The runways of Las Vegas's busy McCarran International Airport (tel 261-5211, www.mccarran.com ) start barely a mile east of the southern end of the Strip, though the main terminal is a three-mile drive via Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road.

Car rental is readily available at the airport; we've listed local rental agencies. There's no public bus service, but both Bell Trans (tel 380-7990, www.bell-trans.com ) and Las Vegas Limousine (tel 736-1419) run around-the-clock minibuses to the Strip ($4) and downtown ($5.25), leaving from immediately outside the terminal. In addition, certain hotels run free shuttle buses for their guests.

A line of taxis is always waiting outside the arrivals area. In theory, the ride should cost between $8.50 and $12 for hotels at the southern end of the Strip; from $10 to $15 for the Central Strip area; up to $18 for the North Strip; and between $15 and $20 for destinations both downtown and out on Boulder Highway. However, traffic delays can easily force those fares up by another $5 or so.

If you want to arrive in style, Bell Trans can also provide limousine service from around $35.

Much the busiest driving route into Las Vegas is the I-15 freeway from southern California. Traffic congestion, especially close to the state line, can mean that the 269-mile drive from LA takes as long as eight hours. Las Vegas Boulevard South, which becomes the Strip, begins to parallel I-15 well before it reaches the city, but the quickest way to reach your final destination will almost certainly be to stay on the interstate as long as possible. I-15 also connects Las Vegas with Salt Lake City, 421 miles northeast.

From the major cities of Arizona, direct access is provided by US-93 , which leaves I-40 at Kingman, a hundred miles southeast. It joins US-95 , running north from Needles, California, outside Boulder City; together, the two become I-515 , which crosses I-15 immediately northwest of downtown Las Vegas.

Four hundred miles northwest of Las Vegas, US-95 meets I-80 thirty miles east of Reno. Using that interstate is the fastest way to get between Las Vegas and San Francisco, but threading cross-country via Yosemite and Death Valley national parks is a much more scenic option.

Amtrak stopped running passenger trains to Las Vegas in 1997, and its downtown terminal was demolished. At the time of writing, however, it seemed likely that a new high-speed Amtrak service between Los Angeles and Las Vegas would come into operation at some point during the next few years, with a projected journey time of 5hr 30min. Some level of subsidy from the casinos is anticipated; individual carriages may belong to specific casinos, and be equipped with slot machines to be switched on as soon the train crosses the Nevada state line. For Amtrak information, call 1-800/USA-RAIL, or access www.amtrak.com .

Greyhound's long-distance buses to and from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, Reno, San Diego, Bakersfield and other cities use a terminal alongside the Plaza hotel at 200 S Main St downtown. For schedules and fares, call 1-800/231-2222, or access www.greyhound.com .

In addition, Missing Link run thrice-weekly shuttle buses between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with free hotel and hostel pick-ups (tel 1-800/209-8586, www.tmltours.com ; departs LA Mon, Thurs & Sat, Las Vegas Sun, Wed & Fri; $39 one-way, $75 return).