Las Vegas hits you with a lot all at once, the lights, the crowds, the sheer scale of everything. With so much competing for your attention, it helps to know which stops actually deserve a spot on your itinerary. The iconic Las Vegas landmarks that define this city go well beyond neon signs and slot machines, and each one tells a different piece of the story of how Vegas became, well, Vegas.
At Another Side Tours, our guides have spent years showing visitors the landmarks that matter most, not just pointing at buildings, but explaining why they matter and what most people walk right past. We’ve led over a million tours since 2007, and we know which spots deliver and which ones you can skip. That firsthand experience is exactly what shaped this list.
Below, you’ll find five landmarks worth your time, whether you’re planning a first visit or finally getting around to seeing the parts of the city you missed last time. We’ll cover what makes each one worth the stop, plus a few tips to help you get more out of each visit than the average tourist.
1. Guided Las Vegas landmarks tour with Another Side Tours
If you want to cover the iconic Las Vegas landmarks without spending half your trip figuring out logistics, a guided tour is the most efficient way to do it. Another Side Tours has been running these routes since 2007, and the guides know exactly how to move through the city without wasting your time.
What you’ll see on this tour
The tour takes you through the Strip’s major landmarks, including the Welcome Sign, Bellagio Fountains, and Fremont Street. Your guide connects the dots between each stop, giving you the history and context that most visitors walk right past.
Why a guided tour makes these landmarks easier
Navigating Las Vegas on your own means dealing with traffic, parking, and crowds, all without knowing the best angles or timing. A guided tour removes that friction so you can focus on what you’re seeing, not on finding where to park or which entrance to use. Your guide handles the route and logistics entirely.
A knowledgeable guide saves you hours of guesswork and helps you notice details at each landmark that most visitors miss completely.
How long it takes and what to expect
Tours typically run 2 to 4 hours depending on which stops you select. You’ll travel in a comfortable vehicle with your group, and the pace allows enough time at each stop to explore and take photos without feeling rushed.
Best time of day to book for photos and crowds
Morning tours tend to draw fewer crowds at most stops. Evening tours give you the neon lights and atmosphere Las Vegas is known for, which works especially well for photos at Fremont Street and the Bellagio fountains.
Pricing and what’s included
Tours start at $169 per person and increase based on duration and destinations. Your booking includes professional guide service, transportation, and hotel pickup on select packages. Call 1-702-819-9127 to confirm availability and current pricing.
2. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign ranks among the most recognized iconic Las Vegas landmarks on the planet. Betty Willis designed it in 1959, and it has anchored the south end of the Strip ever since.
Why it’s iconic
Willis designed the sign before most of the modern Strip existed, and it captures the original identity of Las Vegas as a destination. She released it with no copyright, which is part of why it spread globally and became one of the most reproduced images in American pop culture.
Where to go and how to get there
The sign sits at 5100 Las Vegas Blvd South, between Mandalay Bay and Town Square. You can reach it by rideshare, taxi, or on foot if you’re staying on the south end of the Strip.
Best time to visit for shorter lines and better light
Early morning brings the shortest lines and the best natural light for photos. Arriving before 9 a.m. keeps the experience manageable, especially during peak summer months when afternoon crowds stack up fast.
Sunrise visits give you a nearly empty sign and warm golden light that midday crowds simply don’t allow.
Photo tips that actually work
Use the dedicated photo lane in the median and shoot from a low angle to frame the sign against the sky. Portrait orientation captures the full design far better than landscape framing does.
Costs, rules, and accessibility
Visiting the sign is completely free. A small parking lot sits directly next to the sign, and the median path is paved and wheelchair accessible.
3. Fountains of Bellagio
The Fountains of Bellagio deliver one of the most recognized iconic Las Vegas landmarks experiences on the Strip. The display spans more than 1,000 feet of lake frontage and uses choreographed jets, lighting, and music to create something that genuinely stops foot traffic.
Why it’s iconic
The fountains launched with the Bellagio Hotel in 1998 and redefined what a free attraction could look like on the Strip. No other public water show at that scale existed in the United States at the time, and nothing has matched it since.
Best viewing spots on and off the Strip
The sidewalk directly in front of Bellagio gives you a front-row view. For a wider angle, walk to the Cosmopolitan bridge, which elevates your sightline above the crowd and gives you a full view of the lake.
Show schedule basics and the best time to go
Shows run every 30 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes after dark. Evening shows with full lighting are significantly more impressive than daytime performances.
The 15-minute evening intervals mean you rarely wait long, and the nighttime lighting transforms the entire display.
Photo and video tips for water, light, and night shots
Shoot in burst mode to catch the jets at peak height. Use the Cosmopolitan bridge for video, since you avoid people walking through your frame.
Costs, nearby stops, and accessibility
The show is completely free to watch from the sidewalk. The Bellagio Conservatory and Patisserie are both within easy walking distance if you want to extend your visit.
4. Fremont Street Experience
Fremont Street is where Las Vegas started, and it remains one of the most distinct iconic Las Vegas landmarks in the entire city. The covered pedestrian mall runs through downtown Las Vegas and mixes history with a nightly light show that draws visitors from across the world.
Why it’s iconic
The Viva Vision canopy stretches 1,500 feet overhead and carries the largest single LED screen in the world. Fremont Street predates the modern Strip, and the original neon signs that made Las Vegas famous were all installed along this corridor.
Walking Fremont Street puts you at the actual origin point of Las Vegas as a destination.
What to do once you’re under the canopy
Beyond the light shows, you’ll find live music stages, zip lines, and dozens of bars and restaurants all within the same pedestrian block. The Golden Nugget and Binion’s both sit directly on the street if you want to step inside two of the oldest casinos in the city.
Best time to visit and how long to budget
Plan for at least two hours, and arrive after dark when the canopy displays run. Shows start around dusk and repeat throughout the night.
Photo tips for neon, motion, and night crowds
Shoot the canopy from ground level looking straight up to capture the full width of the display. A wide-angle lens handles the scale far better than a standard focal length.
Costs, safety basics, and accessibility
Entry to Fremont Street is completely free. The pedestrian zone is fully paved and wheelchair accessible, and security presence along the street is visible throughout the evening.
5. The Sphere
The Sphere opened in 2023 and immediately became one of the most talked-about iconic Las Vegas landmarks on the Strip. The building stands 366 feet tall and wraps in over 580,000 square feet of programmable LED panels that display synchronized visuals visible from miles away.
Why it’s iconic
No other building in the world matches the Sphere’s combination of scale and display technology. The exterior runs full-motion visuals that change with each event inside, so you never see the same display twice.
The best places to see it from the ground
Stand on the Las Vegas Blvd sidewalk near the Venetian or use the pedestrian bridge over Sands Avenue for an elevated, unobstructed view of the full structure.
The pedestrian bridge north of the Venetian gives you one of the cleanest unobstructed angles of the entire building.
When to go for the most impressive visuals
Go after sunset when the LED panels hit their full brightness and the contrast against the dark sky makes the visuals pop far more than any daytime visit allows.
Photo tips for scale and night displays
Shoot with a wide-angle lens and include people or streetlights in your frame to show the building’s true scale. Manual exposure settings help you balance the bright displays against the dark sky without washing out the colors.
Tickets, show options, and accessibility
Show tickets start around $150 and vary by event and seating tier. The venue is fully accessible, and the exterior is completely free to view from any public sidewalk along Las Vegas Blvd.
Quick planning checklist
These five iconic Las Vegas landmarks give you a strong foundation for any trip itinerary. Each stop offers something genuinely different, from original 1950s design at the Welcome Sign to cutting-edge LED technology at the Sphere, so the variety holds up even across a full day of sightseeing.
Before you go, run through these basics: confirm show schedules for the Bellagio fountains, plan your Fremont Street visit after dark, and get to the Welcome Sign early to beat the crowds. The Sphere exterior is free, but show tickets sell out fast, so book ahead if you plan to attend an event inside.
If you want someone else to handle the logistics entirely, book a private Las Vegas tour with Another Side Tours. Your guide covers routing and timing for every stop so you spend your visit focused on the experience, not on figuring out where to park or when to arrive.
