With its glitzy Strip, there’s plenty to enjoy at ground level in Las Vegas, and even more excitement sky-high. You can seek thrill rides, soar over city lights and gaze down at the colorful carnival while sipping Champagne at restaurants set above the fray. For a new perspective on the familiar sights, check out these high points.
DINE AMONG STARS
It’s hard to decide what’s more stunning at Rivea, the view or the food. On the 64th floor of the Delano Las Vegas, the restaurant has glass walls that afford panoramas of the bright lights below. Consider ordering the striped bass cooked in a fragrant minestrone reduction. You can end the meal sharing a baba cake soaked in limoncello, then wander over to the adjacent Skyfall Lounge for cocktails with a 180-degree vista.
A few blocks north is one of the Strip’s most beloved shows, the Fountains of Bellagio. Although pedestrians often stop in their tracks, the best seats aren’t at street level but up above at Picasso, where you’ll find paintings by the restaurant’s namesake. Reserve an outdoor patio table for the full fountain experience. Menu standouts include crisply seared scallops, poached oysters and Wagyu fillet.
If you can’t get enough of the famed fountains, you’ll find another spot-on overlook at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, in the Paris Hotel. Try to arrive before 7 p.m. to increase your chances of grabbing a window table. If you’re celebrating, you can splurge on classics, such as caviar, escargot, truffles and beef Wellington, followed by the feathery-light chocolate soufflé.
For the complete vista, book a table 844 feet high at Top of the World. You may find the rotating dining room disconcerting at first, but the 360-degree circuit takes 80 minutes, a spin slow enough that you’ll soon adjust. Try the crab cakes or one of a half-dozen steak options as you look out on the Strip from all angles. On a clear day, you may see the mountains framing the city.
SCENIC COCKTAILS
Las Vegas’s lounges and nightclubs claim some of the best views of the city’s bright lights and flickering stars. Hold off until at least 10 p.m. to ride the elevator up 55 floors to chic Ghostbar, in the Palms Casino Resort. The DJs quickly adapt to each night’s revelers, switching between genres to keep the party going. When you need a break from dancing, wander to the patio to see glittering casino signs give way to neighborhoods.
Want to stay on the Strip and experience some of Sin City’s hottest nightlife? Join the queue for Drai’s, on the rooftop of the Cromwell hotel. The combo beach club and nightclub is so hot that Nicki Minaj rang in 2016 with a concert here. Drai’s enviable location, on a corner with a view straight across the Strip to Red Rock Canyon, makes it a great spot for watching the fireworks and light shows that flash across Vegas’s sky at night.
For a quieter evening, settle into blue banquettes and red leather barrel chairs at the Mandarin Bar, on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental. Don’t be surprised if you linger over signature martinis, gradually forsaking other plans. On the same floor, the Mandarin’s Tea Lounge is a must for daytime vistas. Come for high tea to nibble on scones with clotted cream. One tiered tray holds treats for two.
TOTAL THRILLS
Don’t miss a ride on the world’s tallest observation wheel. At 550 feet, the High Roller dominates the Strip’s eastern horizon. Its bubble-shaped capsules take 30 minutes to complete one rotation, so you have plenty of opportunities for photographs. Hold your camera against the glass and turn off the flash to get the clearest image. Adults can book a Happy Half Hour ride starting at noon, when bartenders hand out unlimited cocktails inside the cabin.
Looking to go even higher? You can soar above the city when you book Maverick Helicopters’ Vegas at Night flight. Only 15 minutes long, it gives you a bird’s-eye view of the popular off-Strip resorts and wedding chapels. If time allows, consider flying over the Grand Canyon and the Strip as the sky turns pink during the two-and-a-half-hour Vegas Dream Sunset tour.
End your trip at the city’s highest point: the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower, rising 1,149 feet from the ground. A seesaw-like roller coaster called the X-Scream tips riders over the tower’s edge. At the top, the Big Shot zips riders up and down the tower in what feels like a gravity-defying free fall. Or head right to the observation deck to take in what may be Vegas’s best view.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.