If you arrive by plane, the first landmark you may see is the Luxor Hotel and Casino , sitting almost at the end of the airport runways. It's a fitting introduction -- a huge pyramid in the midst of a modern city -- impressive, almost incredible. But crouched outside the hotel is a Sphinx that looks so phony, it would be more at home on a miniature golf course. Welcome to Las Vegas, where fantastic things are real and where some things are not very real at all.

Authentic or not, the Las Vegas Strip is completely fascinating. A miniature New York City stands across the street from a giant castle; a naval battle takes place beside a busy city street; Venetian-style gondolas sail along indoor canals. The resorts are full of lavish stage shows and big-name performers and restaurants owned by every celebrity chef to pick up a spoon. Of course, the gaming tables and slot machines accompany (and underwrite) the spectacles. For many, the thrill of winning and losing makes the casinos the most exciting show in town.

Sights -- The water show in front of the Bellagio ; St. Mark's Place and the canals within the Venetian ; the Eiffel Tower replica at Paris Las Vegas ; the live pirate show at Treasure Island; the lion habitat at MGM Grand ; nightly volcano eruptions at the Mirage; the Luxor pyramid; the Roman streetscape at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace ; the Mardi Gras-style Show in the Sky at Rio's Masquerade Village; the view from the observation deck at the Stratosphere Tower; the Fremont Street Experience .

Museums -- The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum at the Venetian ; Elvis-A-Rama; Las Vegas Natural History Museum; the Liberace Museum .

Memorable Meals -- The world-famous cuisine of Lutece ; red meat at Emeril's Delmonico Steak House; osso buco at Ferraro's; Chinese-style duck at Spago; the desserts at Aureole .

Late Night -- A drink and provocative silhouettes at Shadow ; a drink overlooking the Strip at Curve ; dancing at Club Rio or the Egyptian-themed Ra; comedy at the Riviera Comedy Club .

Walks -- A short hike through the desert at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area; a casino walking tour along the Strip; strolling beneath the evening light show on Fremont Street.

Las Vegas is in the desert, and that can mean hot temperatures. In June, July and August, expect temperatures above 100 F/38 C. May can produce highs of 90+ F/32+ C, as can September. The desert also means great changes in temperature. The mercury can drop nearly 30 degrees F/16 degrees C from daytime highs to nighttime lows, especially in winter. And, of course, the desert creates low humidity, bright sun and hardly any rain (annual rainfall averages 4 in/10 cm). For about two weeks in July or August, there can be slightly higher humidity and thunderstorms. Winters are mild (January temperatures are 33-56 F/1-12 C). If snow falls at all, it usually melts soon after it touches the ground.

It's easy to get around Las Vegas by car. Note, however, that driving up and down the Strip to get to where you're going might take only five minutes on a Tuesday morning but could take almost an hour on a Friday or a Saturday night. Parking at the hotel garages on the Strip is free; that's the case downtown as well, if you have your ticket validated by a casino cashier.

Getting around on foot can be a challenge, as distances here are deceiving. Although all the casinos in the center of the Strip, for example, may be within a mile of each other, walking from the street to and around the hotels, especially the large ones, can easily triple that distance. Some of the newer casinos have moving sidewalks, trams, and elevated crosswalks to make it easier to get around on foot. A monorail that will run from the MGM Grand to the Sahara is expected to be completed in 2004. The Strip Trolley, which runs every 15 minutes, is the most convenient means of hotel-hopping, because it picks up and drops off passengers at hotel front doors. The local buses are more frequent, though less convenient to the actual hotels, and usually crowded to overflowing.

We've organized the Strip exploration into three good walks: south, center, and north. A fourth walk covers downtown. Most of the sights in Las Vegas are casinos, so you can start exploring any time of the day or night. But the earlier you set out, the fewer crowds and the less heat (in the summer) you'll face along the way. To see the museums and historical sights, you'll have to coordinate your tour with hours of operation.

The southern end of the Strip has been the beneficiary of the lion's share of Las Vegas's family boom. In 1989 the only hotel-casino to anchor this part of the Strip was the Tropicana, which had stood alone for more than 30 years. But then came the San Remo and Excalibur (1990), Luxor and MGM Grand (1993), Monte Carlo (1996), New York-New York (1997), and Mandalay Bay (1999). The intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue is one of the most magnetic tourist intersections in the world.

The very name Las Vegas is synonymous with showbiz. Ever since Minsky Goes to Paris introduced topless showgirls at the Dunes in 1957, this has been the place to go for quick and sexy entertainment. In those days the lounges gave up-and-coming performers a chance to polish their acts on their way to the showrooms; the camaraderie and informality lent a loose and friendly air to the entertainment. Through the years the Entertainment Capital of the World has weathered a number of changes in its stage presentations, policies, and prices, but one thing has remained the same for 50 years -- doing things big with as much attention called to the doing as possible.

Headliners such as Tom Jones, David Copperfield, Wayne Newton, and George Carlin still pack the traditional showrooms. Extravagant revues such as Folies Bergere, and Jubilee! still stage 12 shows a week, with outrageous sets, costumes, variety acts, and song and dance. But young and exuberant shows such as Blue Man Group and Cirque du Soleil's O and Mystère have modernized the spectacle. Female and superstar impersonators, "dirty" dancers, comedians -- all perpetuate the original style of razzle-dazzle entertainment that Las Vegas has popularized for the world.

Some traditions have changed, however. Certain hotels have eliminated nudity and foul language in the name of family entertainment. Some even encourage parents to bring their children along by offering special prices for youngsters (usually in the summer months). And the dinner show has gone the way of the mink stole, unless you count the utensil-free "medieval style" dining at Excalibur's "Tournament of Kings."

In the not-so-old days, the shows were loss leaders, much as the buffets are today: they were intended to draw patrons who would eventually wind up in the casino. Admission prices to shows were dirt cheap, and the programs were fairly short. Nowadays, it will cost you $60 or more to see Newton or Gladys Knight, and a ticket to the biggest production, O, will set you back $93-$150. Yet many of the smaller shows have much lower prices. Bargain-hunters have learned to look to afternoon shows, such as Tropicana magician Rick Thomas or the Flamingo's campy burlesque revue "Bottom's Up," as ways to hold ticket prices under the $20 line.

There are several kinds of shows in Las Vegas. What used to be known as the "big room headliners" are a vanishing breed, and so are the old table-and-booth showrooms where they used to perform. But you can still find a few of the old names, along with a new generation of "resident headliners" -- singer Clint Holmes and impressionist Danny Gans -- who keep the tradition alive. The big-production spectaculars also remain a Las Vegas trademark, presenting little or no language barrier to the city's large numbers of international tourists. But the classic "feather show" -- 90 minutes of song, dance, topless showgirls, specialty acts, and special effects -- has taken a backseat to the stylized eye candy of Cirque du Soleil or the avant-garde stunts of the Blue Man Group.

The Strip also broke down the walls that used to exist between old-school Las Vegas headliners and contemporary concert attractions. The casinos conformed to the modern concert industry by building two arenas -- the MGM Grand Garden and Mandalay Events Center -- and music clubs such as the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Las Vegas is now a mandatory tour stop for top-name stars of all ages and musical genres.

Las Vegas has become America's hottest restaurant market. During the past several years the number of restaurants in the city has nearly doubled to more than 1,000. On average, a new dining establishment opens every week. Each new megaresort brings its own multiple dining options, with celebrity chefs adding clones of famous signature restaurants and newborn establishments to the mix. And while bargain buffets and coffee shops still abound, the arrival of the superchefs has left its mark on the steak houses and buffets -- many of the latter of which have gone upscale.

Among the big-name restaurants you'll find in Las Vegas are five Wolfgang Puck outposts spread among four different hotels (Caesars Palace, Mandalay Bay, the Venetian, and MGM Grand). Other hotels have followed suit. The Bellagio has branches of New York City's famed Le Cirque and Osteria del Circo, along with Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Prime steak house, Julian Serrano's Picasso, and Todd English's Olives, an offshoot of the Boston landmark. MGM Grand houses Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe and Emeril's New Orleans Fish House from Emeril Lagasse. The Venetian has Delmonico's, Lagasse's steak house, as well as Valentino from Los Angeles überchef Piero Selvaggio. In addition to Puck's Trattoria del Lupo, Mandalay Bay offers Charlie Palmer's Aureole (from New York); China Grill (also from New York); Red Square (from Miami Beach); and many more.

The restaurant explosion has been partially geared toward satisfying high rollers, who are fed for free as a reward for their often-astronomical bets at the blackjack and baccarat tables, but the city's new reputation as a culinary capital is also drawing attention from those who simply enjoy fine dining. Las Vegas's tendency to do everything to an extreme creates the possibility that too many spectacular restaurants will starve each other, but there's no sign of that yet.

But even low rollers with thin wallets have plenty of dining options in Las Vegas. Despite the influx of upscale restaurants, you can still find a complete steak dinner for only $4.95 (Ellis Island), a 99¢ shrimp cocktail (Golden Gate), and $2.49 breakfast specials (Arizona Charlie's). And of course, the ever-popular buffet is found in nearly every casino in town.

If you venture into the residential areas, you'll find a steadily increasing variety of restaurants that satisfy every pocketbook. Rosemary's, Andre's, Wild Sage Cafe, Bonjour Casual French, the Tillerman, and other off-Strip dining rooms satisfy the craving for a civilized meal. And mid-price family eateries are everywhere, offering reliable quality at reasonable prices.

Prices are per person for a main course at dinner.

Shopping in Las Vegas so rich in world-class options rivaling New York, London, or Rome that you'll start to think those darn casinos only get in the way of your shopping safaris. Your shopping choices are limitless. You can buy everything from Elvis memorabilia, such as a piece of his pillowcase, to the ne plus ultra from Cartier and Yves St. Laurent. You may tote home a vintage slot machine or Lenôtre chocolates from the only place in the United States where you can buy them (at Paris Las Vegas).

Strip shopping malls take their themes to extremes: you can stroll along a Venice canal at the Venetian or traverse North African trade routes at the Aladdin. Most Strip hotels offer expensive dresses, swimsuits, jewelry, and menswear; almost all have shops offering logo merchandise for the hotel or its latest show. Inside the casinos the gifts are elegant and expensive. Outside, all the Elvis clocks and gambling-chip toilet seats you never wanted to see are available in the tacky gift shops.

Beyond the Strip, Vegas shopping encompasses such extremes as a couture ball gown in a vintage store and, in a Western store, a fine pair of Tony Lamas leftover from the town's cowboy days. Shoppers looking for more practical items can head for neighborhood malls, supermarkets, shopping centers, and specialty stores.