Traveling by bus to the gambling and entertainment mecca of Las Vegas from Phoenix is a leisurely way to leave the driving to someone else for the approximately 300-mile trip from America’s sixth-largest city to a place nicknamed Sin City. Take the shorter trek along parts of U.S. Route 93, or travel the longer, more scenic route that takes you through the mountainous city of Flagstaff, Arizona, along parts of Interstate 17. Trip times range from about six or seven hours, depending on the traffic at Hoover Dam outside Las Vegas, to 13 or more hours.

Ride A Bus

Greyhound Lines, Inc., the country’s largest intercity bus service, has several departures each day from Phoenix to Las Vegas, with most including stops in the Arizona cities of Glendale, Flagstaff, Kingman and Bullhead City and in Henderson, Nevada. Smaller scheduled bus lines with less frequent travel to Las Vegas include GoToBus, an online bus service that operates direct bus routes on Tufesa USA LLC buses with drop-offs at popular casino hotels. El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express Inc., (EPLA), and TAP Royal (TAP stands for Transportes y Autobuses del Pacifico) also operate buses from Phoenix to Las Vegas. You can book bus-plus-hotel travel packages at GoToBus.

Take a Tour

When taking a tour bus, email or call ahead for times, dates and prices. Desert Snow Connection offers occasional weekend bus trips with lodging from Phoenix to Las Vegas. Blissful Bus Tours, which offers bus trips that include meals and lodging, occasionally schedules trips from nearby Tucson or from Sun City Retirement Community just outside Phoenix.

Charter a Bus

If you’re part of a group, you can charter a bus to follow the route that you select from several companies in Phoenix, including Hayden Motorcoach and Tour West America. Some include lodging with travel packages. For a livelier trip to Las Vegas, you can book a party bus with music players, TVs with DVD players, disco lights and stripper poles from In The Scene Limousine in Phoenix. Arrow Stage Lines and Ryan’s Express Transportation Services also charter buses for Arizona to Nevada trips.

Try an Alternative Trip by Wheel

Travel by van with Detours Arizona, which offers a three-day tour that takes you from Phoenix to Las Vegas with stops in Sedona and at Grand Canyon National Park. Their vans each carry eight to 13 passengers, and each comes with a driver and tour guide. Call ahead for dates and prices or to arrange a private charter. If you’re traveling in a group, you can draw straws to determine who drives when you rent a passenger van that holds from eight to 15 people from A-1 Van Leasing & Rentals in Phoenix.

About the Author

S.R. Haines is a veteran writer whose work has been published by newspapers, magazines, international news wire services and nonprofit publications on topics ranging from breaking news and politics to travel, parenting, education, business and technology. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

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