Navigate the Las Vegas Strip with the help of four free monorails that run between Bally's and the MGM Grand, the Monte Carlo and the Bellagio, Treasure Island and the Mirage, and Excalibur and Mandalay Bay (with a stop at the Luxor).

Mirage-Treasure Island Tram
The Mirage-Treasure Island tram runs between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. The tram arrives every 15 minutes at its slowest. The ride lasts about 4 minutes - add another 3-4 minutes on either end for the inefficient disembarking procedure. Attendants are nowhere in sight while passengers are waiting and their direction doesn't help much when arriving and departing passengers have to navigate the same narrow platform.

The Mirage stop of this monorail is outside but well shaded. At Treasure Island, passengers wait indoors. No smoking, food or uncovered beverages are allowed. The ride, which passes under not-very-tropical vegetation, is slow but smooth. Seating is bus-style, with long benches and a little standing room.

MGM Grand-Bally's Monorail
The monorail between MGM Grand and Bally's is in operation between 9 a.m. and 1 a.m. It runs every 5 or 10 minutes, depending on the crowd (an extra train is added on busy days). The ride lasts about 5 minutes; boarding and disembarking add another 5-7 minutes to the trip.

This is the least luxurious monorail: The waiting area is outside, the cars are poorly air-conditioned and 40 people are meant to fit into each car, which means knee-to-knee seating. Human attendants are available at either end to assist riders (not true of the other monorails). No smoking, food or uncovered beverages are allowed, but only the smoking rule is strictly enforced.

Bellagio-Monte Carlo Tram
The Bellagio-Monte Carlo Tram runs 24 hours a day. Cars leave every 90 seconds. The ride lasts barely a minute and boarding and leaving the train takes minimal time.

The waiting areas on either end are indoors and air-conditioned. Seating is a combination of well-spaced benches and standing room. The view during the ride is unremarkable (unless the innards of Strip parking lots amuse you), but with only 60 seconds to the route, nothing is lost. No smoking, food or drink rules apply. Food and drink can be transported as long as they aren't consumed on board.

Mandalay Bay-Excalibur Tram
This monorail has an eccentric route that follows Track I from the Main Station (at Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana, just next to Excalibur) to Mandalay Bay, and Track II from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor and finally Excalibur. It is in operation 24 hours a day, and trains leave every 3-7 minutes. Traveling Track I takes 7 minutes, including a stop at the Luxor.Track II requires only 3 minutes.

All waiting areas are indoor except the Luxor's, but some walking is required to make the loop (there are stairs as well as an elevator to access the tram stop). Fortunately, everything is well air-conditioned. Small platforms and a lack of any attendants at the Mandalay Bay end mean you may have to scramble to a car when traffic is heavy, but even a holiday weekend crowd can be accommodated once the initial rush for a seat dies down.

Although it's a little more complicated to make this loop, the profusion of stations has some advantages: The Main Station is convenient to a free pull on a slot machine with a $5,000 payoff (though it gives out many more free show tickets), and the Luxor's is the only monorail stop with music for waiting passengers.