"Vegas's most famous resort is also its most confusing to navigate. The toga party ended in 1990. The labyrinthine casino floor never did."
Overall Rating
Caesars Palace opened in 1966 and has been the most recognizable resort name in Vegas ever since. Six towers, 3,960 rooms, 124,000 square feet of casino, and a Roman theme that has somehow survived six decades of Vegas reinvention. The Colosseum has hosted everyone from Celine Dion to Adele to Bruno Mars. The Garden of the Gods pool complex is one of the best on the Strip. The dining roster — Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Guy Savoy, Nobu — is genuinely impressive.
Here is the thing about Caesars: it is enormous and deliberately disorienting. The casino floor is designed to make you walk through it to get anywhere. The six towers have different check-in areas, different elevator banks, and different vibes. The Julius Tower is the newest and best. The Forum Tower is the classic. The Palace Tower is the original. Navigating between them requires either a map, a local guide, or a willingness to wander for 15 minutes.
Caesars is the Vegas resort that most people picture when they think "Las Vegas hotel." It is iconic, it is expensive, and it will absolutely make you walk more than you expected. The Walk Score is low for a reason.
Caesars Palace is enormous. The distance from a room in the Augustus Tower to the Strip sidewalk can be 15–20 minutes. The distance from your room to the Colosseum for a show can be 10–15 minutes. Budget extra time for everything. This is the most walked resort in Vegas.
If you are going to a show at the Colosseum, you are in the right place. The venue holds 4,300 people and has excellent sightlines from almost every seat. The sound system is exceptional. Residencies here — Celine Dion, Adele, Mariah Carey, Bruno Mars — are the gold standard for Vegas entertainment.
The Julius Tower opened in 2018 and has the best rooms in the property. Modern finishes, large bathrooms, great views. When booking, specifically request Julius Tower. The price difference is usually modest and the quality difference is significant.
This is not paranoia — it is documented casino design philosophy. The Caesars casino floor has no straight lines, no clear sightlines to exits, and deliberately confusing pathways between amenities. You will walk through the casino to get to your room, to the pool, to the restaurants, and to the Colosseum. That is by design.
Room quality varies dramatically by tower. The Julius Tower (newest, opened 2018) has the best rooms — modern finishes, large bathrooms, excellent views. The Forum Tower is classic Caesars — large rooms, slightly dated finishes, but well-maintained. The Palace Tower has the most history and the most dated rooms. Always specify which tower when booking. A "standard room" at Caesars can mean a 2018 Julius Tower room or a 1990s Palace Tower room — very different experiences.
The Garden of the Gods Pool Oasis is one of the best pool complexes on the Strip — seven pools of varying sizes and vibes, from the main pool to the quieter adult pools. The Venus Pool Club is adults-only. Cabanas are available. The pool complex is seasonal but one of the most impressive in Vegas when open.
How this resort holds up in peak Vegas summer (June–September)
The Forum Shops and Appian Way provide excellent air-conditioned coverage between towers. The Garden of the Gods pool complex is genuinely impressive but gets packed — the Venus Pool (adults-only) stays more manageable.
Caesars Palace opened on August 5, 1966, developed by Jay Sarno. The original resort had 680 rooms and a Roman theme that was considered audacious at the time. Sarno sold to Clifford Perlman and Stuart Perlman in 1969. Hilton Hotels acquired the property in 1971. ITT Corporation acquired Hilton's gaming assets in 1994, which were then spun off as Park Place Entertainment. Harrah's Entertainment acquired Park Place in 2004, becoming Caesars Entertainment. The resort has undergone continuous expansion — the Octavius Tower opened in 2012, the Julius Tower in 2018. The Colosseum, which opened in 2003 for Celine Dion's residency, has become the premier concert venue in Vegas.
Caesars attracts everyone. Literally everyone. Convention groups (the convention center is massive), high rollers in the suites, bachelorette parties, international tourists, poker players, concert-goers, and the occasional celebrity. The Julius Tower skews younger and more affluent. The Forum Tower is the classic Caesars experience. The Palace Tower is for people who want to say they stayed in the original building. The lobby on a Saturday night is a human river.
Multi-level nightclub with a chandelier centerpiece that descends from the ceiling. One of the most visually impressive nightclub interiors in Vegas. Rooftop terrace with Strip views. Top-tier DJ residencies.
Uber / Lyft
Rideshare — fastest option
Taxi (Metered)
Metered. No fixed rate. Expect $25–$38 plus tip to Caesars.
Shared Shuttle
Shared shuttles available ($10–$15/person). Multiple stops add significant time.
Caesars Palace is the most iconic resort in Vegas and one of the most frustrating to navigate. The pool is exceptional, the Colosseum is the best concert venue in the city, and the dining roster is legitimate. But the Walk Score is genuinely poor — this is the resort where guests most often discover that "5 minutes away" means "5 minutes if you teleport." If you are attending a Colosseum show or want the Garden of the Gods pool experience, Caesars is the right call. If walking efficiency matters to you, look at Cosmo, Aria, or Wynn.
Castaways Hotel (original site)
Caesars Rewards
Caesars Sportsbook
Multiple — Colosseum hosts major residencies
Qua Baths & Spa
124,181 sq ft
2021 (Julius Tower), 2019 (Forum Tower)
The Strip's cool kid. Best dining collection in Vegas, the only balconies on the boulevard, and a casino floor that was literally designed to keep you from gambling.
The fountains are the reason Vegas exists. The rest of the resort is trying to live up to them — and mostly succeeding.
All-suite rooms, a world-class casino, and a convention center so big it has its own zip code. The gondolas are a gimmick. The Palazzo next door is the better pick in 2026 — but the Venetian is still excellent.