Free Parking in Las Vegas? A guide to navigating the Strip

By Thomas Moore

Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 | 2 a.m.

With poor payouts on blackjack, resort fees, increased room taxes and now costs for valet and self-parking, it’s getting harder to visit a resort on Las Vegas Boulevard without fearing for your wallet.

But there are ways a savvy local can still visit the Strip without paying for parking.

Parking on the Strip

Different properties will incur different costs. Here’s a breakdown of current prices (some of which are subject to change in the coming year):

Caesars Entertainment

Self-parking is free for locals.

MGM Resorts International

Self-parking is free for locals until Dec. 29. If you reach the Pearl, Gold, Platinum or NOIR level in MGM’s rewards program, you can park for free. Valet is free for Gold, Platinum and NOIR.

Wynn Resorts

Las Vegas Sands

All parking is free.

Utilize pedestrian bridges, the monorail and trams

Walking along Las Vegas Boulevard is natural for tourists, but locals typically visit the corridor for a specific activity, like having dinner or seeing a show. That’s why the notion of paying for the curbside convenience of valet parking stings so badly. But if you can get to a casino where valet or self-parking is free, you can still quickly reach your destination. Below, we’ve highlighted the places in the center Strip where parking is free, and some good starting points for your day or night out.

1. Fashion Show mall: Drop-off point for guest shuttle from Red Rock, Palace Station.

2. A good starting point: Treasure Island. Treasure Island offers free parking, and its tram station makes it a great option for getting to resorts farther south on the Strip. You can catch a tram to the Mirage or walk south to the Bellagio and catch a tram that goes to Vdara, CityCenter and Monte Carlo.

3. Forum shops at caesars: Drop-off point for guest shuttle from the Palms.

4. Harrah’s: Drop-off point for free shuttle from Sam’s Town.

5. The Linq: Drop-off point for free shuttle from Gold Coast, Orleans.

6. Cosmopolitan (will start charging for valet and self-parking early in 2017): 1. Park at TI. 2. Catch the tram at Bellagio and then get off at CityCenter’s stop for the Shops at Crystals. 3. Walk to the front of the mall to the pedestrian bridge that crosses Harmon Avenue to the second floor of the Cosmo.

7. Mandalay Bay: Drop-off point for guest shuttle from Green Valley Ranch.

* The MGM trams are free and open to everyone.

** Rides on the Las Vegas Monorail are $1 one-way for locals. It also has stops at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Westgate, and SLS Las Vegas.

From off-Strip properties

Boyd Gaming Properties: Free Shuttle (free for anyone, priority for guests)

• Gold Coast and Orleans shuttles take you to the Linq

• The Sam’s Town ride drops you at Harrah’s or the California downtown.

Station Casinos: Free Guest Shuttle (must be a guest to ride)

• Red Rock and Palace Station drop off at the Fashion Show mall

• Green Valley Ranch will take you to Mandalay Bay

• The Palms goes to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

The M Resort: Free Guest Shuttle (must be a guest to ride)

• Shuttle drops off at the Tropicana.

Other resorts with paid shuttle service: The South Point at the far southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard has a shuttle, as does the J.W. Marriott in Summerlin, but both resorts charge for the service.

Public transit

RTC bus service

Find a free parking spot downtown or at the south end of the Strip, such as Town Square, and catch the Deuce or the Strip and Downtown Express.

• Options include two-hour, 24-hour or three-day passes.

• The Regional Transportation Commission offers reduced fares for veterans, Medicare card holders, seniors 60 and older and youths ages 6 to 17.

• UNLV and CSN students can get deals on passes through the RTC website.