The ads claim that Las Vegas never sleep. The lure of easy money, clattering slot machines and flashing neon may slow in the hours just before dawn, but Vegas has barely paused for breath since Nevada legalised gambling in the early 1930s.

Getting there and getting around
McCarran International Airport is 5 miles from the city centre. A taxi to the strip averages $10; bus fares are slightly less return journey.

Amtrak buses from LA arrive downtown at the Greyhound bus station.

I-15 and 1-40 are the main access routes from southern California. From the Grand Canyon follow Hwys 89/9 to I-15 via Zion National Park or Hwys 89/38939 to I-15 between mid-afternoon and late evening, but as a compensation, parking is plentiful, convenient and cheap. Local CAT (702) 228-7433 buses operate 24 hrs a day, and trolleys (702) 382-1404 run up and down the Strip until 0200.

Information
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 3150 Paradise Road, Tel : (702) 386-0770 or (800) 332-5333, is open 08:00 - 17:00 daily.

Safety : Casino are extremely security-conscious, and the Strip and 'Glitter Gulch', the casino strip on Fremont St, are safe day or night. However, avoid car parks at night (use the free valet parking every hotel offers) and don't take late night strolls away from the casino areas. Also beware the hustlers (of either sex) who work the casino. Don't invite strangers, however alluring, to your room-too many visitors are drugged and robbed by newfound 'friends'.

Money : Foreign Money Exchange, 3025 Las Vegas Blvd S. 224; Tel : (702) 791-3301.

Accommodation and Food
Vegas is the hotel capital of the USA, mostly concentrated along the Strip and downtown (Fremont St and nearby). New Strip hotels are most luxurious; downtown hotels less expensive. Visit midweek for the best value.

Dining has recently become a priority in Las Vegas, with increasing choice and variety, Casino buffets are still good value - the Fiesta, Rio and Station (Boulder, Palace Sunset and Texas) score well for food as well as prices.

Highlights
The Razzmatazz : For most visitors the Strip - Las Vegas Blvd S. - is Las Vegas, From the Stratosphere to the Mandalay Bay, its 3 miles are lined with more than 40 hotel-casino and acres of neon. Mobster bugsy Siegel's Flamingo opened here on New Year's Eve 1946 and every year seems to see a bigger, more flamboyant and restaurnts - and 'living stautes', The Luxor's exact replica of king Tutankhamun's tomb amy prepare you for Noew York, New Youk's Statue of Liberty, but what about an erupting volcano, a rain forest id white tigers at the Mirage? The Imperial Palace's Antique and Classic Auto Collection atures a 1928 Delage limousine owned by the late King of Siam and Eisenhower's parade limo.

Spectacular shows for all tastes are a major attraction. At the Mirage Siegfried and Roy's tigers and explosive lighting effects transform a magic show, while Cirque de Soleil at Treasure Island exercise prodigious feats of balance and skill. Downtown, 2.1 million lights nightly create the Fremont Street Experience. For family-oriented entertainment, MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park $$ has adventure rides, Merlin fights a dragon at the Excalibur, and there's a free pirate battle at the Treasure Island (arrive early).

Tipping : Everything in Las Vegas works better with 'green grease', or tips. Employees may be on the minimum wage or close to it, so they depend on tips, but service is generally good because of it.

Gambling : The lure of gaming -as it's euphemistically referred to in the industry-starts with slot machines at the airport. If you're an innocent abroad, take a free lesson in the basics or browse in the Gambler's Bookstore (630 S. 11th St). Slot machines may seem easy to play, but they account for over half the casinos' profits. Bigger casinos generally give slightly better odds than smaller ones, and the payoff is slightly better with dollar than quarter machines.

Away from The Tables : The Las Vegas Natural History Museum is a good introduction to Nevada's indigenous plants and animals. $ 900 Las Vegas Blvd N.; open 09:00-16:00. Be dazzled in close-up by the Liberace Museum: $ 1775 E. Tropicana Ave; open 10:00-17:00 Mon-Sat, 13:00-15:00 Sun.

Out in the desert, Red Rock Canyon (20 miles west, off Charleston Blvd) features some of e most spectacular desert scenery within easy reach of Las Vegas (visitor centre open 08:30-16:30). About 50 miles north-east of Las Vegas (off I-15 near Overton), the eroded red sandstone formations of rugged Valley of Fire seem to catch light in the sunshine; some rocks are covered with prehistoric petroglyphs. Open dawn-dusk. Man-made but hugely Ipressive, the mighty Hoover Dam, 30 miles east, on Hwy 93, is open daily 08:30-17:30 ($).