San Diego to Las Vegas drive in 1 day

Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from San Diego to Las Vegas. If you're planning a road trip to Las Vegas, you can research locations to stop along the way. Traveling with a dog or cat? View pet-friendly stops between San Diego and Las Vegas. Camping along the way? View RV campgrounds between San Diego and Las Vegas. Find the best hotels, restaurants, and attractions based on the most talked about places recommended by Trippy members.

8:00 am  start in San Diego
drive for about 36 minutes

8:36 am  Carlsbad (California)
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 9:36 am
drive for about 49 minutes

10:25 am  Temecula
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 11:25 am
drive for about 1.5 hours

12:48 pm  Lake Arrowhead
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 1:48 pm
drive for about 1.5 hours

3:20 pm  Barstow
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 4:20 pm
drive for about 51 minutes

5:10 pm  Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 6:10 pm
drive for about 1.5 hours

7:27 pm  Mojave Desert
stay for about 1 hour
and leave at 8:27 pm
drive for about 1.5 hours

9:44 pm  arrive in Las Vegas
stay at Bellagio Hotel

driving ≈ 7.5 hours

Your starting point is San Diego, California.

You can enter an exact street address if you want to get precise directions, but this is optional.

Your final destination is Las Vegas, Nevada.

You can enter the exact street address of your destination, but this is optional.

Are you going straight to a hotel, or looking for a vacation rental or Airbnb?

The best resource on neighborhoods, areas, and hotels is the Trippy page on where to stay in Las Vegas.

If you're looking for a quick answer, you can check out Bellagio Hotel, which was mentioned 51 times on Trippy.

Here are some more hotels people talk about:

Want to research more popular hotels in Las Vegas? Click the blue button below.

Need some recommendations on somewhere to get food?

Trippy members suggest Giada, which was mentioned 9 times.

Here are some more restaurants people talk about:

Want to research more popular restaurants in Las Vegas? Click the blue button below.

This section could be endless, so rather than trying to suggest every local activity or attraction, we'll leave it open-ended.

These are some of the places people talk about on Trippy:

Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions because there's an entire community of travelers talking to each other and sharing tips and advice. Trippy is where you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, trip dates & more!

For example, here are some questions people have asked about Las Vegas. Click on any question to see answers from the community!

 Stephanie from New York City asked:
Best new restaurants in Vegas?  (15 answers)

 Kim from Canada asked:
What time of year is the best for scoring a cheap deals in Las Vegas  (15 answers)

 Neil from Baton Rouge asked:
Best tips and casinos for first time gambler?  (13 answers)

 Maria from Dublin asked:
Top things to do in Las Vegas that don't include gambling?  (12 answers)

 Allie from Portland asked:
Is it better to stay on or off the Las Vegas strip?  (12 answers)

Click the button below to explore more questions and answers related to Las Vegas.

Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation who wants the trip to end? It's okay, you can start planning your next trip!

Want to plan the trip back? Get the reverse directions for a Las Vegas to San Diego drive, or go to the main page to plan a new road trip.

Looking for ideas for more destinations within driving distance of San Diego? Try searching for places within 5 hours of San Diego.

You can also compare the travel time if you're flying or driving by calculating the distance from San Diego to Las Vegas. Or get a full San Diego to Las Vegas flight plan.

Don't forget about exploring your own hometown with a staycation. You can also find some cool day trips or get away for a weekend. Maybe try typing in a faraway location like London, Hong Kong, or Sydney, and get inspired for your dream trip around the world.

And if you know San Diego well, please help your fellow travelers and answer their questions about San Diego!