of golf fans through Atlanta’s airport and its rental counters. The second half of the month is one of the best windows of the year.

    May

    Warm and green, with humidity starting to build by the end of the month. College and high school graduations fill hotels on some weekends, and the free Atlanta Jazz Festival takes over Piedmont Park on Memorial Day weekend. Fares are moderate, and the first three weeks of May, mid-week, are excellent value.

    June

    Summer proper: hot, humid, with thunderstorms building most afternoons. National summer travel lifts fares from other U.S. cities, although Atlanta’s hotels are generally less pressured than in spring, apart from convention weeks.

    July

    The hottest month. The Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10K in the world, runs from Buckhead to Piedmont Park on the morning of July Fourth, followed by fireworks across the city, and it makes the holiday weekend busy. The July market at AmericasMart fills downtown hotels for a week. Otherwise, rates are moderate.

    August

    Still hot and sticky, with storms most afternoons, but a quiet month for visitors. Metro Atlanta’s schools go back in early August, much earlier than in the Northeast, so family travel drops off sharply, and the second half of the month is one of the best-value periods of the year for hotels. College football returns at the very end of the month.

    September

    Starts with the busiest weekend of the year for downtown hotels. Labor Day weekend brings Dragon Con, the huge fan convention that takes over the downtown hotels and fills Peachtree Street with costumed attendees for its Saturday parade, often alongside a season-opening college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After that, rates settle, the heat lingers through most of the month, and the humidity finally breaks toward the end. The remnants of an Atlantic or Gulf tropical storm occasionally bring a day or two of heavy rain.

    October

    Dry, sunny and comfortable, and often the best weather of the year. It is also a busy month, with conventions downtown, college football every Saturday, homecoming weekends at the Atlanta University Center colleges, and Atlanta Pride. Fares are moderate to high; mid-week stays and Midtown hotels are the value play. In the North Georgia mountains, the fall color arrives in the last two weeks of the month.

    November

    Crisp and bright, with peak fall color in the city early in the month, and one of the best months to walk the BeltLine and Piedmont Park. The Botanical Garden’s holiday lights open in mid-November. The week of Thanksgiving is one of the heaviest of the year at the airport, with high fares and long security lines; the weeks either side are good value.

    December

    Two months in one. The first half is quiet and reasonably priced, apart from the SEC Championship Game weekend at the start of the month, which fills hotels across downtown and Midtown. From around December 20, fares climb for the Christmas and New Year holidays, and the Peach Bowl, a College Football Playoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium around New Year, adds pressure on hotels.

    The exterior of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta
    Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the SEC Championship, the Peach Bowl and big concerts fill downtown hotels (Photo: BullDawg2021 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    Events that move Atlanta flight and hotel prices

    Cross-check these against your dates before you book. Exact dates shift each year; Discover Atlanta keeps the current calendar.

    • Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend (third Monday of January) and the January market at AmericasMart.
    • Spring break (mid-March to mid-April, varying by school district), when Atlanta’s connecting flights fill with families heading to Florida.
    • Masters week in Augusta (early April), which tightens rental cars at the airport.
    • Festival weekends in Piedmont Park: the Dogwood Festival in April and the Jazz Festival on Memorial Day weekend.
    • The Peachtree Road Race (July Fourth), run by the Atlanta Track Club, and the July market at AmericasMart.
    • Labor Day weekend: Dragon Con and a season-opening college football game, the single biggest hotel spike downtown.
    • October: college homecomings, Atlanta Pride and a heavy convention calendar.
    • Thanksgiving week and the Christmas to New Year holidays, including the Peach Bowl.
    • The SEC Championship Game (first Saturday of December), Falcons and Atlanta United home games, and stadium concerts. Our Atlanta events page shows what is on sale for your dates.
    • Trade shows and conventions at the Georgia World Congress Center, which can fill downtown hotels mid-week without warning; if your dates look strangely expensive, that is usually why.

    Getting in from the airport

    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of downtown and is the only major commercial airport serving the city. It has two terminals: the Domestic Terminal, with its North and South sides, and the Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal on the east side of the airfield. Seven concourses, T and A through F, are linked by an underground train, the Plane Train, and a walkway lined with art. Delta, which is headquartered next door, runs its largest hub here, and Southwest and several low-cost airlines also have big operations, with nonstops across the U.S. and to Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. Getting into the city is easy: the MARTA Red and Gold Lines start at the Airport station, at the west end of the Domestic Terminal beside baggage claim, and reach Five Points downtown in about 20 minutes and Midtown in under half an hour for a flat fare. Taxis charge flat rates to downtown, Midtown and Buckhead, ride-hail pickups are signposted from baggage claim, and the rental companies are all at the Rental Car Center, reached by the ATL SkyTrain from the Domestic Terminal. Our Atlanta car-versus-transit guide works through whether you need a car at all, and our ATL airport guide covers the layout in detail.

    Delta aircraft at the terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
    Hartsfield-Jackson, the world's busiest airport and Delta's largest hub (Photo: I'll Never Grow Up via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

    Timing tricks that work for Atlanta

    • Search the whole month. Conventions and big games create sharp edges in the hotel calendar, and holiday weekends do the same for fares. A calendar search on TicketScanner shows them instantly.
    • Price the hotel before the flight. A cheap fare into Dragon Con weekend or a trade-show week is not cheap once the room is added. Run an Atlanta hotel search for the same dates before you commit to either, and compare downtown with Midtown.
    • Stay downtown on weekends. Downtown’s convention hotels are priced for weekday business travel and often drop sharply on Friday and Saturday nights when there is no big event.
    • Fly mid-week, and early. Tuesday to Thursday departures are usually cheaper, and morning flights are the least likely to be caught in summer’s afternoon thunderstorms and the ground stops that follow.
    • Use the hub to your advantage. Because so many airlines fly nonstop to Atlanta, it is often cheaper to fly here and drive onward to Chattanooga, Athens or even Charlotte than to fly to a smaller airport; our Atlanta to Charlotte route guide covers one of those drives.
    • Allow real time at security. ATL’s checkpoints handle enormous volumes, and lines can be long at peak times and on holiday weekends. Check the airport’s site for wait times, and see our guide to how early to arrive.
    • Flying out of Atlanta instead? Its huge route network makes it one of the best departure cities in the country; see cheap flights from Atlanta.
    Fall colors around the gazebo at Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park
    Piedmont Park in fall, the season many Atlantans would pick for a visit (Photo: Marc Merlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    What to pack, by season

    Winter (December to February): a warm jacket, layers and waterproof shoes; most days are mild, but a cold, damp wind can make a day near freezing feel raw. Spring (March to May): layers, a light rain jacket and an umbrella for the storms, sunglasses, and allergy medication if pollen affects you. Summer (June to August): the lightest, most breathable clothing you own, a hat, sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, and a sweater for the powerful air-conditioning indoors. Fall (September to November): summer clothing into late September, then layers and a light jacket by November. In every season, bring comfortable walking shoes.

    The best time to fly to Atlanta for…

    The best weather

    The second half of April and the first half of May, or mid-October to early November. Both offer warm, dry days and comfortable evenings.

    Festivals and the city in bloom

    April, for the dogwoods, the Dogwood Festival and the Inman Park Festival, accepting higher prices in the first half of the month. Bring allergy medication.

    Sports

    September to December for college football, the Falcons and the SEC Championship; April to September for the Braves; October to April for the Hawks. Book hotels early for the biggest games.

    The lowest prices

    January and February outside the holiday weekends and trade shows, early December, and the second half of August. Stay downtown on a weekend for the best hotel rates.

    Families

    Late May and early June, before the worst of the heat, or early December for the holiday lights without the holiday prices.

    International visitors

    Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding; most others need a visa. The State Department’s travel site explains what applies to you, and the TSA lists what you can carry through security. If you are connecting to a domestic flight after clearing immigration at ATL, you will collect and recheck your bags, so leave a generous connection time.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the cheapest month to fly to Atlanta?

    January and February are usually the cheapest overall, followed by late August and early December. Always check for trade shows and big games, which can push hotel rates up in any month.

    What is the best month to visit Atlanta for weather?

    October, with late April and May close behind. Summer is hot and humid; winter is mild but gray.

    Why are Atlanta hotels so expensive on some weeknights?

    Conventions and trade shows. Atlanta is one of the biggest convention cities in the country, and a large show at the Georgia World Congress Center or AmericasMart can fill downtown mid-week. Midtown and Buckhead, both on MARTA, are the alternatives.

    Is Atlanta too hot to visit in summer?

    It is hot and humid, but very manageable if you plan outdoor sightseeing for the morning and evening and spend the afternoons in the aquarium, the museums and the food halls. The late-August hotel rates are a real reward.

    How early should I get to the Atlanta airport?

    For a domestic flight, two hours is sensible, more on holiday weekends and at spring break; for international departures, three hours. The terminal is vast, and walking or riding the Plane Train to the farther concourses takes time.

    How far ahead should I book?

    Earlier for spring break, Thanksgiving, the Christmas holidays and the big event weekends, when prices tend only to rise; for January, February and late August, fares are stable enough that choosing the right dates matters more.

    Does it snow in Atlanta?

    Rarely, and usually only a dusting. The bigger risk is freezing rain, which can glaze the roads and shut the city for a day or two, so build some flexibility into a January or February trip.

    Ready to pick your dates? Compare fares across the whole month on our Atlanta flights page, then find a room with our Atlanta hotel search. For what to do when you land, start with our first-timer’s guide to Atlanta.

    Keep planning with TicketScanner

  • Atlanta: Should You Rent a Car or Rely on Public Transit?

    Atlanta: Should You Rent a Car or Rely on Public Transit?

    Atlanta has a reputation as one of the most car-dependent cities in America, and for the people who live here it is mostly deserved: a metro area of more than six million people spread across dozens of counties, freeways that jam twice a day, and suburbs that were built with no thought of a train. But visitors are not commuters, and the Atlanta a visitor sees looks different. The airport has its own rail station inside the terminal, and the MARTA trains from it run straight to downtown, Midtown and Buckhead, which is where most hotels and most of the sights are. The BeltLine’s Eastside Trail links several of the best neighborhoods on foot, and ride-hail is quick and widely available for the gaps. A rental car earns its keep for the Braves’ ballpark, Buford Highway, Stone Mountain and the North Georgia mountains, and for anyone staying in the suburbs. This guide explains how the city and MARTA work, what driving here is really like, and how to decide.

    The short answer

    Skip the car if you are staying downtown, in Midtown or in Buckhead and your plans are the aquarium and Centennial Olympic Park, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the High Museum and Piedmont Park, the BeltLine, a Hawks game, a Falcons game or a convention. MARTA from the airport, your feet and the occasional ride-hail will cover it, and you will avoid hotel parking fees that can add a large sum to each night. Rent a car if you are staying in the suburbs or with family, if a Braves game, Stone Mountain, the Chattahoochee, Buford Highway or a day trip to the mountains, Athens or Chattanooga is on the list, or if Atlanta is one stop on a Southern road trip. And for many visitors the right answer is both: car-free for the city days, a rental for the day trips. Compare rental rates for any of these plans on our Atlanta car rental page.

    How Atlanta is laid out

    Atlanta has no grid. Its streets follow old ridgelines and railway lines, so they curve and change names, and the most famous of them, Peachtree Street, runs north along a ridge from downtown through Midtown to Buckhead, where it becomes Peachtree Road. There are dozens of other streets with Peachtree in their names; always check the full address. Downtown holds the state capitol, the convention center, the stadium, the arena and the Centennial Olympic Park attractions. Midtown, about three kilometers (two miles) north, has the arts district, Piedmont Park, Georgia Tech and a cluster of high-rise hotels. Buckhead, another eight kilometers (five miles) north, is the upscale business and shopping district. East of downtown and Midtown, the historic in-town neighborhoods, the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Little Five Points, Virginia-Highland and Decatur, are linked by the BeltLine and, in part, by MARTA’s east-west line. Two freeways, I-75 and I-85, merge into the Downtown Connector through the middle of the city, I-20 crosses it east to west, and the I-285 ring road, known as the Perimeter, circles the whole thing; locals divide the region into ITP and OTP, inside and outside the Perimeter. The airport is due south, just inside I-285.

    Hotels cluster downtown around Peachtree Center and the convention district, in Midtown along Peachtree Street, in Buckhead near Lenox Square, around the airport in College Park and Hapeville, and in the suburban business districts along I-285. Our Atlanta hotel search lets you compare them.

    Getting in from the airport

    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) is about 16 kilometers (10 miles) south of downtown, with a rail station built into the terminal. The MARTA Airport station is at the west end of the Domestic Terminal, beside baggage claim, and the Red and Gold Line trains from it reach Five Points downtown in about 20 minutes, Midtown in under half an hour, and Buckhead in around 40 minutes, for the same flat fare as any other ride. Taxis operate on flat rates from the airport to downtown, Midtown and Buckhead, and ride-hail pickups are signposted from baggage claim; the drive downtown takes 20 to 30 minutes in light traffic and much longer at rush hour, when the Downtown Connector backs up. All the rental companies are at the Rental Car Center, a large consolidated facility reached by the free ATL SkyTrain from the Domestic Terminal. If you land at the international terminal, a shuttle or the Plane Train connects you to the domestic side, so allow extra time. Check the airport’s site for current ground-transport details; our ATL airport guide covers the layout.

    A MARTA train arriving at Five Points station in downtown Atlanta
    Five Points, where all four MARTA lines meet; the airport is about 20 minutes south (Photo: RedRails via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Atlanta’s transit, explained

    The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, MARTA, runs the heavy-rail network, the bus system and the downtown streetcar. The rail system is fast, reasonably frequent and, for a visitor based in the city core, genuinely useful: it links the airport, downtown, Midtown, Buckhead and Decatur, which covers most of the itinerary for a first trip. Its limitation is coverage. The lines run along a cross-shaped spine, many in-town neighborhoods are a long walk from a station, and the suburbs beyond are largely unserved by rail.

    MARTA rail

    Four lines, colored Red, Gold, Blue and Green, meet at Five Points downtown. The Red and Gold Lines run north-south: from the airport through College Park and East Point, through downtown (Garnett, Five Points, Peachtree Center, Civic Center), through Midtown (North Avenue, Midtown and Arts Center stations) and on to Lindbergh Center, where they split. The Red Line continues to Buckhead, the Medical Center and North Springs; the Gold Line serves Lenox, for Lenox Square, and continues to Doraville, near the international restaurants of Buford Highway. The Blue and Green Lines run east-west: west from Five Points past the GWCC and Vine City stations, for Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena, and east through King Memorial, for Sweet Auburn and Oakland Cemetery, and Inman Park/Reynoldstown, for Inman Park and Little Five Points, with the Blue Line continuing to Decatur. Trains typically run every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the line and the time of day, from early morning until around 1 a.m., less often on weekends.

    Buses and the streetcar

    MARTA’s bus network fills in the gaps, including routes to the Atlanta History Center, Zoo Atlanta, Ponce City Market and the in-town neighborhoods, but it is slow and infrequent by big-city standards. The Atlanta Streetcar, run by MARTA, is a short loop through downtown that links Centennial Olympic Park with Peachtree Center and the Martin Luther King Jr. historic district on Auburn Avenue; it is slow, but it is the easiest way between the two biggest sight clusters downtown.

    Fares and tickets

    MARTA charges a flat fare for any ride, whatever the distance, and the fare includes transfers between trains and buses within a set time window, which makes the airport-to-Buckhead ride exceptional value. Pay with a reloadable Breeze card, sold with a small card fee at vending machines in every station, or through the Breeze mobile app; MARTA has been introducing contactless payment with bank cards and phones, so check the current options on its site before you travel. Multi-day passes are available and worth it for a busy sightseeing trip. Check MARTA’s site for current fares.

    Accessibility

    All MARTA rail stations have elevators and step-free access to the platforms, and buses are equipped with ramps or lifts. Elevator outages do happen, and MARTA posts them on its site and app; check before you rely on a particular station with luggage or a wheelchair.

    Beyond MARTA

    • Walking. Downtown, Midtown and the in-town neighborhoods are walkable within themselves, although the summer heat and the hills make distances feel longer than they look.
    • The BeltLine. The Atlanta BeltLine‘s Eastside Trail is a paved, car-free path of about three miles that links Piedmont Park, Ponce City Market, the Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park and Krog Street Market. It is the best way to see those neighborhoods, on foot or by bike.
    • Scooters and bikes. Shared e-scooters and e-bikes are widely available in the city core through the usual apps. The city has at times restricted scooter riding overnight, so check the app’s rules before you plan a late ride home.
    • Taxis and ride-hail. Uber, Lyft and licensed taxis operate everywhere, and for trips between neighborhoods off the rail lines, Ponce City Market to Buckhead, or Midtown to the Westside, they are much quicker than the bus. Surge pricing after games and concerts at the stadium can be steep; walking to a MARTA station is usually faster anyway.
    • Trains and intercity buses. Amtrak’s Crescent, between New York and New Orleans, calls daily at the Peachtree station north of Midtown; Amtrak has the schedule. Intercity buses connect Atlanta with cities across the Southeast.
    An Atlanta Streetcar tram on Auburn Avenue in the Sweet Auburn district
    The Atlanta Streetcar on Auburn Avenue, linking the King historic district with Centennial Olympic Park (Photo: brandon walker via Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

    Driving in Atlanta: what it is really like

    Atlanta’s traffic is among the worst in the country, and its reputation is earned on the freeways. The Downtown Connector, where I-75 and I-85 share a dozen or more lanes through the heart of the city, is one of the busiest stretches of road in the United States and crawls every weekday morning and afternoon. I-285, especially its northern arc through the business districts, and GA 400 through Buckhead are the other chronic bottlenecks, and any crash or rainstorm multiplies the delay. Rush hour runs roughly from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 3 to 7 p.m., and Friday afternoons are the worst of the week. Surface streets are less stressful but confusing, with changing names, one-way sections downtown, and those endless Peachtrees. On the plus side, drivers are generally courteous and parking outside the core is easy.

    Traffic on the Downtown Connector, where I-75 and I-85 run together through Atlanta
    The Downtown Connector, where I-75 and I-85 merge through the middle of the city, and where rush hour is measured (Photo: Famartin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Parking

    Parking is the hidden cost of a car in Atlanta. Downtown, Midtown and Buckhead hotels charge a substantial nightly fee, usually for valet, and it is rarely included in the room rate. Commercial lots and garages downtown are plentiful but priced up sharply on game and concert days near Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. Street parking in the city core is metered, and most meters are paid through the ParkMobile app; read the signs carefully, because enforcement is strict and private lots are known for towing and booting quickly. Outside the core, at Stone Mountain, the malls, the Atlanta History Center and suburban attractions, parking is straightforward, although Stone Mountain Park charges a daily vehicle fee.

    Rules and conditions worth knowing

    • Hands-free law. Georgia bans holding or supporting a phone while driving; use a mount and voice controls.
    • Express lanes. Several freeways have variably priced express lanes that require a Peach Pass transponder; Peach Pass explains how they work. With a rental car, either use the rental company’s toll program, which carries daily fees, or stay in the free general lanes.
    • Move Over law. Georgia requires drivers to move over a lane, or slow down, for stopped emergency and service vehicles, including the state’s yellow HERO trucks that help stranded motorists on metro freeways.
    • Right turns on red are permitted after a full stop unless signed otherwise.
    • Cameras monitor school-zone speed limits and some intersections; fines follow the car, and the rental company will bill you with a fee on top.
    • Storms and ice. Summer thunderstorms bring sudden downpours and flooded underpasses; slow down and never drive into standing water. A rare winter ice storm can make untreated roads treacherous; if one is forecast, stay put. Georgia 511 publishes traffic, closures and conditions.
    • Fuel in Georgia is usually priced below the national average, one small point in the rental’s favor.

    When renting a car makes sense

    • A Braves game. Truist Park and The Battery are northwest of the city in Cobb County and not on the MARTA rail network; driving, with parking booked in advance, or a ride-hail are the realistic options.
    • Stone Mountain, the Chattahoochee and Kennesaw Mountain. All are within 45 minutes of downtown and effectively car-only.
    • Buford Highway. The Gold Line reaches Doraville, but the restaurants are strung out along miles of strip malls; a car makes an evening of it far easier.
    • Day trips. The North Georgia mountains, Athens, Chattanooga and Callaway Gardens are all 90 minutes to two hours away and need a car.
    • Staying in the suburbs or with family. Outside the MARTA corridors, a car is how the region works.
    • Southern road trips. Atlanta to Charlotte, Chattanooga and Nashville, Savannah and the coast, or Birmingham; our Atlanta to Charlotte route guide covers the four-hour drive up I-85.

    If any of those apply, our rental car booking tips cover insurance, deposits and the questions to ask at the counter, and our family car rental guide looks at vehicle choice.

    When it does not

    • You are staying downtown, in Midtown or in Buckhead near a MARTA station, and your plans are the city’s main sights.
    • You are in town for a convention at the Georgia World Congress Center, a Falcons, Atlanta United or Hawks game, or a stadium concert, when downtown parking is at its most expensive and MARTA stops beside the venues.
    • You are on a short trip or a long layover and want to see the MLK historic site or the aquarium between flights.
    • You are traveling solo or as a couple, and the rental, the toll program and the hotel parking add up to more than a few ride-hail trips.
    Walkers and cyclists on the Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail in Inman Park
    The BeltLine's Eastside Trail, the car-free way between Piedmont Park, Ponce City Market and Inman Park (Photo: John Phelan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    The hybrid plan for a city-plus-countryside trip

    Go car-free for the city days and rent for the day trips, and think carefully about where you pick up. Renting at the airport’s Rental Car Center makes sense if you are heading straight out of the city on arrival, because the freeways are a few minutes away and you avoid the Downtown Connector. Renting from a downtown, Midtown or Buckhead location makes sense if you are spending the first nights in the city, because you avoid the airport’s concession fees and facility charges and the hotel parking on the nights you are not using the car. A pattern that works well: MARTA from the airport to a Midtown hotel, two or three car-free days, pick up a rental in the city for the day trips, and return it at the airport on the way to your flight, which most companies allow for little or no extra charge. Compare the day rates on our Atlanta car rental page against a full-trip rental and the difference is usually obvious.

    A worked cost comparison

    Numbers change with the season and the booking window, so treat this as a method rather than a quote, and check current rates before deciding. For a four-night city break in Midtown for two people, the car-free version costs two MARTA rides from the airport and back per person, a multi-day pass or a handful of single fares, and perhaps three or four ride-hail trips to Inman Park, the Westside or Buckhead; the rental version adds four days of a compact car, four nights of hotel valet parking, fuel, the airport fees and paid parking at every stop, and buys you very little you could not ride to. The transit option wins easily. For the same four nights with a Braves game and a day at Stone Mountain, the car-free version adds a round-trip ride-hail to Truist Park, which can surge after the game, and another to Stone Mountain; the hybrid version adds a two-day rental picked up in Midtown, fuel, stadium parking and the park’s vehicle fee. For two people the costs are often close; for a family of four the rental usually wins. For a week touring the North Georgia mountains, Chattanooga or the coast, a rental is the only practical answer, and the airport pickup, with its fees, is still simpler than a trip into the city to collect a car downtown. Run the rental rates for your dates on our Atlanta car rental page and put them beside the ride-hail estimates before you choose.

    Driving out of Atlanta in each season

    The roads out of Atlanta are easy once you clear the Perimeter, and the timing matters more than the route. In spring, the mountains are green and the waterfalls are full, but severe thunderstorms can bring sudden downpours, and spring-break traffic heading south on I-75 toward Florida jams on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings. In summer, leave early for the mountains, the lakes and the Chattahoochee to beat the heat and the afternoon storms, and expect holiday weekends to fill every highway out of the city. In fall, the leaf season in the North Georgia mountains, from mid-October into early November, brings weekend traffic to GA 400 and the mountain towns that rivals a summer holiday; go mid-week if you can, and avoid the drive home on Sunday afternoon. In winter, the roads are usually clear and the traffic lighter, but the mountains can see snow and ice, and a rare ice storm in the city makes staying put the only sensible choice. In every season, time your departure and return to avoid the Downtown Connector and I-285 at rush hour, and check Georgia 511 before you set off.

    Decision table

    Your tripRecommendationWhy
    City break downtown or in MidtownNo carMARTA runs from the airport to both; hotel parking is expensive
    Convention, Falcons, Hawks or Atlanta United gameNo carMARTA stops beside the venues; event parking is costly
    Long layoverNo carThe train from the terminal reaches downtown in about 20 minutes
    City plus a Braves game or Stone MountainHybrid: rent in the city for a day or twoCar-free city days, car for the places MARTA does not reach
    North Georgia mountains, Athens or ChattanoogaRentDay trips of 90 minutes to two hours, with no practical transit
    Family visit to the suburbsRent for the whole staySuburban distances make the car worthwhile daily
    Family with young childrenRent, with a hotel that includes parkingCar seats, heat and spread-out attractions all argue for a car
    Southern road tripRent (consider one-way to Charlotte or Savannah)Atlanta is the start, not the destination

    Money-saving tips for both options

    • On transit: take MARTA from the airport instead of a taxi; buy a multi-day pass for a busy trip; choose a hotel within a short walk of a station.
    • On a rental: compare airport and city pickup, book early for spring break, Masters week and fall weekends, decline the toll program if you will stay out of the express lanes, decline extras you already have through a credit card or home policy (check first), and fill up before returning the car.
    • On the hotel: if you are renting, price the parking fee into the room rate, and consider a hotel outside the core with free parking for the days you have the car.
    • On timing: avoid the Downtown Connector and I-285 in the weekday peaks and on Friday afternoons; the best time to fly to Atlanta guide lists the busiest weekends, when traffic and parking are at their worst.
    • On event days: ride MARTA to the stadium and the arena rather than paying event parking, and wait out the ride-hail surge with a drink nearby after the game.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is it worth renting a car in Atlanta?

    For a city break based downtown, in Midtown or in Buckhead, no; MARTA and ride-hail cover it. For a Braves game, Stone Mountain, the suburbs, Buford Highway or day trips, yes.

    Is MARTA good for tourists?

    For the core, yes: it links the airport, downtown, Midtown, Buckhead and Decatur, and stops beside the stadium and the arena. It does not reach the Braves’ ballpark, most of the BeltLine or the suburbs.

    How do I get from Atlanta airport to downtown?

    The MARTA Red or Gold Line from the Airport station in the Domestic Terminal, about 20 minutes to Five Points, or a flat-rate taxi or a ride-hail in 20 to 30 minutes outside rush hour.

    How do I pay for MARTA?

    With a reloadable Breeze card from the station machines or through the Breeze app, and increasingly by contactless card or phone; the flat fare includes transfers between trains and buses within a set window.

    Can I get to a Braves game on MARTA?

    Not directly by train. Truist Park is in Cobb County, off the rail network; most fans drive or take a ride-hail.

    Is parking expensive in Atlanta?

    At downtown, Midtown and Buckhead hotels, and around the stadium on event days, yes. Outside the core, it is usually easy and often free.

    Is it hard to drive in Atlanta?

    The freeways are congested at rush hour, and the surface streets are confusing, but drivers are generally courteous. Avoid the peaks, use a navigation app, and stay out of the express lanes without a Peach Pass.

    Whichever way you go, start with the flight. Compare cheap flights to Atlanta, choose a neighborhood with our Atlanta hotel search, and if a day trip or a Braves game is on the list, price the rental for those dates on our Atlanta car rental page. For what to see once you are there, our first-timer’s guide to Atlanta covers the whole city.

    Keep planning with TicketScanner

  • Things to Do in Atlanta: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Things to Do in Atlanta: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Atlanta is the city most travelers pass through without ever seeing. Its airport is the busiest in the world, and millions of people change planes here every year without once stepping outside. That is a shame, because the city beyond the terminal is one of the most rewarding in the South: the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. and the heart of the civil rights movement, a downtown rebuilt around the 1996 Olympic Games, a former railway loop turned into a walking and cycling trail lined with food halls and murals, an arts district with the largest art museum in the Southeast, leafy Victorian neighborhoods, and a food scene that runs from fried chicken and lemon pepper wings to the international restaurants of Buford Highway. This guide covers the sights, the neighborhoods, the food, the day trips and the practical details that turn a layover city into a destination.

    If you are still comparing cheap flights to Atlanta, read this alongside our guides to the best time to fly to Atlanta and whether to rent a car or ride MARTA. Between the three you can plan the whole trip.

    The Midtown Atlanta skyline across Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park
    Midtown's towers over Lake Clara Meer in Piedmont Park, the city's central park (Photo: Marc Merlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Atlanta at a glance for first-timers

    • Airport: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), about 16 km (10 miles) south of downtown, with its own MARTA rail station inside the domestic terminal; the train reaches downtown in about 20 minutes. See our ATL airport guide.
    • Getting around: MARTA’s rail lines link the airport, downtown, Midtown, Buckhead and Decatur, and those neighborhoods are walkable on their own. The BeltLine’s Eastside Trail connects several more on foot. For the suburbs, the Braves’ ballpark and day trips, you will want a car or a ride-hail.
    • Money: U.S. dollars. State and local sales tax is added at the till, and hotel rooms carry extra taxes and fees. Tipping 18 to 20 percent in sit-down restaurants is customary.
    • Weather: long, hot and humid summers, mild winters with the occasional ice storm, and a spring and fall that are among the most pleasant in the country. Our month-by-month guide has the detail.
    • Where to stay: downtown for the Olympic park attractions and the arenas; Midtown for the arts district, Piedmont Park, restaurants and the best MARTA access; Buckhead for upscale shopping; Inman Park or the Old Fourth Ward for the BeltLine and a neighborhood feel. Our Atlanta hotel search covers them all.

    Downtown: Centennial Olympic Park and its neighbors

    The 1996 Summer Olympics left Atlanta with Centennial Olympic Park, a 21-acre green space in the middle of downtown that serves as the front lawn for the city’s biggest attractions. The Fountain of Rings, where water jets dance in the shape of the Olympic symbol, is the park’s centerpiece. On its northern edge, the Georgia Aquarium is one of the largest in the world, and one of the very few aquariums anywhere where you can watch whale sharks, alongside manta rays, beluga whales and a large dolphin presentation; buy timed tickets online and go early on a weekday. Next door, the World of Coca-Cola tells the story of the drink invented by an Atlanta pharmacist in 1886, shows off the vault said to hold the secret formula, and ends in a tasting room with dozens of soft drinks from around the world. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights, on the same plaza, is the most powerful museum downtown, connecting the American civil rights movement to human rights struggles worldwide, with a lunch-counter sit-in exhibit that stays with visitors for a long time. The College Football Hall of Fame and the SkyView Ferris wheel complete the cluster. A few blocks south, the gold dome of the Georgia State Capitol, gilded with gold leaf from the North Georgia mountains, is open to visitors on weekdays.

    Centennial Olympic Park with the downtown Atlanta skyline behind it
    Centennial Olympic Park, the 1996 Games' legacy and the front lawn for the aquarium and the civil rights museum (Photo: Marc Merlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Sweet Auburn and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park

    No visit to Atlanta is complete without Auburn Avenue. In the first half of the twentieth century, Sweet Auburn was one of the most prosperous Black business districts in the country, with banks, insurance companies, newspapers and churches, and it was here, in a Queen Anne house at 501 Auburn Avenue, that Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, run by the National Park Service and free to visit, covers several blocks. Start at the visitor center, which tells the story of the movement and King’s life, then walk to Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King, his father and his grandfather all preached, and where recordings of his sermons play in the restored sanctuary. Across the street, The King Center holds the tomb of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, set in a reflecting pool beside an eternal flame. The birth home itself is open for ranger-led tours on a limited basis; check the park’s site for the current schedule and how to reserve. Allow at least half a day, with lunch at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market a few blocks west; the Atlanta Streetcar loops back to Centennial Olympic Park.

    Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta
    Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, part of the free national historical park (Photo: Marc Merlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    The BeltLine and the Eastside Trail

    The Atlanta BeltLine is the most ambitious urban project in the South: a 22-mile loop of former railway corridors around the city core, being turned into a continuous trail and park system that links dozens of neighborhoods. The most developed stretch, the Eastside Trail, runs for about three miles from the edge of Piedmont Park south through the Old Fourth Ward and Inman Park to Reynoldstown, and on a warm weekend it feels like the whole city is out on it. The anchors are two food halls in converted industrial buildings. Ponce City Market, in the enormous brick former Sears, Roebuck warehouse on Ponce de Leon Avenue, has a food hall on the ground floor, shops above, and a rooftop amusement park with mini golf and skyline views. Krog Street Market, farther south in Inman Park, is smaller and more local. Just off the trail, the Krog Street Tunnel, a railway underpass completely covered in constantly changing graffiti, is the most photographed wall in the city. Walk the whole Eastside Trail in about an hour and a half with stops, or rent a bike or a scooter.

    Midtown: Piedmont Park, the arts district and the Fox

    Midtown is the Atlanta most visitors fall for. Piedmont Park, laid out for the Cotton States Exposition of 1895 and later reshaped by the Olmsted Brothers firm, is the city’s central park: 200 acres of lawns, a lake with a view of the Midtown skyline, and the site of the city’s biggest festivals. On its northern edge, the Atlanta Botanical Garden is one of the best in the country, with a treetop canopy walk, a conservatory of tropical and desert plants, and in winter the Garden Lights, Holiday Nights show that sells out on weekends. A few blocks west on Peachtree Street, the High Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the Southeast, occupies a white Richard Meier building and a Renzo Piano expansion; its folk and self-taught art collection is outstanding. The High is part of the Woodruff Arts Center, which also houses the Alliance Theatre and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Farther down Peachtree, the Fox Theatre, a 1929 movie palace with an Arabian-nights interior and a ceiling painted as a starlit sky, hosts Broadway tours and concerts and offers guided tours of the building. The Arts Center and Midtown MARTA stations put all of it within a short walk.

    Neighborhoods worth a half-day

    Inman Park

    Atlanta’s first planned suburb, laid out in the 1880s and connected to downtown by an early electric streetcar, is a neighborhood of restored Victorian houses under huge old trees, with the BeltLine running along its western edge. The restaurants along Highland Avenue and around Krog Street Market are some of the best in the city, and the Inman Park Festival at the end of April, with its tour of homes and a gloriously eccentric parade, is one of the best neighborhood festivals in the South.

    Little Five Points

    Just east of Inman Park, the intersection of Moreland and Euclid Avenues is the city’s bohemian quarter: vintage clothing stores, record shops, tattoo parlors and bars, plus a skull-shaped burger-bar entrance that everyone photographs. It is the least polished corner of in-town Atlanta, which is exactly its appeal.

    Virginia-Highland and Poncey-Highland

    North and east of Ponce City Market, these two residential neighborhoods have walkable strips of cafés, bars and independent shops set among bungalows. Poncey-Highland is also home to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, set in landscaped grounds with a Japanese garden and a replica of the Oval Office.

    Buckhead

    Atlanta’s wealthy north end has the grandest houses in the city along West Paces Ferry Road, the upscale malls of Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza, and the Atlanta History Center: the 1928 Swan House mansion, a working 1860s farm, gardens, and the restored Battle of Atlanta cyclorama, a vast circular painting from the 1880s displayed in its own gallery.

    Decatur

    Technically its own city, Decatur is six miles east of downtown at the end of a MARTA ride, and its courthouse square, with restaurants, pubs and bookshops around the old DeKalb County courthouse, feels like a small Southern town.

    Grant Park and Cabbagetown

    Southeast of downtown, Grant Park has Victorian cottages and Zoo Atlanta, known for one of the largest gorilla populations in North America. Between the park and downtown, Historic Oakland Cemetery, founded in 1850, is a Victorian garden cemetery where Margaret Mitchell and golfer Bobby Jones are buried; the grounds are free and the guided tours are excellent. Next to it, the old mill village of Cabbagetown has shotgun houses, murals and a cluster of good restaurants.

    Museums, culture and family attractions

    Beyond the headline sights, Atlanta has a deep bench of museums. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History, in the Druid Hills neighborhood east of the city, has one of the largest dinosaurs ever found, an Argentinosaurus, dominating its Great Hall, and outdoor trails through an old-growth urban forest. The Center for Puppetry Arts in Midtown holds the largest collection of Jim Henson puppets and artifacts on public display, with shows that small children love. The Delta Flight Museum, in historic hangars beside the airport, lets you walk through a retired Boeing 747 and try a professional flight simulator, a good use of a long layover. The city also has a busy live music and comedy scene, from Little Five Points to the Eastside. The Atlanta University Center, west of downtown, is the largest consortium of historically Black colleges and universities in the country, including Morehouse and Spelman, and homecoming weekends there each fall are city-wide events. For what is on stage and in the arenas during your dates, our Atlanta events page lists concerts, shows and games.

    Sports

    Atlanta is one of the busiest sports cities in the country. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the downtown stadium with a retractable roof that opens like a camera shutter, is home to the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and Atlanta United, the MLS club whose crowds are among the largest in American soccer; it also hosts the SEC Championship Game, the Peach Bowl and, in 2026, World Cup matches. The Atlanta Hawks play NBA basketball at State Farm Arena, a short walk away, from October to April. The Atlanta Braves play baseball from April to September at Truist Park, northwest of the city in Cobb County, surrounded by The Battery’s restaurants and bars; note that the ballpark is not on the MARTA rail network, so plan on driving or a ride-hail. Check what is on sale in Atlanta for your dates before you book flights, because a big game or a convention can fill every downtown hotel.

    What to eat, and where

    Atlanta eats Southern, but it does not eat only Southern. The foundation is soul food and Southern cooking: fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, biscuits, fried green tomatoes, peach cobbler, and the meat-and-three restaurants where you choose one main and three sides; Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Midtown has been serving it since 1945. The city’s signature bar snack is the lemon pepper wing, often ordered “wet,” with the lemon pepper tossed in butter. The Varsity, the giant drive-in beside Georgia Tech, has been shouting “What’ll ya have?” at customers since 1928, and a chili dog and a frosted orange there is an Atlanta rite. Then there is Buford Highway, a stretch of strip malls running northeast from Brookhaven through Chamblee and Doraville, with the best concentration of international restaurants in the Southeast: Korean barbecue, Vietnamese pho, Sichuan and Cantonese, Mexican taquerias and Salvadoran pupuserias, all within a few miles. The food halls at Ponce City Market and Krog Street Market are the easiest way to sample the newer scene, and the restaurants of Inman Park, the Westside and Decatur are where Atlanta’s best chefs cook.

    Atlanta through the seasons

    Atlanta is a different city in each season, and what you do depends on when you come. Spring (March to May) is the showpiece: dogwoods and azaleas bloom across the city in late March and April, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival fills Piedmont Park in April, the Inman Park Festival closes out the month, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival brings free concerts to Piedmont Park over Memorial Day weekend. The drawback is pollen, which coats every car in yellow dust for a few weeks. Summer (June to August) is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms, and the day belongs to the air-conditioned museums and the aquarium, with evenings on the BeltLine and at the ballpark; the Peachtree Road Race, the largest 10K in the world, runs through the city every Fourth of July morning. Fall (September to November) is the local favorite, warm and dry into October, with college football on every screen, Dragon Con transforming downtown over Labor Day weekend, Atlanta Pride in October, and the fall color arriving in the North Georgia mountains in late October. Winter (December to February) is mild, quiet and the cheapest time to visit. Our month-by-month guide has the fare patterns that go with each season.

    Atlanta with kids

    Atlanta is an easy city with children, and much of the best of it is clustered downtown. The Georgia Aquarium is the obvious full morning, with its whale sharks and a touch pool, and the Fountain of Rings in Centennial Olympic Park is a free splash zone in summer. The Children’s Museum is next door, and the World of Coca-Cola’s tasting room is a hit with older kids. Fernbank Museum, with its dinosaurs and forest trails, and the Center for Puppetry Arts are the other standouts, and Zoo Atlanta in Grant Park suits younger children. In summer, the splash pad at Historic Fourth Ward Park is free, and tubing on the Chattahoochee with an outfitter is a hit with teenagers. For families driving to the mountains or the coast, our family car rental guide covers the vehicle question.

    Atlanta on a budget

    Some of the best of Atlanta is free: the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, the BeltLine and the Krog Street Tunnel, Piedmont Park, Centennial Olympic Park and the Fountain of Rings, the grounds of Oakland Cemetery, the State Capitol, and the free festivals in Piedmont Park, including the Jazz Festival. The paid attractions downtown add up; look at the combination tickets they sell, and buy online in advance. Eat well for less on Buford Highway, at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market, and at the neighborhood soul food spots; the food halls are good value at lunch. MARTA’s flat fare from the airport to downtown or Midtown is a fraction of a taxi. Compare rates by neighborhood on our Atlanta hotel search.

    Day trips from Atlanta

    Stone Mountain Park, about half an hour east, is built around a vast granite dome rising above the forest. A steep walk-up trail of about a mile reaches the summit, where the views stretch back to the Atlanta skyline, or you can ride the cable car. The enormous carved relief of Confederate leaders on the north face is one of the largest in the world and the subject of long debate; the park now presents it with historical context. The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area runs along the river on the northern edge of the city, with riverside trails and, in summer, tubing and kayaking with local outfitters. Farther afield, Athens, about an hour and a half east, is the University of Georgia’s college town and the birthplace of R.E.M. and the B-52s. The North Georgia mountains, 90 minutes to two hours north, have Amicalola Falls, the tallest waterfall in Georgia and the start of the approach trail to Springer Mountain and the Appalachian Trail, the Bavarian-themed town of Helen, and a wine region in the hills. Chattanooga, about two hours northwest in Tennessee, has the Tennessee Aquarium and Lookout Mountain. Savannah, about four hours southeast, is better as an overnight. If you are continuing north, our Atlanta to Charlotte route guide covers the four-hour drive up I-85. All of these are car trips; see our Atlanta car rental page.

    The view from the granite summit of Stone Mountain east of Atlanta
    The summit of Stone Mountain, half an hour east of downtown, with the city on the horizon (Photo: Lonesome Crow via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

    Two sample itineraries

    Three days, no car

    Day one: MARTA from the airport to downtown, the Georgia Aquarium in the morning, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights after lunch, a walk through Centennial Olympic Park, and a Hawks game or a show in the evening. Day two: the streetcar to Sweet Auburn for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, lunch at the Curb Market, then walk up to the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail through the Old Fourth Ward to Ponce City Market for the afternoon, and dinner in Inman Park. Day three: MARTA to Midtown for the High Museum, the Atlanta Botanical Garden and a long walk through Piedmont Park, a chili dog at the Varsity, and an evening at the Fox Theatre.

    Five days, with the region

    Add a day for Buckhead and the Atlanta History Center, or Fernbank and Decatur, then rent a car for two days: one for Stone Mountain and a dinner run along Buford Highway, and one for the North Georgia mountains or Chattanooga. Return the car at the airport’s rental center on the way to your flight.

    Practical details

    • Transit: MARTA charges a flat fare for rail and bus rides, with free transfers; buy a reloadable Breeze card at any station or use the Breeze app, and check whether contactless bank cards are accepted at the gates. MARTA has maps and service alerts; our car-versus-transit guide goes into detail.
    • From ATL: the Red or Gold Line from the Airport station, at the west end of the domestic terminal, reaches Five Points downtown in about 20 minutes and Midtown in under half an hour. Taxis charge flat rates to downtown, Midtown and Buckhead.
    • Weather: light clothing, sunscreen and water in summer; layers in spring and fall; a real coat for the occasional cold snap in winter. The National Weather Service’s Atlanta office has the forecast, including the severe thunderstorm warnings that are common in spring.
    • Time zone: Eastern, the same as New York and Washington, DC.
    • Safety: the usual big-city awareness applies, especially downtown late at night and around transit stations; stick to busy, well-lit streets, and do not leave anything visible in a parked car.
    • Entry requirements: visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding; most others need a visa. The State Department’s travel site is the authoritative source. Discover Atlanta, the city’s official visitor bureau, has current event listings.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many days do you need in Atlanta?

    Three full days covers downtown, Sweet Auburn, the BeltLine and Midtown without rushing; add one for Buckhead or Fernbank and one or two for Stone Mountain and the mountains.

    What is the number one thing to do in Atlanta?

    The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, which is free and unlike anything else in the country. For a second choice, walk the BeltLine’s Eastside Trail to Ponce City Market on a sunny afternoon.

    Is Atlanta walkable?

    In pockets. Downtown, Midtown, Inman Park, the Old Fourth Ward, Decatur’s square and the BeltLine are pleasant on foot; the distances between them, and everything beyond, assume MARTA, a ride-hail or a car.

    Do I need a car in Atlanta?

    Not if you stay downtown or in Midtown and stick to the central sights, because MARTA runs from the airport to both. For Buckhead’s side streets, the Braves’ ballpark, Buford Highway and day trips, a car or ride-hail helps.

    What is Atlanta known for?

    Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement, the busiest airport in the world, the 1996 Olympics, Coca-Cola, Southern food, hip-hop, a thriving film industry, and one of the densest tree canopies of any major American city.

    Ready to go? Compare flights to Atlanta, find a place to stay with our Atlanta hotel search, and if the mountains or Stone Mountain are on the list, price a rental car for those days.

    Keep planning with TicketScanner

  • Best Time to Fly to Denver: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Best Time to Fly to Denver: Seasons, Weather & Prices

    Denver is two destinations in one, and its airfares reflect both. It is a sunny, fast-growing city a mile above sea level, with a summer concert season at Red Rocks, four major-league teams, a January stock show that has run for more than a century, and a steady diet of conventions that can fill downtown hotels mid-week. It is also the gateway to the Colorado Rockies, with ski areas, Rocky Mountain National Park and the I-70 mountain towns within two hours, which means demand for seats into Denver tracks the ski calendar and the summer hiking season as much as the city’s own. Add a climate that can deliver a 20 °C (68 °F) afternoon in February and a snowstorm in May, and you have a place where the “best time” question has more than one right answer. The good news is that Denver International is one of the busiest airports in the world and a hub for three competing airlines, so fares are often lower than you would expect for a destination this popular. This guide walks through the weather month by month, the fare seasons, the events and mountain windows that move prices, and how to handle the airport.

    The short answer

    For the city alone, the best value-and-weather windows are September to mid-October, when the summer crowds have gone, the weather is often the most settled of the year and the aspens turn gold in the mountains, and late April to May, before the summer peak, as long as you accept the risk of a spring snowstorm. For the mountains in summer, late June to mid-September is the window when the high roads and trails are reliably open. For skiing, January and early February outside the holiday weekends give the best mix of snow and price. The cheapest fares tend to come in January after New Year, in early November before Thanksgiving, and in the spring shoulder once ski season winds down. The most expensive stretches are June to August, the Christmas and New Year ski weeks, Presidents’ Day weekend and the March spring-break weeks, when skiers from across the country converge on DEN. Whatever you choose, run a flexible-date search on our Denver flights page; with this much competition on most routes, a shift of a few days can change the fare band entirely.

    Quaking aspens turning gold in autumn in Dillon, Colorado
    Aspens turning gold in Summit County, just off I-70 west of Denver, in the second half of September (Photo: Clyde Charles Brown via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Denver’s weather, season by season

    Denver sits on the high plains at the foot of the Front Range, about 1,600 m (5,280 feet) above sea level, in the rain shadow of the mountains. That gives it thin, dry air, an enormous amount of sunshine, big swings between day and night, hot summers with afternoon thunderstorms, and winters where snow often melts within days. The figures below are approximate seasonal patterns based on the long-term climate normals from NOAA’s National Weather Service office for Denver and Boulder; check the current forecast before you pack, because Denver’s weather can change by 20 degrees in a day, and the mountains an hour away are always colder than the city.

    MonthTypical daytime highTypical overnight lowWhat it feels likeFare pressure
    Januaryaround 7 °C (44 °F)around -8 °C (17 °F)Sunny and cold; snow comes and melts; occasional Arctic snapsLow after New Year, rising for ski weekends
    Februaryaround 8 °C (46 °F)around -7 °C (19 °F)Similar; warm spells alternate with snowLow to moderate; Presidents’ Day spike
    Marcharound 13 °C (55 °F)around -3 °C (26 °F)Usually the snowiest month, with big spring storms between mild daysHigh during spring-break weeks
    Aprilaround 16 °C (61 °F)around 0 °C (32 °F)Changeable; sunny and warm one day, wet snow the nextModerate, falling as ski season ends
    Mayaround 22 °C (71 °F)around 6 °C (42 °F)Green and pleasant; storms and late snow still possibleModerate; rises for Memorial Day
    Junearound 28 °C (83 °F)around 11 °C (51 °F)Warm and dry, with afternoon thunderstorms and hailHigh
    Julyaround 32 °C (90 °F)around 14 °C (58 °F)Hot days, cool nights, daily storm risk in the mountainsPeak
    Augustaround 31 °C (87 °F)around 13 °C (56 °F)Hot and mostly dry; wildfire smoke possible in some yearsHigh, easing late in the month
    Septemberaround 26 °C (79 °F)around 8 °C (47 °F)Often the best month: warm, dry and clear; aspens turn goldModerate, falling after Labor Day
    Octoberaround 18 °C (65 °F)around 2 °C (35 °F)Crisp and sunny; the first snow usually arrivesLow to moderate
    Novemberaround 11 °C (52 °F)around -4 °C (24 °F)Cooling fast; ski areas open through the monthLow, then high for Thanksgiving
    Decemberaround 7 °C (44 °F)around -8 °C (17 °F)Cold, bright and festive; the mountains are in full winterModerate early, then peak for the holidays

    Three things the table cannot show. First, the sun: Denver’s boosters like to claim 300 days of sunshine a year, and while the real figure depends on how you count a sunny day, it is one of the brightest big cities in the country, and at this altitude the sun burns faster, even in January. Second, the swings: dry air means temperatures can drop 15 to 20 degrees between mid-afternoon and midnight, and a warm, dry downslope wind off the mountains can lift a winter day well above the average, while an Arctic front can do the opposite in a few hours. Third, the mountains: the ski towns and national park an hour or two away sit 900 to 1,800 m (3,000 to 6,000 feet) higher than the city, so they are 10 degrees or more colder, can see snow in any month, and in summer are hit by afternoon lightning storms that make an early start on any hike essential.

    How Denver’s fare seasons work

    Three calendars drive seats into Denver: the mountains, which pull skiers from December to early April and hikers and road-trippers from June to September; the city’s own events, from the Stock Show in January to the Red Rocks concert season and Broncos football in the fall; and conventions and business travel, which keep weekday flights busy year-round. Layered on top is the airport’s role as a connecting hub: United, Southwest and Frontier all run large operations at DEN, and many travelers pass through without ever leaving the terminal. That competition helps keep fares into Denver lower than into many smaller mountain airports, which is why skiers bound for Vail or Breckenridge often fly here and drive. The result is a summer peak, a winter that is busy around the holidays but soft in between, and two good-value shoulders.

    Peak season

    June to mid-August, plus roughly December 20 to January 2, Presidents’ Day weekend in February and the mid-March spring-break weeks. Summer is driven by vacations, national park trips and Red Rocks, and hotel rates in the city and the mountains climb together. The winter peaks are ski traffic: flights from Texas, the Midwest and the coasts fill with families carrying boot bags, and rental cars with four-wheel drive become scarce. If you must travel in peak, book early, fly mid-week, and reserve the rental car at the same time as the flight.

    Shoulder season

    Late April to May and September to October. The city is at its most pleasant, the summer and ski crowds are absent, and fares are moderate. The mountains are between seasons in the spring, when locals call it mud season: the ski areas are closing, the high trails are still under snow, and some mountain restaurants and hotels close for a few weeks. In the fall the aspen color in the second half of September draws weekend crowds to the mountain towns, but the city itself stays reasonably priced. Watch Memorial Day, Labor Day and home Broncos weekends.

    Low season

    Early January after the holidays, parts of early February outside the ski weekends, and November before Thanksgiving. Fares are at their lowest, the city is sunny and cold, and the ski areas are open, often with good snow in January. Build a weather buffer into connections, because snowstorms can briefly shut down the airport or I-70.

    As elsewhere, mid-week departures and early or late flights usually price below Friday and Sunday afternoons on the same route, and a search across a whole month reveals cheaper pairs of dates close to your first choice. Our guide to the best times to book explains how to read those patterns.

    Denver month by month

    January

    After New Year’s week, one of the cheapest months to fly. The city is sunny and cold, with snow that usually melts within a few days, and the ski areas are in prime condition. The National Western Stock Show, a rodeo, horse show and livestock exhibition that runs for about two weeks from early January, fills hotels near the grounds and brings a Western atmosphere to the city; the Stock Show’s site has dates. The Nuggets and Avalanche are at home, and Martin Luther King Jr. weekend is a busy ski weekend.

    February

    Similar weather, more daylight, and low fares outside Presidents’ Day weekend (the third Monday of February), one of the busiest ski weekends of the year. Warm spells are common, so pack for both a snowstorm and a sunny patio. A city-plus-skiing trip is strong value in the first half of the month.

    March

    Usually Denver’s snowiest month, with big, wet spring storms between mild days, and the mountains often at their deepest snowpack. It is also spring-break season: college students and families from Texas and the Midwest fill flights and ski lodges for most of the month, and fares and rental rates rise with them. The St. Patrick’s Day parade downtown is one of the largest in the West. Book around the spring-break weeks and March can still be good value.

    April

    Changeable: warm and sunny one day, wet snow the next. Most ski areas close during the month, though some high-elevation resorts run later; hotel rates in the city fall noticeably; baseball season opens at Coors Field, and the Nuggets and Avalanche playoffs can tighten downtown hotels on game nights in a good year. The first shows of the Red Rocks season begin.

    May

    Spring arrives properly. The parks turn green, patios open across LoHi and RiNo, and Red Rocks gets busy. The mountains are in mud season, with high trails still snowbound and some mountain businesses closed. Memorial Day weekend (the last Monday of May) is the one date to book around. Fares are moderate, and the first half of May is one of the better value windows for the city.

    June

    Warm, dry and long, with afternoon thunderstorms and the year’s highest hail risk; Denver sits in one of the most hail-prone parts of the country, so park a rental under cover when storms are forecast. Denver PrideFest and the Juneteenth Music Festival in Five Points fill the calendar, the high mountain roads start opening, and fares step up from the second week as school holidays begin.

    July

    Peak season. Days are hot, nights are cool, and the mountains are at their greenest, with wildflowers in the high meadows and Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park fully open. The park uses a timed-entry reservation system for much of the summer, so reserve a slot through the National Park Service before you travel. Red Rocks has shows most nights, the Rockies are at home, and hotel rates are at or near their annual high.

    August

    Hot and busy, with the last big family travel weeks of the summer. Wildfire smoke from fires elsewhere in the West can haze the skies for days in some years. The last week or two, once schools in Colorado and neighboring states restart, is slightly softer on prices, and the mountains are still at their summer best.

    September

    The month many locals would send you to: warm, dry afternoons, cool nights, clear skies and the city emptied of summer visitors after Labor Day. In the mountains, the aspens turn gold, usually peaking in the second half of the month, which fills the mountain towns and scenic byways on weekends. Fares are moderate and falling.

    October

    Crisp, sunny days, the first snow in the city usually by the end of the month, and steadily lower prices. The Great American Beer Festival, held in the fall at the Colorado Convention Center, draws brewers and drinkers from across the country and pushes downtown hotel rates up for its dates; check the festival’s site, because its exact timing has varied between September and October. Some high-elevation ski areas open late in the month.

    November

    Winter arrives, more ski areas open, and fares and hotel rates are low until the week of Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday), when family travel pushes them up for a few days. The Nuggets, Avalanche and Broncos are all in season, and the Denver Film Festival fills the city’s screens in early November.

    December

    Two months in one. The first half is moderately priced, with the Parade of Lights downtown on the first weekend, the holiday market in Civic Center Park, and the mountains building their snowpack. From about December 20, fares, hotel rates and rental car prices jump for the Christmas and New Year ski weeks, which are among the most expensive of the year in the ski towns and at DEN.

    Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, carved into the red sandstone
    Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a short drive from downtown Denver (Photo: a Wikimedia Commons contributor via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

    Events that move Denver flight and hotel prices

    Cross-check these against your dates before you book. Exact dates shift each year; Visit Denver keeps the current calendar.

    • National Western Stock Show (about two weeks from early January).
    • Martin Luther King Jr. and Presidents’ Day weekends (third Mondays of January and February): major ski weekends.
    • Spring break (most of March, varying by school and state): the biggest ski-travel spike outside the holidays.
    • Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day: the summer’s busiest travel weekends.
    • Denver PrideFest (a weekend in late June) and the Juneteenth Music Festival in Five Points.
    • Red Rocks concerts (spring to fall), which fill hotels on the nights of the biggest shows. Our Denver events page shows what is on sale for your dates.
    • Broncos home games (September to January), plus Nuggets and Avalanche playoff runs in spring.
    • Great American Beer Festival (early fall).
    • Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year, and the ski weeks around them.
    • Large conventions at the Colorado Convention Center, which can fill downtown hotels on weeknights; if mid-week rates look strangely high, that is usually why.

    Getting in from the airport

    Denver International Airport (DEN) sits on the open plains about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of downtown, and its white, peaked tent roof, designed to echo the snow-capped Rockies, is visible for miles. It is one of the largest airports in the world by land area and consistently one of the busiest by passengers, with a single main terminal and three concourses linked by an underground train. United runs a major hub here, Southwest has one of its largest operations, and Frontier is based in Denver; there are nonstop flights from almost every large U.S. city, from Canada and Mexico, and from several European and Asian hubs including London, Frankfurt, Munich, Reykjavik and Tokyo. Getting downtown: RTD’s A Line commuter train runs from a station at the south end of the terminal to Union Station in under 40 minutes, every 15 minutes for most of the day, and is by far the easiest option for a city stay. Taxis and ride-hail pick up on the terminal’s ground-transport level, and the drive downtown takes 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. Rental car companies are mostly off-airport, reached by shuttle buses from the terminal, so allow extra time both ways. Our Denver car-versus-transit guide works through whether you need a car, and our DEN airport guide covers the layout.

    The peaked white tent roof of the main terminal at Denver International Airport
    Denver International (DEN), whose tent roof echoes the snowy peaks of the Rockies (Photo: Peterquinn925 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Timing tricks that work for Denver

    • Search the whole month. Ski weekends, spring break and the big summer holidays create sharp edges in the fare calendar. A calendar search on TicketScanner shows them instantly, and the week after a holiday is often a bargain relative to the week of it.
    • Price the rental with the flight in ski season. Around Christmas, Presidents’ Day and spring break, all-wheel-drive rentals at DEN sell out and rates climb. Check our Denver car rental page for the same dates before you commit to the fare.
    • Book the hotel early for big weekends. A cheap fare is not cheap once a convention-week or concert-night room is added. Run a Denver hotel search for the same dates first.
    • Fly mid-week. Ski travelers leave on Friday and Saturday and return on Sunday, and business travelers fill Monday mornings and Thursday evenings; Tuesday and Wednesday in the middle of the day are usually the value.
    • Use the hub competition. With United, Southwest and Frontier all fighting for Denver traffic, compare all three, and remember that the cheapest fares may carry bag and seat fees that change the total.
    • Consider a road trip. Salt Lake City, about eight hours west by car, has its own big airport, and flights to Salt Lake City can make a one-way Rockies road trip work; our Denver to Salt Lake City route guide covers the drive.
    • Build a winter buffer. Spring snowstorms in March and April are more disruptive at DEN than midwinter cold, and summer thunderstorms cause afternoon delays. Avoid the tightest connections, and see our guide to how early to arrive for what to allow.
    • Flying out of Denver instead? The same seasonality applies in reverse; see cheap flights from Denver.
    A Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field in downtown Denver in summer
    A summer game at Coors Field in LoDo, part of the peak season that runs from June to August (Photo: DimiTalen via Wikimedia Commons, CC0)

    What to pack, by season

    Winter (December to February): a warm coat, a hat, gloves, boots with grip, and layers, because a 10 °C (50 °F) sunny afternoon can follow a frigid morning; for the mountains, full ski or snow gear. Spring (March to May): layers, a waterproof jacket and shoes that can handle slush, because a snowstorm is always possible. Summer (June to August): light clothing, a warm layer for cool evenings and for Red Rocks after dark, a rain shell for the afternoon storms, and serious sun protection. Fall (September to October): layers again, a warmer jacket by late October, and sunglasses year-round. In every season, bring a refillable water bottle and lip balm; the air is dry and the altitude makes you thirsty.

    The best time to fly to Denver for…

    Skiing

    January and early February for snow and value, March for deep snow and longer days if you avoid the spring-break weeks, with the Christmas weeks and Presidents’ Day the most expensive.

    Rocky Mountain National Park and summer hiking

    Late June to mid-September, when Trail Ridge Road and the high trails are open; reserve timed entry in advance and start hikes early to beat the afternoon storms.

    Fall color

    The second half of September, give or take a week depending on the year and the elevation; go mid-week to avoid the weekend crowds on the mountain roads.

    Red Rocks concerts

    June to September for the classic warm-evening experience; book tickets first, then the flight and the hotel.

    The lowest fares

    January after New Year, early November, and late April to mid-May.

    International visitors

    Visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding; most others need a visa. The State Department’s travel site explains what applies to you, and the TSA lists what you can carry through security. Rocky Mountain National Park charges an entrance fee and uses timed-entry permits in season.

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the cheapest month to fly to Denver?

    January after the holidays is consistently among the lowest, followed by early November and the spring shoulder from late April to mid-May.

    What is the best month to visit Denver for weather?

    September, with warm, dry days and cool nights, followed by June and early October. July is hot; March is snowy.

    When is ski season near Denver?

    Roughly mid-November to mid-April, with some high-elevation areas opening earlier and closing later. The busiest and priciest weeks are Christmas, Presidents’ Day and spring break.

    Does it snow a lot in Denver?

    The city gets regular snow from October to April, heaviest in March, but it usually melts within a few days under the strong sun. The mountains get far more and keep it.

    Will the altitude affect me when I land?

    Most visitors notice only thirst and faster tiredness in the city. Drink water, go easy on alcohol the first night, and give yourself a day before strenuous activity higher up in the mountains.

    How far ahead should I book?

    Earliest for the ski holidays, spring break and June to August, when fares tend only to rise; for the shoulder and low seasons, fares are stable enough that finding the right dates matters more than booking months out.

    Is Denver or Colorado Springs better to fly into?

    Denver, for most trips: far more routes and usually lower fares. Colorado Springs is worth checking only if your trip is based there.

    Ready to pick your dates? Compare fares across the whole month on our Denver flights page, then find a room with our Denver hotel search. For what to do when you land, start with our first-timer’s guide to Denver, and before you pick up a car, read whether you need one.

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  • Denver: Should You Rent a Car or Rely on Public Transit?

    Denver: Should You Rent a Car or Rely on Public Transit?

    Denver is a city where the honest answer to “should I rent a car?” depends almost entirely on whether you are going into the mountains. The city itself is easier without one than most Western cities: a train runs straight from the airport to Union Station, downtown, LoDo, the Highlands and RiNo are walkable, a light-rail network reaches the suburbs and Golden, and anyone 19 or under rides RTD free. Downtown hotel parking is expensive, and you will not need a car to see the museums, the ballparks or the breweries. But many people who fly to Denver are on their way to the ski areas, Rocky Mountain National Park or Red Rocks, and for those trips a car is usually the simplest answer, as long as you understand what mountain driving involves at altitude and in winter. This guide explains how the city is laid out, how RTD and its fares work, what driving here and on I-70 is really like in every season, the bus and train options into the mountains, and gives you a straightforward way to decide.

    The short answer

    Rent a car if Rocky Mountain National Park, the I-70 ski areas and mountain towns, Mount Blue Sky, Colorado Springs or a Western road trip are on the itinerary, if you are staying in the suburbs or with family, or if you are skiing with children and gear. Skip the car if you are staying downtown, in LoDo or near the Convention Center for a city break, a conference, a concert or a game, and your plans are the museums, Union Station, RiNo, the Highlands, Cherry Creek and a Rockies or Broncos game; the A Line, the light rail, your feet and the occasional ride-hail will cover that, and you will not pay for hotel parking. And if you want the mountains without driving, the ski train, the state’s Bustang buses and private shuttles are a genuine third option for some trips. Compare rental rates for any of these plans on our Denver car rental page.

    How Denver is laid out

    Denver spreads across the high plains at the foot of the Front Range, and the mountains always mark west. The main city grid is aligned north-south, with Broadway dividing east from west addresses and Ellsworth Avenue dividing north from south; numbered avenues run east-west and named streets run north-south. Downtown is the exception. Its grid was laid out along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, so it sits at an angle to everything else, and its numbered streets (15th Street, 16th Street, 17th Street) are not the same as the city’s numbered avenues (such as 17th Avenue), which trips up many first-time drivers. Union Station and LoDo sit at its northwest end, the Capitol at the southeast end, RiNo to the northeast and the Highlands across I-25. Cherry Creek is a few miles southeast, and the metro area then sprawls for many miles in every direction, with the airport far out on the plains to the northeast and the foothills, Red Rocks and Golden about half an hour west.

    Hotels cluster in LoDo and around Union Station, downtown near the Convention Center and the 16th Street corridor, in Cherry Creek, in the Denver Tech Center to the south, and near the airport. Our Denver hotel search lets you compare them.

    Getting in from the airport

    Denver International (DEN) is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of downtown, farther out than most big-city airports, but it has a direct rail link. RTD’s A Line commuter train leaves from a station at the south end of the main terminal and reaches Union Station in under 40 minutes, running every 15 minutes for most of the day. It carries a higher airport fare than a regular RTD ride but costs far less than a taxi. RTD also runs SkyRide buses from the airport to Boulder and some suburbs. Taxis and ride-hail pick up on the terminal’s ground-transport level, and the drive downtown via Peña Boulevard and I-70 takes 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic. Most rental companies are off-airport, reached by shuttle bus, which adds time at both ends. If you are heading straight to the ski areas, several private shuttle companies run door-to-door vans from DEN to the mountain resorts, which is the option to compare against a rental. Check the airport’s site for current ground-transport details; our DEN airport guide covers the layout.

    An RTD A Line commuter train to Denver International Airport at Union Station
    The A Line at Union Station: the train that links downtown with DEN in under 40 minutes (Photo: Point00000 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Denver’s transit, explained

    The Regional Transportation District, RTD, runs the trains and buses across Denver and its suburbs. For a visit based downtown it is entirely adequate, and the rail network is extensive by the standards of Western cities; its limitation is frequency and coverage away from the rail lines, where buses can run every 30 minutes or less often, especially in the evenings and on weekends.

    Commuter rail and light rail

    Almost everything meets at Union Station. The commuter rail lines run from its train hall: the A Line to the airport, the B Line northwest toward Westminster, the G Line to Arvada and Wheat Ridge, and the N Line north toward Thornton. The light-rail network runs from Union Station and a loop through downtown out to the southern and western suburbs: lines serve the Denver Tech Center, Littleton and Lone Tree to the south, Aurora to the east, and the W Line runs west to Lakewood and Golden. For visitors, the most useful stops are Union Station, the downtown loop near the Convention Center and the Performing Arts Complex, the Ball Arena and Empower Field stops for games, and the A Line stops at 38th and Blake for RiNo. Check RTD’s map for current routes before you travel.

    Buses and the MallRide

    Buses fill in the rest of the city, including City Park and Cherry Creek. The free MallRide shuttle has traditionally run along the 16th Street pedestrian corridor between Union Station and Civic Center Station, which makes the length of downtown easy without a ticket; check its current routing, because the street has been through a long reconstruction. The Flatiron Flyer is a fast bus service along US-36 between Union Station and Boulder, and it is the easy way to reach Boulder without a car.

    Fares and tickets

    RTD simplified its fares in recent years into a standard local fare, which covers buses and trains across the system for a set period, and a separate higher fare for trips to or from the airport. Buy tickets through RTD’s mobile ticketing app or from the machines at rail stations, and check RTD’s site for day passes and the current payment options before you arrive. The biggest saving for families: riders 19 and under travel free on all RTD services under the youth zero-fare program. Seniors and riders with disabilities qualify for discounts.

    Accessibility

    RTD’s rail stations are step-free and its trains and buses are accessible, with ramps or lifts on buses and level or near-level boarding on the trains; RTD’s site lists elevator outages and paratransit details.

    Beyond RTD

    • Walking. Downtown, LoDo and the Highlands, linked by pedestrian bridges over I-25, are easy on foot, and RiNo is one train stop from Union Station.
    • The trails. The paved Cherry Creek Trail and South Platte River Trail meet at Confluence Park, just below LoDo, and run for miles, away from traffic. Shared e-bikes and e-scooters are widely available, and a bike is often the quickest way between downtown and Cherry Creek or Washington Park.
    • Taxis and ride-hail. Uber, Lyft and licensed taxis operate across the metro area; for a group, a short ride can beat transit on price and time.
    • Red Rocks shuttles. The amphitheater is not on RTD, but private shuttle services run from downtown and other pickup points on many concert nights.
    • The ski train. The Winter Park Express, run by Amtrak, has operated on winter weekends from Union Station through the Moffat Tunnel to a stop at the base of Winter Park Resort, a scenic ride of about two hours; check Amtrak for the current season.
    • Bustang and mountain shuttles. The Colorado Department of Transportation’s Bustang intercity coaches run from Union Station along I-70 to the mountain towns and on to Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction, with a seasonal service to several ski areas on winter weekends. Private companies run shuttles from DEN and downtown to Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and other resorts.
    The 16th Street pedestrian corridor through downtown Denver
    16th Street, the pedestrian spine of downtown Denver between Union Station and Civic Center (Photo: Scott McLeod via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    Driving in Denver and beyond: what it is really like

    Within the city, Denver is a straightforward place to drive: wide roads, a logical grid outside downtown, and plentiful parking once you leave the core. I-25, the main north-south freeway past downtown, is congested every weekday morning and evening, and its interchange with I-70 north of downtown, known locally as the Mousetrap, is a daily bottleneck. Game days and concerts at Coors Field, Ball Arena and Empower Field back up the streets around LoDo and the I-25 exits, and parking near the venues becomes expensive. Toll roads are the other trap for visitors: E-470, the beltway on the east side that many drivers use to reach the airport, and several other express lanes are cashless and bill by license plate, and a rental company will pass the tolls on with its own fees, so ask about its toll program at the counter or set your navigation to avoid tolls. Peña Boulevard, the main road into the airport, is free.

    Interstate 70 on the east side of Denver near the airport exit
    I-70 on Denver's east side, the same highway that carries weekend traffic into the mountains (Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

    Parking

    Downtown Denver hotels charge a substantial nightly fee for parking, often valet only, and garages near Union Station, Larimer Square and the arenas are priced for commuters and event crowds. Street meters are paid by machine or app, and enforcement runs into the evening and on Saturdays on many blocks, so read the posted hours rather than assuming parking is free after six. Outside the core, parking is easy and often free. The mountain trailheads are a different story: the popular lots in Rocky Mountain National Park, at Hanging Lake and along the I-70 corridor fill early on summer weekends, and several now require reservations, which is one reason to start early.

    Rules and conditions worth knowing

    • Colorado’s traction law. On the I-70 mountain corridor west of Denver, a passenger-vehicle traction law applies during the colder months, generally from September through May, and CDOT can put it into effect on other mountain highways when conditions call for it. When it is in effect, cars need tires rated for mud and snow or winter tires with adequate tread, or four-wheel or all-wheel drive, or chains or an approved traction device. Fines are meaningful, and much higher if an unprepared car blocks the road. Ask the rental company for an all-wheel-drive car with suitable tires, and check that the rental agreement allows chains before you buy any.
    • Road conditions. COtrip, the Colorado Department of Transportation‘s traveler site and app, shows closures, chain and traction-law status and live cameras for every mountain pass; check it before you leave Denver, not when you reach the foothills.
    • Altitude and your car. Engines lose power in thin air, so expect slower climbs on the long grades up I-70, and on the way down, shift to a lower gear rather than riding the brakes; the signs warning truckers that they are “not down yet” apply to rental cars too. Fill up before the long mountain stretches.
    • Altitude and you. The I-70 corridor climbs above 3,000 m (10,000 feet) at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel and Vail Pass. Headaches and drowsiness are common on a first day up high, so drink water and avoid a long mountain drive straight off a flight.
    • Hail and storms. The Denver area is one of the most hail-prone regions in the country, and summer afternoon storms can dent a car in minutes. Park under cover when storms are forecast, and understand what the rental’s damage waiver covers.
    • Wildlife. Deer and elk cross the foothill and mountain highways at dawn and dusk, and bighorn sheep often graze beside I-70 near Georgetown. Slow down, and never stop in a travel lane to photograph them.
    • Park reservations. Rocky Mountain National Park uses timed-entry reservations for much of the summer and early fall, and Mount Blue Sky requires a timed reservation for the summit road; book before you set off.
    • Cameras and turns. Photo radar and red-light cameras operate in Denver, and the rental company will pass on any fines. Right turns on red are permitted after a full stop unless signed otherwise.
    The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel carrying I-70 under the Continental Divide
    The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel, where I-70 passes under the Continental Divide at about 3,400 meters (Photo: Benjamin Clark from Tallahassee, Florida, USA via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

    When renting a car makes sense

    • Rocky Mountain National Park. There is no public transit from Denver, the drive via Boulder or Loveland takes about two hours, and Trail Ridge Road is best done at your own pace; the town of Estes Park runs free summer shuttles once you arrive.
    • Skiing with a family. Gear, children and flexible timing all argue for a car, as long as it is all-wheel drive with suitable tires.
    • Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods. About 110 kilometers (70 miles) south on I-25; a day trip that needs a car.
    • Western road trips. Denver to Salt Lake City takes roughly eight hours, either over I-80 through southern Wyoming or along I-70 through Glenwood Canyon and eastern Utah; our Denver to Salt Lake City route guide covers the drive.

    If any of those apply, our rental car booking tips cover insurance, deposits and the questions to ask at the counter, and our family car rental guide looks at vehicle choice.

    When it does not

    • You are staying downtown or in LoDo and your plans are the city.
    • You are in town for a conference, a concert, a Rockies game or a Broncos game, when downtown and stadium parking are at their most expensive and the light rail stops at the gates.
    • You are heading to Winter Park, or a resort served by Bustang or a door-to-door shuttle, and will stay put once you arrive; most ski towns have free local buses.
    • You are traveling solo and the rental, fees, tolls and parking add up to more than the train and a few ride-hail trips.

    The hybrid plan for a city-plus-mountains trip

    Go car-free for the city days and rent for the mountain days, and think carefully about where you pick up. Renting at the airport makes sense if you are heading straight to the mountains on arrival, because E-470 and I-70 let you skirt most of the city, though the off-airport shuttle adds time and airport fees add cost. Renting from a city location makes sense if you are spending the first nights downtown, because you avoid the hotel parking on the nights you are not using the car. A pattern that works well: the A Line into Union Station, two or three car-free days in the city, a rental picked up from a city branch for the mountain days, and the car returned at the airport on the way to the flight home, which most companies allow for little or no extra charge. Book ahead for ski holidays and summer weekends, when all-wheel-drive cars run short, and confirm the tires if you are traveling between September and May. Compare the day rates on our Denver car rental page against a full-trip rental and the difference is usually obvious.

    A worked cost comparison

    Numbers change with the season and the booking window, so treat this as a method rather than a quote, and check current rates before deciding. For a four-night city break downtown for two people, the car-free version costs two return A Line fares, a few days of local transit and perhaps three or four ride-hail trips to Cherry Creek or the Highlands; the rental version adds four days of a compact car, four nights of hotel parking at downtown rates, fuel, toll fees if you take E-470, and airport concession charges, and buys you almost nothing you could not reach by train. The car-free option wins easily. For the same four nights with two days in the mountains, the car-free version adds return Bustang or shuttle tickets to a ski town for two; the hybrid version adds a two-day rental picked up in the city, fuel for the climb up I-70, and parking or resort fees. Priced honestly, the bus or shuttle is often cheaper for one or two people, the rental is usually cheaper for a family of four, and the rental wins on flexibility for Rocky Mountain National Park or an early trailhead. For a ski week at one resort, a door-to-door shuttle often beats a week’s rental plus resort parking. Run the rental rates for your dates on our Denver car rental page and put them beside the shuttle fares before you choose.

    Driving the I-70 mountain corridor in each season

    I-70 west of Denver is the only interstate route through the central Colorado Rockies, and it is both spectacular and demanding. From the foothills it climbs past Idaho Springs and Georgetown to the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel, which carries it under the Continental Divide at about 3,400 m (11,000 feet) and is among the highest vehicle tunnels in the world, then drops to the Summit County resorts and climbs again over Vail Pass. In summer, the problems are traffic and storms: westbound on Friday evening and Saturday morning and eastbound on Sunday afternoon, much of the metro area is on the road, and afternoon thunderstorms bring heavy rain, hail and occasional rockfall or debris-flow closures, most often in Glenwood Canyon farther west. In fall, the aspen weekends in September bring summer-style traffic back, and the first snow on the passes can arrive while Denver is still warm; the traction law starts applying from September. In winter, the highway is plowed and usually open, but storms can close the tunnel approaches or Vail Pass for hours, black ice forms in the shaded stretches even on sunny days, and ski traffic on weekend mornings and Sunday afternoons can turn a 90-minute drive into three hours or more. Leave early or travel mid-week, carry water, snacks and warm layers in case of a closure, and check COtrip before you set off. A peak-period express toll lane runs on part of the corridor near Idaho Springs and can save time on busy days. In spring, March and April bring some of the heaviest snowstorms of the year, so do not assume winter is over; by late May, the roads are usually clear but the high passes can still see snow.

    Decision table

    Your tripRecommendationWhy
    City break downtown or in LoDo, couple or soloNo carThe A Line, light rail and walking cover it; hotel parking is expensive
    Conference, concert or gameNo carEvent parking is costly and the light rail stops at the venues
    Rocky Mountain National ParkRent for those daysNo transit from Denver; the park and Trail Ridge Road need a car
    City plus a mountain day or twoHybrid: rent in the city for the mountain days, or take BustangCar-free city days, car or coach for the mountains
    Ski week at a single resortDoor-to-door shuttle, Bustang or the ski trainResorts have free local buses and parking costs extra
    Family ski trip with gearRent at the airport, all-wheel drive with suitable tiresGear, children, weather and the traction law all argue for a capable car
    Family visit to the suburbsRent for the whole staySuburban distances make the car worthwhile daily
    Western road tripRent (consider one-way to Salt Lake City)Denver is the start, not the destination

    Money-saving tips for both options

    • On transit: take the A Line rather than a taxi from the airport; buy a day pass for a heavy sightseeing day; riders 19 and under are free; use the free MallRide downtown when it is running.
    • On a rental: compare airport and city pickup, book early for ski holidays and summer, ask for all-wheel drive and suitable tires between September and May, decline extras you already have through a credit card or home policy (check first), understand the toll program before you drive E-470, and park under cover in hail season.
    • On the hotel: if you are renting, price the parking fee into the room rate.
    • On timing: avoid I-25 in the weekday peaks and I-70 westbound on Saturday mornings and eastbound on Sunday afternoons; the best time to fly to Denver guide lists the busiest weekends.
    • On the mountains: for one or two people staying in a single ski town, Bustang, the ski train or a shuttle usually costs less than a rental plus fuel and resort parking. Our car, transit or taxi guide covers the general trade-offs.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is it worth renting a car in Denver?

    For Rocky Mountain National Park, a family ski trip, the suburbs or a road trip, yes. For a downtown city break, a conference, a concert or a game, no; the train, light rail and your feet are enough.

    Is Denver public transit good for tourists?

    Good for the core and better than most Western cities: a train from the airport, light rail to the suburbs and Golden, and a free downtown shuttle. It thins out away from the rail lines, and it does not reach the mountains.

    How do I get from Denver airport to downtown?

    The A Line train to Union Station in under 40 minutes, or a taxi or ride-hail in 30 to 50 minutes depending on traffic.

    Can I get to the ski areas from Denver without a car?

    Yes. Private shuttles run from DEN to the major resorts, Bustang runs along I-70 with seasonal ski service, and the Winter Park Express train has run on winter weekends.

    Do I need four-wheel drive or snow tires to drive I-70 in winter?

    Colorado’s traction law requires suitable tires, four-wheel or all-wheel drive, or chains when it is in effect on the mountain corridor, generally from September through May. Ask for an all-wheel-drive rental and check the tires.

    Is parking expensive in downtown Denver?

    At hotels and near the stadiums, yes. Meters are enforced into the evening on many blocks, so check the posted hours.

    Does the altitude affect driving in the mountains?

    Your car will have less power on the climbs and needs lower gears on the descents, and you may feel tired or light-headed on your first day up high. Hydrate and do not push a long drive straight after a flight.

    Whichever way you go, start with the flight. Compare cheap flights to Denver, choose a neighborhood with our Denver hotel search, plan the city days with our first-timer’s guide to Denver, and if the mountains are on the list, price the rental for those dates on our Denver car rental page.

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  • Things to Do in Denver: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Things to Do in Denver: A First-Timer’s Guide

    Denver gets treated as a runway to the mountains. Most visitors land at DEN, pick up a car and point it west on I-70, and they miss a city that has become one of the most enjoyable in the American West: a restored railroad station that doubles as the city’s living room, an art museum split between a titanium-clad Libeskind building and a Gio Ponti tower, mural-covered warehouse districts full of breweries and food halls, a concert venue carved out of red sandstone that musicians rank among the best on earth, and four major-league teams that all play within a few miles of downtown. And the Front Range is right there on the western horizon, with ski areas, hot springs and a national park within a couple of hours. This guide covers the sights that earn a day, the neighborhoods worth a half-day, the food and beer, the sports and the seasons, the day trips that make Denver a base as much as a destination, and the practical details, including the altitude, that turn a stopover into a trip.

    If you are still comparing cheap flights to Denver, read this alongside our guides to the best time to fly to Denver and whether you need a car (for the city itself, often not; for the mountains, usually yes). Between the three you can plan the whole trip.

    The Denver skyline with the foothills of the Front Range beyond
    Downtown Denver on the high plains, with the Front Range on the western horizon (Photo: Thanks to Kevin Day for help in describing the image. Visualization by Earth Observatory. Landsat data and SRTM data coregistration provided by the Landsat Project Science Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

    Denver at a glance for first-timers

    • Airport: Denver International (DEN), on the plains about 40 km (25 miles) northeast of downtown, is one of the busiest airports in the world and a hub for United, Southwest and Frontier. The RTD A Line train runs from the terminal to Union Station in under 40 minutes. See our DEN airport guide.
    • Getting around: downtown, LoDo, the Highlands and RiNo are walkable, and RTD’s light rail and commuter trains link the center with the airport, the suburbs and Golden. For Red Rocks, Rocky Mountain National Park and the ski areas, most visitors rent a car. Our car-versus-transit guide explains when it helps.
    • Money: US dollars. Sales tax is added at the register rather than shown on the tag, and Denver’s combined rate is higher than the state figure you may have seen quoted; hotel taxes are higher again. Tipping 18 to 20 percent in restaurants is expected.
    • Altitude: the city sits about 1,600 m (5,280 feet) above sea level, and you will feel it more than you expect. Drink more water than usual, go easy on alcohol the first night, and wear sunscreen even in winter.
    • Weather: sunny, dry and changeable: hot summer days with afternoon thunderstorms, a long golden fall, winters milder than the mountains’ reputation suggests, and a snowy March. Our month-by-month guide has the detail.
    • Where to stay: LoDo for Union Station, Coors Field and the restaurants; downtown near the Convention Center for the 16th Street corridor and the theaters; Cherry Creek for shopping; the Highlands or RiNo for a neighborhood feel. Our Denver hotel search covers them all.

    Union Station, LoDo and Larimer Square

    Denver Union Station is where to start, and it is where many visitors arrive if they take the train from the airport. The Beaux-Arts building, opened in its current form in 1914, was restored in the 2010s into a hotel, a set of restaurants and bars, and a great hall with long communal tables and shuffleboard where locals meet after work; behind it, a white canopy covers the commuter rail platforms, and Amtrak’s California Zephyr still stops here on its run between Chicago and the Bay Area. Around it, LoDo, Lower Downtown, is the city’s historic warehouse district, now a grid of red-brick buildings filled with restaurants, rooftop bars and galleries, with the Dairy Block alley and its food hall a short walk away. Two blocks south, Larimer Square is Denver’s oldest block, a row of Victorian storefronts under strings of lights, with some of the city’s best-known restaurants and patios. Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, anchors the northern edge of LoDo, and on game nights in summer the whole district fills with purple jerseys. It is the natural base for a first visit, and our LoDo hotel page lists what is available.

    The Beaux-Arts facade of Denver Union Station in LoDo
    Denver Union Station, restored as a hotel, food hall and the hub of the city's rail network (Photo: Missvain via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    Downtown, the Capitol and the Golden Triangle

    From LoDo, the 16th Street pedestrian corridor runs southeast through downtown toward Civic Center Park; it has been through a long reconstruction, so check the city’s updates, but the free MallRide shuttle buses have traditionally run its length between Union Station and Civic Center Station. Along the way you pass the Daniels and Fisher clock tower and, a block off the mall, the Denver Performing Arts Complex, one of the largest performing arts centers in the country, with Broadway tours, the Colorado Symphony, Opera Colorado and the Denver Center Theatre Company under one glass roof. Nearby, a 12-meter (40-foot) blue bear sculpture presses its nose against the windows of the Colorado Convention Center and has become the city’s unofficial mascot. At the far end, the Colorado State Capitol faces the mountains from the top of Civic Center Park, with a dome covered in Colorado gold leaf; free tours run on weekdays, and a step on the west side is marked as one mile above sea level, which is where the Mile High City gets its name (later resurveys moved the exact mile a few steps higher, and both are marked). South of the park, the Golden Triangle holds the city’s densest cluster of museums and the Denver Public Library’s postmodern Central Library by Michael Graves.

    Museums: the Denver Art Museum and its neighbors

    The Denver Art Museum is the anchor, and its two buildings are reason enough to visit: the Hamilton Building, Daniel Libeskind’s sharp-angled titanium structure that looks like shards of rock, and the Martin Building, Gio Ponti’s castle-like tower clad in glass tiles, reopened after a major renovation. The collections are especially strong in Native American art, the art of the American West and pre-Columbian and Spanish colonial work, and the museum has long offered free general admission to visitors 18 and under. Next door, the Clyfford Still Museum is a quiet concrete building devoted entirely to one abstract expressionist painter, and it is one of the most affecting single-artist museums in the country. Across the street, the History Colorado Center tells the story of the state from Indigenous peoples and the gold rush to ski towns, with hands-on exhibits that suit children. A few blocks away, the U.S. Mint in Denver produces billions of coins a year and runs free guided tours that must be booked in advance.

    The angular titanium-clad Hamilton Building of the Denver Art Museum
    Daniel Libeskind's Hamilton Building, one half of the Denver Art Museum in the Golden Triangle (Photo: Daniel Hartwig via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0)

    City Park, the Botanic Gardens and the South Platte

    East of downtown, City Park is Denver’s biggest urban park, with lakes, a boathouse, and the view that sells the city: the downtown towers in the foreground and the whole Front Range behind them, best seen from the steps of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science late in the afternoon. The museum itself has excellent dinosaur and gems-and-minerals halls, a planetarium and an IMAX theater. The Denver Zoo shares the park and is one of the most visited in the country. A short drive or bus ride south, the Denver Botanic Gardens on York Street are among the best in the United States, with collections of plants from the world’s dry, high-altitude regions, a Japanese garden, a summer concert series, and Blossoms of Light over the winter holidays. Back toward downtown, Confluence Park marks the spot where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River and where the city was founded during the 1858 gold rush; the paved Cherry Creek Trail and the South Platte River Trail start here and run for miles, and a bike ride along either is the easiest way to see how the city fits together. Washington Park, south of downtown, is the local favorite for running, paddleboarding and picnics.

    Neighborhoods worth a half-day

    RiNo, the River North Art District

    RiNo, just northeast of downtown along the rail lines, is Denver’s former industrial district turned into the city’s most energetic neighborhood. Almost every wall along Larimer Street and the side alleys carries a mural, many of them painted during the annual Crush Walls festival, and the old warehouses hold breweries, taprooms, galleries and restaurants. Denver Central Market, a food hall in a former warehouse, is a good place to start, and the district is a short walk, scooter ride or A Line stop from Union Station.

    The Highlands and LoHi

    Across the pedestrian bridges over I-25 from LoDo, the Highlands sit on a bluff with the best skyline views in the city. Lower Highlands, known as LoHi, is packed with restaurants, rooftop bars and Little Man Ice Cream, which serves from a building shaped like a giant milk can and draws lines on summer nights.

    Cherry Creek

    Denver’s upscale shopping district, a few miles southeast of downtown, has the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, a walkable grid of independent boutiques and galleries around it, and some of the city’s best hotels and restaurants. The Cherry Creek Trail links it with downtown by bike.

    South Broadway and Baker

    South Broadway is Denver’s vintage, record-store and dive-bar strip, with some of the best small music venues in the city and a steady supply of cheap, good food.

    Five Points and Colfax

    Five Points was once known as the Harlem of the West for its jazz clubs, and it remains the historic heart of Denver’s Black community, with the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, a revived restaurant scene and the Juneteenth Music Festival each June. East Colfax Avenue, one of the longest commercial streets in the country, runs past it through Capitol Hill, lined with theaters, diners and music venues including the Ogden and the Bluebird.

    Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

    If you do one thing outside the city, make it Red Rocks. About 25 km (15 miles) west of downtown in the foothills near Morrison, the amphitheater sits between two enormous tilted sandstone monoliths, with a stage framed by rock and a view back across the plains to the Denver skyline. It is owned by the City and County of Denver, it has hosted everyone from the Beatles to U2, and a concert there on a summer night is one of the great live-music experiences in America. The main concert season runs from spring to fall, and popular shows sell out quickly, so check our Denver events page as soon as your dates are set; the summer film series and the long-running Easter sunrise service are other ways in. On days without a show, the amphitheater and the surrounding park are open to the public: locals climb the stadium steps as a workout, the Trading Post Trail loops through the red rock formations, and the visitor center explains the geology and the venue’s history. Go early in summer and bring water. Without a car, shuttle services run from downtown on many concert nights.

    Red Rocks Amphitheatre set between sandstone monoliths in the foothills west of Denver
    Red Rocks Amphitheatre, about half an hour west of downtown and one of the great concert venues in America (Photo: Sarbjit Bahga via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

    Sports

    Denver is one of the few American cities with teams in all four major leagues, and all of them play close to downtown. The Colorado Rockies play baseball at Coors Field in LoDo from spring to early fall; a row of purple seats in the upper deck marks exactly one mile above sea level, and the thin air helps fly balls carry, which is why the park stores its game balls in a humidor. The Denver Broncos play at Empower Field at Mile High, west of downtown across the South Platte, and Broncos Sundays in the fall are the city’s great shared ritual; tickets are hard to come by for big games. The Denver Nuggets (NBA) and the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), both recent champions, share Ball Arena, a short walk from Union Station. The Colorado Rapids play soccer in Commerce City, north of the city. For all of them, check what is on sale in Denver for your dates before you book flights.

    What to eat and drink, and where

    Three things define Denver’s food. The first is green chile: Colorado’s version is a pork-studded stew rather than a sauce, and it goes on burritos, eggs, burgers and fries, usually “smothered”. Every Mexican restaurant on Federal Boulevard and South Santa Fe Drive has an opinion about it, and you should try more than one. The second is beer: Denver is one of the great brewing cities in the country, the Great American Beer Festival takes over the Convention Center every fall, and RiNo, LoDo and the Highlands each have enough taprooms to fill an afternoon; Wynkoop, opposite Union Station, was the city’s first brewpub. The third is a restaurant scene that has grown fast enough that Colorado now has its own Michelin guide, with the most interesting kitchens concentrated in LoHi, RiNo, Larimer Square and along Tennyson Street. Beyond that: food halls, which Denver has more of than most cities its size, including Denver Central Market, Avanti in LoHi, the Milk Market in the Dairy Block and the Stanley Marketplace in a former aviation factory in Aurora; bison and Colorado lamb on steakhouse menus; Rocky Mountain oysters, the famous novelty that is not seafood, for the adventurous; and the Denver omelet, which the city claims as its own.

    Denver through the seasons

    Denver is a different city in each season, and what you do depends on when you come. Winter (December to February) is milder in the city than visitors expect: snow falls, then usually melts within a few days under the strong sun, and a sunny 10 °C (50 °F) afternoon in January is not unusual. It is ski season in the mountains, the Nuggets and Avalanche are at home, and the National Western Stock Show, a rodeo and livestock show that has run every January for more than a century, brings cowboys to the city for two weeks. Spring (March to May) is erratic: March is the snowiest month, and a warm, sunny week can end in a heavy snowstorm, but the parks green up by May and baseball starts. Summer (June to August) is hot, dry and bright, with afternoon thunderstorms; it is patio season in LoHi and RiNo, the best of the Red Rocks season, Denver PrideFest and the Juneteenth Music Festival, and the only reliable time for the high mountain roads and trails. Fall (September to October) is the local favorite: warm days, cool nights, clear skies, the aspens turning gold in the mountains in the second half of September, the Great American Beer Festival, and the Broncos. Our month-by-month guide has the fare patterns that go with each season.

    Denver with kids

    Denver is an easy city with children, helped by the fact that RTD’s buses and trains are free for riders 19 and under. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science, with its dinosaurs and planetarium, and the zoo, next door in City Park, make an obvious full day together. The Denver Art Museum’s free youth admission and hands-on family spaces, the History Colorado Center’s interactive galleries, and the Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus, near the Downtown Aquarium and the Elitch Gardens amusement park along the South Platte, fill another. In summer, the pedal boats on Ferril Lake in City Park and the playgrounds and lawns of Washington Park are cheap and easy, and a Rockies game, from the inexpensive Rockpile seats in center field, suits young children. Red Rocks on a non-concert morning, the bison herd at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near the airport, and the Georgetown Loop Railroad in the mountains are the best short outings. For a family road trip into the mountains, our family car rental guide covers the vehicle question.

    Denver on a budget

    Much of the best of Denver is free or nearly so: the Capitol tour, Union Station’s great hall, the murals in RiNo, the U.S. Mint tour, the City Park view, the river trails, Red Rocks on a non-show day, and the free MallRide shuttle downtown when it is running. Several of the big museums and the Botanic Gardens offer free days for Colorado residents during the year, which also means busier galleries on those days, so check each site. Eat well for less on Federal Boulevard, in the food halls and on South Broadway, and at taprooms that host food trucks. Hotel rates in Denver swing widely with conventions, concerts and ski weekends, and mid-week stays outside summer are usually the best value; the A Line from the airport is much cheaper than a taxi. Compare rates by neighborhood on our Denver hotel search.

    Day trips from Denver

    Boulder, about 40 km (25 miles) northwest and reachable by RTD’s Flatiron Flyer bus, has the Flatirons, the hiking trails from Chautauqua Park and the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. Golden, at the end of RTD’s W Line, has the Coors brewery, the Colorado School of Mines and the road up Lookout Mountain to Buffalo Bill’s grave. Rocky Mountain National Park, about two hours northwest via Estes Park, is the headline trip: alpine lakes, elk herds and Trail Ridge Road, one of the highest continuous paved roads in the country, open roughly from late May to mid-October depending on snow; the park uses a timed-entry reservation system for much of the summer and early fall, so check the National Park Service site before you go. Along I-70, Idaho Springs has hot springs and a historic main street, Georgetown has the Georgetown Loop Railroad, and the ski towns of the Summit County area are about 90 minutes away in good conditions. Mount Blue Sky, formerly Mount Evans, has one of the highest paved roads in North America, open in summer with timed reservations. South on I-25, Colorado Springs, about 110 km (70 miles) away, has the red rock formations of the Garden of the Gods and the road and cog railway up Pikes Peak. Most of these are car trips; see our Denver car rental page, and read our car-versus-transit guide before you drive mountain roads in winter. For a longer road trip, our Denver to Salt Lake City route guide covers the drive west. Colorado’s official tourism site covers the wider state.

    Two sample itineraries

    Two days, no car

    Day one: the A Line into Union Station, a coffee in the great hall and a walk through LoDo and Larimer Square in the morning, the Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum in the Golden Triangle, the Capitol and its mile-high step in the late afternoon, and dinner in LoHi after walking across the bridges. Day two: the murals and breweries of RiNo in the morning, lunch at Denver Central Market, City Park and the Museum of Nature & Science in the afternoon with the sunset view from the steps, and a Rockies, Nuggets or Avalanche game at night.

    Four days, with Red Rocks and the mountains

    Add a morning at Red Rocks and an afternoon in Golden, then pick up a car for a day in Rocky Mountain National Park via Boulder, or a day along I-70 to Georgetown and Idaho Springs, and finish with a Red Rocks concert if the calendar allows, returning the car at the airport on the way home.

    Practical details

    • Transit: buy tickets through RTD’s mobile ticketing app or at station machines; riders 19 and under travel free. RTD has maps, fares and service alerts; our transit-versus-car guide goes into detail.
    • From DEN: the A Line to Union Station, a taxi or ride-hail, or a rental from the off-airport lots by shuttle. The airport’s site covers ground transport.
    • Weather: layers in every season, sunscreen and sunglasses year-round, a rain shell for summer afternoons, and a warm coat from November to March. NOAA’s National Weather Service office for Denver and Boulder has the forecast.
    • Altitude: most visitors feel nothing worse than thirst and faster tiredness, but headaches and shortness of breath are common in the first day or two, and more so in the mountains above 2,500 m (8,000 feet). Hydrate, take it easy the first day, and see a doctor if symptoms are severe.
    • Time zone: Mountain, two hours behind New York and one ahead of Los Angeles.
    • Entry requirements: visitors from Visa Waiver Program countries need an approved ESTA before boarding; most others need a visa. The State Department’s travel site is the authoritative source.
    • Safety: the areas visitors spend their time in are busy and generally safe; use ordinary big-city awareness downtown late at night, and in the mountains, respect afternoon lightning and check conditions before hiking.

    Frequently asked questions

    How many days do you need in Denver?

    Two full days covers LoDo, the Golden Triangle museums, RiNo and City Park; add a day for Red Rocks and Golden, and one or two more for Rocky Mountain National Park or the ski areas.

    What is the number one thing to do in Denver?

    A concert at Red Rocks, if the calendar allows. Otherwise, the Denver Art Museum in the morning and the sunset view of the Front Range from City Park.

    Is Denver walkable?

    Downtown, LoDo, Larimer Square, the Highlands and RiNo are, and the light rail links them with the suburbs. The rest of the metro area assumes a car.

    Do I need a car in Denver?

    Not for the city. For Red Rocks outside concert shuttles, Rocky Mountain National Park and the mountains, yes; rent it for those days only.

    Does the altitude affect visitors?

    Mildly, for most people: expect to get thirsty and tired faster, and to feel alcohol more. Symptoms are more likely higher up in the mountains than in the city.

    What is Denver known for?

    The mile-high elevation, the Rocky Mountains on the horizon, Red Rocks, craft beer, green chile, the Broncos, and one of the sunniest, most outdoor-minded populations in the country.

    Ready to go? Compare flights to Denver, find a place to stay with our Denver hotel search, and if the mountains are on the list, price a rental car for those days.

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