Neon, big shows and bigger buffets on the Strip, with Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon and the Grand Canyon all within reach. Here's exactly how I book Las Vegas, the real TUI tours that bookend it, and what it actually costs.
Las Vegas is one of those destinations clients either already know they want or have never seriously considered, and both groups usually end up surprised by how it actually works. TUI is currently the only one of my three main operators, TUI, Jet2holidays and easyJet holidays, that flies this far west. Neither Jet2holidays nor easyJet holidays flies long haul at all at the moment, so for Las Vegas, TUI is the one I book through.
TUI sells Las Vegas two ways. You can book it as a standalone flight and hotel city break based on the Strip, or as one of two real escorted and self drive tours that start and finish in Las Vegas and use it as a launchpad for Death Valley, Yosemite, San Francisco, or Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. Which one suits a client depends entirely on whether they want Vegas itself or Vegas as the gateway to the wider American Southwest.
The first question I ask is whether a client wants a city break or a road trip with Vegas on either end. It changes everything about how I book the holiday, and both are genuinely popular with completely different types of client.
A standalone Las Vegas city break typically runs 4 to 7 nights, since the long flight makes a shorter trip less worthwhile but the city itself doesn't need much longer to enjoy properly. The two TUI tours run longer, 9 nights for the USA Western Frontiers Tour and 12 nights for the Canyon Adventure Self Drive. Vegas on its own suits couples, groups of friends, hen and stag parties, and anyone after big shows, casinos and nightlife rather than a quiet holiday. The tours suit clients who want Vegas as a bookend to a proper look at California or the national parks of the American Southwest, and the self drive route in particular suits confident drivers happy covering real distance each day.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic both fly direct from London Heathrow to Las Vegas, with British Airways also flying direct from Gatwick, and flight time is around 11 hours each way. On both of TUI's Las Vegas tours, international flights, taxes and all transfers are included in the price, so there's nothing extra to arrange on top. UK passport holders don't need a visa for a short US holiday, but do need to apply for an ESTA before flying, which I always point clients towards on the official US government site only. My full ESTA fee guide has the current costs and how to apply safely.
Always apply for an ESTA through the official US government site, esta.cbp.dhs.gov, or the official mobile app. I've seen clients overcharged on copycat sites that have nothing to do with the US government.
Las Vegas sits in the Mojave Desert, so it's hot and dry for most of the year with huge swings between day and night temperatures, especially outside summer.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 4°C | Mild by day, cold at night, one of the quietest months |
| February | 18°C | 7°C | Still mild, prices creep up around the Super Bowl |
| March | 22°C | 10°C | Warming up fast, spring break crowds begin |
| April | 27°C | 14°C | Hot and dry, a strong value month |
| May | 32°C | 19°C | Very hot, pool season gets going |
| June | 38°C | 23°C | Scorching, best enjoyed poolside or after dark |
| July | 40°C | 27°C | The hottest month, genuinely extreme desert heat |
| August | 39°C | 26°C | Still brutally hot, occasional thunderstorms |
| September | 34°C | 21°C | Cooling slightly, still very warm |
| October | 28°C | 14°C | Warm days, cool nights, a popular month |
| November | 19°C | 8°C | Mild and pleasant, busy over Thanksgiving |
| December | 14°C | 4°C | Cool days, cold nights, New Year's Eve is the peak |
Average high and low temperatures for Las Vegas, via WeatherSpark (long term averages).
Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from October to November, give the best balance of warm weather and value, before and after the real summer heat. Summer itself, June to August, is brutally hot, often well over 40°C in the shade, but it's still a popular time to go since so much of Vegas happens indoors or after dark, and room rates can drop noticeably. Winter is mild by day and properly cold at night, with New Year's Eve the single most expensive and heavily booked week of the entire year by some distance.
If a client wants Vegas on a budget, I steer them towards the summer months. Room rates fall a long way in the heat, and most of what makes Vegas fun, the shows, the casinos, the restaurants, happens inside air conditioning anyway.
Beyond a standalone city break, TUI sells two real tours that start and finish in Las Vegas, so it's a natural gateway as well as a destination in its own right.
9 nights. Starts and ends in Las Vegas, looping through Death Valley, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel and Santa Barbara before finishing with a free day back on the Strip. Moderate pace, 9 included experiences, hotels of a 4 star and 3 star standard. From £1887pp. Minimum age 7.
12 nights. Starts and ends in Las Vegas, self driving through Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Moab, Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell. Hire car included, hotels of a 2, 2.5, 3 and 4 star standard on a self catering basis. From £1115pp. No minimum age.
Prices shown are the lowest advertised per person fare found for each tour, correct at the time of writing and subject to change. Both are ATOL protected under TUI's licence (ATOL 2524).
For a standalone city break, everything worth seeing on foot is on or just off the Strip, and TUI's own Las Vegas pages point clients towards headline Strip hotels including Bellagio the Resort and Caesars Palace for a proper luxury stay. Exact named hotels and availability change constantly in Vegas, so I always check what's actually bookable for a client's dates and budget before quoting rather than promising a specific hotel upfront.
On the two tours, TUI picks hotels for location rather than naming them in advance, the same as its Japan and Canada tours. What TUI does confirm is the standard. The USA Western Frontiers Tour splits its 9 nights across hotels of a 4 star and 3 star standard, while the Canyon Adventure Self Drive spreads its 12 nights across 8 hotels of a 2, 2.5, 3 and 4 star standard on a self catering basis. I'll confirm the exact named hotels with you once a specific departure date is booked.
Room rates on the Strip swing wildly by night of the week and by event, conventions and big fights or concerts can double prices overnight. I always check live availability before quoting a client a figure.
The Strip looks compact on a map but it's actually around four miles long, further than it looks in the desert heat, so most visitors mix walking with the Las Vegas Monorail, which runs along the east side of the Strip, taxis, Uber or Lyft, and the Deuce double decker bus that runs the length of the Strip and on to downtown's Fremont Street. On the Canyon Adventure Self Drive tour, a hire car is included in the price, a Volkswagen Jetta or similar, and you'll need a full UK driving licence and be at least 21, with a surcharge for drivers aged 21 to 24, since you'll be covering real distance each day between national parks.
Beyond the Strip itself, these are some of the best rated things to do in and around Las Vegas.
Beyond the bookable extras, a classic Vegas night still means watching the Bellagio fountains for free, trying your luck in a casino, and catching one of the big resident shows, while daytime trips out to Hoover Dam, Red Rock Canyon or the Grand Canyon are easy half or full day additions for anyone not covering them on one of TUI's tours.
About 45 minutes from the Strip, this huge Depression era dam straddling the Nevada Arizona border is an easy half day trip, with tours running right down inside it. A genuinely impressive piece of engineering and one of the most popular add ons from Las Vegas.
A dramatic red sandstone conservation area just 20 minutes from the Strip, with a 13 mile scenic drive, hiking trails and genuinely striking views. The easiest proper taste of the desert for anyone short on time.
Covered on the Canyon Adventure Self Drive tour, Zion's towering red and cream canyon walls make it one of the most dramatic stops of the whole route, and a serious contrast to the desert flatlands around Vegas itself.
Old Vegas, a few miles north of the Strip, under a huge canopy of LED screens with free nightly light shows, cheaper casinos and a noticeably more old school, less polished feel than the modern resorts further south.
The USA uses the US Dollar. Flights, transfers and accommodation are already covered in a TUI package price, but meals, drinks and extras add up fast on the Strip, so these are typical costs for everyday items, converted to pounds sterling at a rate of roughly £1 to $1.34.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Meal for one at an inexpensive restaurant | £18.66 (about $25.00) |
| Cappuccino | £4.54 (about $6.08) |
| Domestic draught beer, a pint | £5.60 (about $7.50) |
| Bottled water, small | £2.30 (about $3.08) |
| Taxi, start tariff | £2.70 (about $3.62) |
Sources: crowd sourced averages via Numbeo (Las Vegas), checked at time of writing. Dollar to pound sterling conversion is approximate and moves around day to day, so treat these as a guide rather than an exact figure. Resort fees are also charged on top of the room rate by most Strip hotels, so I always flag these separately when quoting.
The essentials, at a glance.
| Currency | US Dollar (USD) |
| Plug type | Types A and B, different from the UK's Type G, so you'll need a travel adaptor, and the US runs on 120V against the UK's 230V |
| Language | English |
| Flight time from the UK | Around 11 hours direct from London Heathrow (British Airways, Virgin Atlantic) or Gatwick (British Airways) |
| Time difference | 8 hours behind the UK |
| Entry requirements | UK passport holders travel under the ESTA scheme rather than a full visa, applied for online in advance of travel. See my full ESTA fee guide for current costs and how to apply through the official site only |
| Driving | Right hand side, the opposite of the UK. Only relevant if you book the self drive tour, which needs a full UK licence and a minimum age of 21 |
Photos: David Vives, Scott K, Tom Donders, Omer Nezih Gerek, Jordi Vich Navarro, Kvnga, Ryan Thorpe, Aaron Burden, Jamie Hagan and Juliana Malta via Unsplash.
I can book Vegas as a standalone city break, build it into one of TUI's real Western USA tours, or talk you through which one actually fits what you're after.
