Rooftops in Las Vegas: the city of neon seen from above
An oasis in the heart of the desert
The largest city in Nevada, Las Vegas has nearly 680,000 residents and spreads across a broad, arid basin, the Las Vegas Valley, at an elevation of about 620 meters. Mountain ranges close off the horizon all around, starting with the Spring Mountains, which top out at 2,512 meters to the west and are covered in snow in winter. Officially founded in 1905 and incorporated as a city in 1911, Las Vegas took off with the legalization of gambling in 1931, then with the postwar hotel-casinos. Its desert climate gives it more than 3,800 hours of sunshine a year.
From the Strip to Downtown
The Strip, a 6.7 km stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard, is lined with the biggest hotel-casinos, from The STRAT in the north to Mandalay Bay in the south. Most of it lies in Paradise, an unincorporated town in Clark County, but everyone calls it Las Vegas, and this selection does the same. Farther north, Downtown, the historic center, gathers the oldest casinos around Fremont Street, a pedestrian street covered since 2004 by a giant screen about 460 meters long.
Where to get a view from above in Las Vegas
At the top of The STRAT tower
At the north end of the Strip, The STRAT tower, about 350 meters tall, offers the highest viewpoints in the city. On the 106th floor, Top of the World is a restaurant whose floor slowly rotates, making a full turn in 80 minutes. Two floors up, 108 Drinks serves its cocktails on the indoor observation deck, accessible with a tower ticket, with a view straight down the boulevard.
The Strip head-on, from the Rio
West of the Strip, on Flamingo Road, the Rio's tower faces the entire line of casinos head-on. On the 51st floor, VooDoo Lounge reopened in January 2025: a terrace, cocktails and shareable bowls, with no cover charge, on Friday and Saturday nights. Just below, on the 50th floor, High Steaks Vegas took over the space of the tower's former steakhouse in fall 2025, behind large picture windows.
In the heart of the Strip
On the north end of the boulevard, Allē Lounge on 66 occupies the 66th floor of Resorts World, a lounge with English club decor that looks out toward the Venetian and the rest of the Strip. In the center of the Strip, Ocean Prime has set up its terrace on the roof of 63 CityCenter, on the fourth level, above the bustle of the boulevard.
Beneath the Eiffel Tower, facing the fountains
In the center of the Strip, Paris Las Vegas has raised a half-scale Eiffel Tower, 165 meters tall. At its base, Chéri Rooftop occupies a rooftop terrace under the tower's girders; on the eleventh floor, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant serves French cuisine behind large picture windows. Both face the Fountains of Bellagio.
Downtown from Circa
At the end of Fremont Street, Circa, the tallest hotel in the neighborhood, is home on level 60 to Legacy Club, a lounge that extends onto a terrace with fire pits. The panorama sweeps all the way around, from the neon of Downtown to the Strip and the desert ridges.
Dining and cocktails up high
Steakhouses, French cuisine and signature cocktails
Up high, steakhouses rule: Top of the World, High Steaks Vegas and its game, Ocean Prime. Paris Las Vegas plays the French card, from brunch at Chéri Rooftop to the classics of the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. As for drinks, expect to pay about $17 for a cocktail at VooDoo Lounge, $18 at 108 Drinks and $19 to $27 at the more upscale spots, plus tax and tip, as everywhere in the United States. 108 Drinks and Ocean Prime offer a weekday happy hour.
Music and nightlife
At night, several spots turn up the volume: DJs Thursday through Sunday at Legacy Club, DJs at VooDoo Lounge, live music from 9pm at Allē Lounge on 66. On weekends, Ocean Prime's terrace brunch comes with a DJ.
A rooftop for every occasion
For couples or friends
For a date night, the Eiffel Tower Restaurant and Top of the World play up the romance. With friends, Legacy Club, open until 2am or 3am, and VooDoo Lounge's shareable bowls keep the night going; Allē Lounge on 66 is better suited to a quiet, low-key cocktail.
Getting around easily
On the Strip, you can walk from one hotel-casino to the next. The monorail links the MGM Grand, to the south, with the Sahara, to the north, and The Deuce double-decker bus runs along Las Vegas Boulevard from the Strip to Downtown. The Rio, west of the freeway, is easier to reach by taxi or rideshare.
Tips for enjoying the rooftops of Las Vegas
Pick your time and your outfit
Most high-rise bars open in the late afternoon or evening, some only a few days a week: VooDoo Lounge is open only on Fridays and Saturdays, and High Steaks Vegas is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Access to 108 Drinks requires a ticket for The STRAT tower. Lounges are often 21+ only, with a dress code: no athletic wear, no swimwear. To watch the sun set behind the mountains and then the Strip light up, arrive in the early evening and book whenever possible, especially on weekends and during major events, like the Formula 1 Grand Prix raced at night on the Strip.
Photo : King of Hearts / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0