3 Free Trams Plus a Monorail on The Las Vegas Strip (Routes & Stops)
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The famous Las Vegas Strip stretches 4.2 miles (6.8 km) across the city and features some of the world’s biggest and most luxurious hotels and casinos. With the hot desert sun and long treks between casinos and attractions, there are three free trams and a monorail that you can use to get around specific areas of the Strip and save some wear and tear on your feet!
The free trams on the Las Vegas Strip are located at the Aria, Mandalay Bay, and Mirage casinos. They offer an easy connecting ride between nearby casinos and run daily, starting at 8 AM. You can catch them until 9 PM on Monday through Thursday and as late as 2 AM on weekend nights.
The electric trams offer an easy and free way to get up and down one of America’s most incredible tourist destinations. Each tram continuously runs its route (during normal operating hours) and is a great option to pack more activities and destinations into your trip!
In this article, I’ll discuss everything you need to know about using the free trams in Vegas, including the routes and nearby attractions, plus I’ll also cover the paid Las Vegas monorail option for getting up and down the Strip on the east side.
The Free Vegas Trams
First, it’s important to understand that the free trams found on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip are different from the Las Vegas monorail. The city runs the monorail, and it operates from one end of the 4-mile Strip to the other on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd. The monorail is a paid system, unlike the trams, which are free.
The free trams are built and operated by the casinos they run through. They include:
The trams run independently through each route and don’t cover the Strip continuously. This means that a small section of the Strip is covered by each tram.
The trams weren’t really designed to get you up and down the length of the Strip (although they can be used for that). They were built to move you between sister casinos owned by the same company. So you’ll have to do some walking to get between the tram routes, but the trams in total will still save you a great deal of walking.
The trams are air-conditioned and kept clean, making them a great escape from the Las Vegas heat and hustle and bustle of the city. They run about every 5-10 minutes, which keeps the wait time for riders at a minimum.
Las Vegas Free Tram Routes
The free trams run beginning at the Mandalay Bay, the Aria, and the Mirage casinos. Fortunately, this means the free tram routes cover a good chunk of the Las Vegas strip.
The stations for each route are located inside the hotels themselves or just outside the entrance. The trams run outside, giving you a great view of the surrounding Vegas Strip. Even though the routes run outside, all the trams are fully enclosed and air-conditioned, keeping things comfortable no matter the weather.
You can easily use the trams to visit the casinos they operate in and see some of the best tourist attractions in Vegas, such as the:
- The Fountains at the Bellagio
- The Mirage volcano
- Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
The Mandalay Bay Free Tram Route
- Tram Route: Mandalay Bay -> Luxor -> Excalibur
- Return Route: Excalibur -> Mandalay Bay
Mandalay Bay is located at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip and is the beginning of the free tram route. The tram at Mandalay Bay stops at the Luxor and ends at the Excalibur but doesn’t stop at the Luxor on the way back to Mandalay Bay.
You can, however, just stay on the tram as it returns to Mandalay Bay, and the next stop will be the Luxor again.
These three properties are all owned by MGM Resorts. While the tram doesn’t continue to the other Vegas MGM-owned resorts on the Strip, you can easily reach the New York-New York Hotel & Casino by the pedestrian bridge connected from Excalibur, the last stop on the Mandalay Bay tram route.
The ARIA Express Free Tram Route
- ARIA Express Route: Park MGM/ARIA -> Shops at Crystals -> Bellagio
The ARIA tram, known as the ARIA Express, actually begins at Park MGM, but the station is very close to the ARIA entrance. Its first stop is the Shops at Crystals, and then continues on to the Bellagio, home of the famous fountains.
From the Bellagio, you can use the pedestrian walking bridge to access Caesars Palace, another great tourist destination and resort in Vegas. The tram stop at the Bellagio will also give you easy access to nearby Vdara and The Cosmopolitan.
This route lasts about 8 minutes, and you can expect a train to arrive about every 7 to 10 minutes.
The Mirage Free Tram Route
- Mirage Tram Route: The Mirage -> Treasure Island
The Mirage is located north of Bellagio on Las Vegas Boulevard. It’s the home of the erupting Mirage volcano, which attracts tourists from all over to see the fire and light show every evening.
The Mirage tram runs between the Mirage and Treasure Island, with the ride only taking about 5 minutes.
There’s a pedestrian bridge from Treasure Island that crosses over to the Fashion Show Mall. Also, another pedestrian bridge not far from Treasure Island crosses over the Strip to The Venetian, which features gondola rides modeled after the ones in Venice, Italy. The Wynn is located nearby as well.
How to Use The Free Trams to Explore a Big Part of the Strip
If you’re looking to cover the most ground for the lowest price on the Las Vegas Strip, the free trams offer an easy way to do so. You can hit almost all of the tourist attractions at many of the best casinos and resorts with a combination of the free trams and a little bit of walking.
The best way to visit the most casinos with the free trams is to:
- Start on the south end of the Strip with the Mandalay Bay tram.
- After exploring the Mandalay Bay and their note-worthy aquarium Shark Reef, hop on the tram and get off at the Luxor, which is the Egypt-themed pyramid-shaped casino. Here, you can see the replicated sites of ancient Egypt and visit the Titanic Exhibit.
- Hop back on the tram to the Excalibur.
- After exploring the Excalibur, walk across the pedestrian bridge to New York-New York, and visit this resort property and the Big Apple Roller Coaster.
- From New-York New-York, walk a couple of blocks north (approximately .4 miles / 8 minutes) to the ARIA tram and take it to the Shops at Crystals where you can shop dozens of luxury brands.
- Hop back on the tram to the Bellagio to catch the famous Bellagio Fountain Show.
- From there, walk the pedestrian bridge over to Caesars Palace (approximately .4 miles / 10 minutes) to get a taste of ancient Rome.
- For the final leg of your tram journey, walk to the Mirage (approximately .5 miles / 10 minutes) to check out the volcano and walk through the dolphin habitat.
- Catch a short tram ride to Treasure Island.
To head further north up the Strip from Treasure Island, I’d recommend grabbing an Uber, as it will become too far to walk for most people. North of Treasure Island on the west side of the Strip, you’ll find Resorts World, Circus Circus, and The Strat (at the far north end of the Strip).
The Las Vegas Monorail
For those who want a continuous ride up and down Las Vegas Strip with less walking in between, the monorail is a good option. The Las Vegas Monorail system runs from the MGM Grand on the south end of the Strip to the Sahara on the north end.
While the free trams operate on the west side of the Strip, the monorail and its stops are found on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd.
In addition, unlike the trams, the monorail isn’t free. You can purchase individual ride tickets for $5 apiece or multiple-day passes for the monorail to ensure seamless traveling for your visit to the Las Vegas Strip. The biggest package, the 7-day pass, costs $62 per person. This will allow you to ride unlimited times during the days your pass is valid.
The monorail starts running at 7 AM every day and continues until midnight on Mondays, 2 AM on Tuesdays through Thursdays, and 3 AM on weekends.
There are 7 different monorail stations you can catch a ride at throughout the Strip, so you can pick a location that works for you. The seven monorail stations are:
- MGM Grand (South-end monorail station)
- Paris/Horseshoe
- Flamingo
- LINQ
- Las Vegas Convention Center
- Westgate
- SAHARA Las Vegas (North-end monorail station)
The monorail is the easiest way to travel from one end of the Strip to another without walking, but it’s a more expensive option compared to the free trams.
Note: Neither the free trams nor the monorail provides transportation to Harry Reid International Airport (formerly McCarran Airport).
RELATED: How To Ride The Vegas Loop (Cost, Stations & Future Routes)
Final Thoughts
Las Vegas has plenty of great sites and tourist attractions for the whole family. Located right in the middle of the hot desert sun, it’s sometimes hard to hit them all without melting in the heat.
However, using the free Las Vegas trams with a little bit of walking in between is a fun and budget-friendly way to hit as many sites as possible while enjoying the air conditioning along the way.
Hopefully, with these tram tips, you can maximize the sites you see on your next Las Vegas trip!
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