‘Downtown’ refers to the area in the north of Las Vegas which is the heart of the original city of Las Vegas. This is where some of the original Vegas hotels are located.

The area is centred around Fremont Street, which is the main road running perpendicular to The Strip. on this street you will find casino hotels such as The Golden Nugget, Binions, Four Queens and The D.

It’s an easy drive down the strip to get there, with parking if you have a car. Or you can take a bus from anywhere along the strip.

Fremont Street itself is pedestrianised and is covered by a fixed canopy which encloses the area between the casinos on either side.

The canopy is actually made up of thousands of electronic lights which forms The Fremont Street Experience. This acts as a massive screen running overhead with a music and light show running hourly every evening. During the shows the nearby casinos dim their lights to enhance the overall effect.

The street is full of souvenir stalls, music stages and entertainers. There’s loads of photo opportunities with people dressed up (or not dressed up at all!), all willing to have their photo taken with you, as long as you give them a decent tip.

I would say that this whole area is the slightly tackier, cheesier side of Vegas, but if you love an old school British seaside resort you’ll love Fremont Street!

A visit to Downtown is highly recommended if you can find the time during your stay. You need an at least 4 to 5 hours for a visit and it’s best to plan to be there late afternoon or evening. This allows time to travel from The Strip and to take in the casinos and the Fremont Street Experience.

Last visited: April 2018

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