Las Vegas Monorail vs. the Deuce: Which One Should You Ride?

The Las Vegas Monorail is an elevated train that runs along the east side of the Strip, behind the resorts, from the MGM Grand area up to the Sahara, with stops at places like Bally's and Paris, the Flamingo and Caesars, the Harrah's and LINQ area, the Convention Center, and Westgate.

It is fast and it never sits in traffic, which is its whole selling point. The catch is the stations are behind the hotels, so reaching them means a long walk through a casino to get to the platform and another long walk on the other end to reach the Strip.

It does not stop on the west side at all, so the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Wynn, Venetian, and Mandalay Bay are not directly served. You buy single rides or day passes, and multi-day passes get cheaper per day.

The Deuce is the double-decker public bus run by the RTC. It runs right up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, the actual Strip, and keeps going north all the way to downtown and Fremont Street.

It stops constantly, on both sides of the street, so it reaches the west-side resorts the Monorail misses. It also runs 24 hours, which the Monorail does not. You pay per a time-based pass, and a 24-hour pass is the usual buy.

The downside is speed. The Deuce sits in the same brutal Strip traffic everyone else does, and on a busy weekend night it can crawl. It also gets crowded, sometimes standing-room only, and the upper deck fills fast.

This is the whole decision. The Monorail wins on speed because it is off the road, but it only covers the east side and you pay for that speed with long walks to and from the stations.

The Deuce wins on coverage and hours. It hits both sides of the Strip, goes downtown, and runs all night, but it is slow and gets jammed in traffic. If your night runs late or you want to get to Fremont Street, the Deuce is the only one of the two that gets you there.

Neither one beats walking for short hops between neighboring casinos. Both shine for the longer pulls, like getting from the south Strip up to the Sahara end or down to downtown.

You are staying at an east-side resort that has or sits near a station, like the MGM Grand, Bally's and Paris, the Flamingo and Caesars, or near the LINQ. The walk to the platform is short and the speed payoff is real.

You are in town for a convention. The Monorail stops right at the Convention Center and the Westgate, which makes it the obvious choice for badge-wearing trade show crowds avoiding cab lines.

You want to skip Strip traffic during peak hours and you are only moving between east-side spots. On a packed Friday evening, gliding over the gridlock feels great.

You are staying on the west side, at the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Wynn, or Venetian, where the Monorail does not reach. The Deuce stops right out front.

You want to get downtown to Fremont Street. The Monorail simply does not go there, so the Deuce is your cheap option short of a rideshare.

You are out late. The 24-hour service means you can catch it back at 3am when the Monorail has stopped running. Just expect crowds and slow going on weekend nights.

If you have a group of three or four and you are going somewhere specific, split a rideshare and you will often pay close to the same per person while saving real time and walking. For families with kids, the door-to-door of an Uber usually wins.

For solo travelers and couples watching the budget, the passes are a genuinely good deal across a multi-day trip. Buy the right pass for your side of the Strip and use it.

My move: Deuce or walking for general Strip life, Monorail when I am east side and want to beat traffic, rideshare when time matters or it is late and I am tired.