Plan a trip
A Reno trip turns on about six decisions, and they constrain each other in a particular order. These are the questions, and the honest answers.
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What a Reno trip looks like
Three shapes of trip, built from the places, tours and drive times on this site rather than written as generic advice — so every stop links to something you can actually check.
- 1 day
One day in Reno
A full day downtown without a car — the Arch, the river, a casino floor and something on in the evening. This is the trip that works if you flew in, are here for one night, or are breaking a drive.
- 2 days
A weekend in Reno
Two days: one downtown on foot, and one spent on the single excursion that makes Reno worth the trip. The second day is the decision — the lake or the Comstock — and they are different trips.
- 3 days
Three days in Reno
Long enough to do the city properly and both of the excursions that make it worth a trip — the lake and the Comstock — without spending the whole time in a car.
Do I actually want Reno, or Las Vegas?
Vegas is better at scale, headline shows and direct flights. Reno is better at everything outdoors, and cheaper. If the casino is where you sleep between doing things outside, you want Reno.
When should I come?
September and early October are the best weeks of the year. But the bigger question is whether one of Reno's very large events is on, because in a city this size that changes what a room costs.
Where should I stay?
One trade-off decides it: the best rooms are not downtown, and downtown is the only part of the city you can walk around.
Do I need a car?
Not if you are staying downtown and not leaving it — the airport is eleven minutes away and several resorts run free shuttles. The moment Tahoe or the mountains enter the plan, yes.
How far apart is everything?
Almost everything a visitor wants is within fifteen minutes of the Arch. Only one part of the city is genuinely walkable, so distance matters more than the map suggests.
What should I eat?
Basque, at least once — it is the one thing you can eat here and almost nowhere else in America. Then Midtown for the independents.