Las Vegas Grand Prix
A Saturday night race leaves Sunday wide open. These are the experiences that fit around Strip circuit running.
Updated · By GrandPrixPal Editorial
2026 session times verified against formula1.com
Quick Picks
Race Is Saturday Night
Not Sunday. Sessions run late into the early hours, and Sunday is a completely free day.
The Desert
Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Red Rock and Valley of Fire. Some are day trips, some are half days.
See It From the Air
Night helicopter flights over the Strip — the one view that shows the circuit as a circuit.
On the Strip
The Sphere, the High Roller, the Neon Museum. All walkable, all affected by road closures.
Las Vegas does not follow the normal pattern and planning it like a normal race is the most common mistake. The Grand Prix starts at 8pm PST on Saturday night local time, with support running before it and practice sessions earlier in the week running into the late evening. Two consequences matter for everything on this page. First, your daylight hours are free all weekend — genuinely free, all three days. Second, Sunday has no track action at all, which makes it the best day of the weekend for anything that takes real time.
Sunday Is Your Free Day
Full dayWith the race run on Saturday night, Sunday is completely open. This is where the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon or a Los Angeles run belong — not squeezed in earlier in the week.
Sleep Is the Real Constraint
—Sessions running until 9pm or later for several nights catches people out badly. Build in a late start the morning after each night of running, and do not book a 6am pickup for the day after the race.
The Circuit Closes the Strip
—Las Vegas Boulevard carries a large part of the track, and sections close for running. Pedestrian bridges and hotel crossings become the way across. Allow much longer than the walking distance suggests on running nights.
The scenery around Las Vegas is the reason to arrive early or stay on. These range from a half-day scenic drive to a fifteen-hour round trip, and the difference matters a great deal when you are fitting them around a race. Sunday, with no track action, is the day the long ones fit.
Ten hours by coach to the West Rim with a Hoover Dam stop and hotel pickup. The Skywalk is an optional add-on rather than part of the base ticket — worth knowing before you are standing at it.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowFifteen hours door to door for the slot canyon and the Colorado River bend, with hotel pickup, lunch and onboard Wi-Fi. The longest single day trip available here — only viable on Sunday, and only if you are not flying out that evening.
Free cancellation up to 4 days before
Book NowFourteen hours to Santa Monica, Rodeo Drive, the Sunset Strip and the Walk of Fame, capped at fourteen people. A genuine round trip to another city — Sunday only, and a long one at that.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowThree days and four national parks, capped at fourteen. This does not fit inside the race weekend at all — it is an add-on for before you arrive or after you would otherwise fly home.
Free cancellation up to 18 days before
Book NowAlso worth knowing
Red Rock Canyon Scenic Drive
Half dayA 21km loop road half an hour from the Strip, with short walks off it. The realistic option for a morning before a night session — you can be back well before gates.
Valley of Fire State Park
Half dayRed sandstone formations about an hour north-east, quieter than Red Rock and more dramatic. A half to three-quarter day depending on how many trails you walk.
A night helicopter flight is the one experience that is genuinely better during this race weekend than at any other time of year. The circuit lighting turns the Strip into a visible racetrack from above, and you get the scale of the layout in a way no grandstand seat does. Flights are short — the value is the view, not the duration.
Fifteen minutes over the Strip at night — the Bellagio fountains, the Sphere, the High Roller and the Luxor beam all lit from above. Short, expensive, and the photograph people actually keep.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowThe same Strip flight bundled with a VIP guided tour of the Neon Museum's Boneyard — 250-plus retired casino signs and the Brilliant! augmented-reality show. Better value than booking the two separately.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowOver the West Rim with Hoover Dam and Lake Mead on the way, returning across the Strip. The fast alternative to the ten-hour coach trip if your time is shorter than your budget.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowEverything here is within walking distance of the circuit, which is both the appeal and the complication — on running nights, the track is between you and half of it. Do these in daylight, or on Sunday when the roads have reopened.
Seventy-five minutes inside the 16K wraparound screen, currently showing The Wizard of Oz. Official ticket. The venue is directly beside the circuit, which makes timing around road closures worth checking.
Non-refundable
Book NowNinety minutes at the chapel that has been running since 1939, Elvis officiating. Priced per group of up to thirty rather than per person, which makes it less absurd than it sounds for a travelling group.
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Book NowAlso worth knowing
High Roller Observation Wheel
30 minA 30-minute rotation at 167m, looking down over the Strip and the circuit route. Cheaper than the helicopter and available every day.
Neon Museum (Neon Boneyard)
1 hrThe retired casino signage collection, best after dark when the restored pieces are lit. Bookable on its own if you are not taking the helicopter bundle.
Fremont Street Experience
2 hrsDowntown, away from the circuit and a different era of Las Vegas. The canopy light show runs hourly and the whole street is covered — a good wet-weather or cold-night option in November.
Secret Pizza & Off-Strip Food
1 hrNovember nights in the desert drop close to freezing and the queues at the headline restaurants are at their worst all year. The unmarked and off-Strip places are the ones locals use during big events.
Fine Dining on the Strip
2 hrsRace week is the hardest booking weekend of the year here. If you want a specific restaurant on the Saturday, reserve it weeks out or plan to eat very late after the race.
Worth considering if you have extra time around Las Vegas.
The circuit is the Strip, so you are already staying inside the venue. The trade-off is road closures rather than travel time.
The standard Vegas excursion. Long enough that it needs the Sunday, not a morning before a session.
Utah's national parks north-east of the city. Only works as a genuine extension either side of the weekend.
Doable in a very long day, but better as a two-night stop if you are flying home from LAX anyway.
First-Time Visitors
Strip helicopter · The Sphere · Grand Canyon on Sunday · Fremont Street
Big Scenery
Antelope Canyon Sunday · Red Rock morning · Valley of Fire
Couples
Night helicopter · Fine dining booked early · Neon Museum after dark
Groups
Graceland chapel · Fremont Street · Off-Strip food · High Roller
Short-Trip Visitors
Strip flight · The Sphere · Red Rock half day
Time-Poor, Budget-Rich
Grand Canyon by helicopter instead of coach · Strip night flight
Real dates and prices from GetYourGuide. Book without leaving the page.
Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam Day Trip
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend Day Trip
Free cancellation up to 4 days before
VIP Los Angeles & Hollywood Day Trip
Free cancellation up to 24h before
3-Day Southwest Loop — Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Monument Valley
Free cancellation up to 18 days before
Las Vegas Strip Night Helicopter Flight
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Night Helicopter Flight + Neon Museum Ticket
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Grand Canyon Helicopter Air Tour with Strip Flyover
Free cancellation up to 24h before
The Sphere Experience
Non-refundable
Elvis Graceland Chapel Wedding or Vow Renewal
Free cancellation up to 24h before
Las Vegas 2026
Schedule, circuit, seating guide, broadcast info
Las Vegas Planner
Hotels, transport, budget, itineraries
All Las Vegas Tours
Browse the full catalogue with live availability
Some links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.
Travel Agents & Concierges
Are you a travel agent or concierge? We partner with agencies building F1 race packages. Get in touch.