We needed to head east from Las Vegas and reach Charlotte within 10 days for an AC/DC concert. I had originally planned to head northeast, but Nicola wanted to spend some time in New Orleans. So, we started looking at routes in that direction.
While looking at the map, Phoenix popped up as an option. It wasn’t too far away, the bus tickets were cheap, accommodation was reasonably priced, and it was going in the right direction. After a quick discussion, we decided to book a FlixBus from Las Vegas to Phoenix.
One thing worth mentioning about travelling by bus in the USA is that FlixBus and Greyhound seem to be pretty much the same thing these days. On some routes you’ll actually get a FlixBus, but on others it’s a Greyhound and, in this case, neither! Our journey was run by a third-party bus company, making the FlixBus/Greyhound situation even more confusing at the bus stop!
Booking tickets for the Flixbus from Las Vegas to Phoenix
We usually stick with FlixBus, so booked through them. You can also use Greyhound—just go with whichever is cheapest.
Pick Up Location for Flixbus from Las Vegas to Phoenix
We were staying at Circus Circus, so we needed to find a convenient pick-up point on the Strip. We didn’t want to carry our bags for miles in the heat. Megan was glad to hear there was a stop on Fashion Show Drive. It was on the road leading towards Trump International.
There was also a pick-up location downtown, near the Las Vegas bus station.
(Please, make sure you check the exact pick-up location when booking, as these locations can change.)
Flixbus from Las Vegas to Phoenix – The Journey
Getting Seated.
We always pre-book our seats on buses. It means we know we’ll be sitting together. We also try to be among the first on the bus, just to make sure we can get settled without having to ask anyone to move.
This particular bus didn’t have row numbers, which made things a little interesting. We could count the rows ourselves, but clearly, not everyone was willing or able to do that! Some people would simply say, “I don’t know,” and sit wherever they fancied. Others, who I’m guessing couldn’t be bothered counting either, would shout, “Just sit anywhere, it doesn’t matter!”
Well… actually, it does ! People have pre-booked specific seats so they can sit with their family or friends, and when someone just sits wherever they want, it can cause problems further down the line when the actual seat holder arrives.
Please, don’t be that person. Sit in the seat you’ve either paid for or been allocated. It really does make life easier for everyone.
Rant over. On to the journey.
The Drive
Our bus left bang on time and headed down towards the Old Town, where we picked up a few more passengers. Then we were on our way again. We joined the I-11, and I thought, Brilliant, we’re on our way to Phoenix. Except… we weren’t!
Instead of heading straight out of Las Vegas, we spent the next while driving around a number of shopping malls and casinos on the outskirts of the city, picking up more passengers. (Yeah, those “it doesn’t matter where you sit” people looked like idiots then!) Luckily for Megan, no one was sitting beside her, so she had a sleep. (We’d looked at the seating plan before we left and knew where the free seats were!)
Finally, we were back on the Interstate, making our way through the Lake Mead area, and this turned out to be one of my favourite sections of any bus journey we’ve taken in the USA.
The scenery was absolutely incredible, particularly as we crossed the Colorado River, passed the Hoover Dam, and crossed the state line into Arizona. For the next couple of hours, the road was simply stunning.
I honestly don’t know how anyone could sit there looking at their phone. I kept my eyes on the window, constantly looking for the next amazing view and trying to capture as many photos as possible. Sadly, my phone camera just doesn’t capture what my eyes were seeing, so you’ll just have to take my word for it—it was amazing!
Even if you’re not making this journey by bus, I’d definitely recommend hiring a car in Las Vegas and heading out into this area. It was genuinely one of the highlights of the journey and well worth seeing for yourself.
Pit Stop
We made a pit stop at a garage along the way, and it came with a pretty spectacular view. A few more passengers also boarded, which, of course, meant another round of musical chairs. (The “just sit anywhere” announcers were very quiet now!)
The Great Debate
While we were on this journey, I had been posting pictures, which turned into a debate with a fella on Twitter about the I-93 section between Las Vegas and Phoenix. I’d been saying how amazing the journey was, while he insisted it was boring. I couldn’t understand what he was talking about until we got to around 90 minutes outside Phoenix.
At that point, the road became lined with huge, thick shrubs, which meant that if you were sitting in a car down at road level, I could imagine the scenery becoming pretty boring. But I was sitting high up on the bus, so I still had a great view over the top of everything!
Arriving into Phoenix
After four-odd hours of pretty much nothing, apart from amazing scenery, we finally started to see signs of civilisation and knew we were getting close to Phoenix.
The only hassle for us was that we were staying in downtown Phoenix, but our bus was dropping us off at the airport, at the PHX Sky Train Station. Every other section of this trip had a Downtown station, even when we were staying outside the city. But these are the challenges that come with travelling on a budget.
After a swift exit from the Interstate, we arrived at our final stop.
We now had to figure out how to get from the airport into downtown. We walked into the station and immediately found ourselves trying to work out which way to go for the metro. This proved a little confusing, mainly because there seemed to be signs pointing in completely different directions!
I eventually bit the bullet and asked a member of staff for help. Unfortunately, and what turned out to be a common problem in Phoenix, she couldn’t understand my Northern Irish accent. Thankfully, a nearby security officer came to the rescue and pointed us in the right direction.
Once we finally found the metro station, we bought our tickets and sat in the roasting Phoenix heat. I should also note that the metro tickets were incredibly cheap compared to what an Uber, which Megan was demanding, was going to cost.
We didn’t have to wait long before our Metro arrive and we made the final part of the journey to our Airbnb in Downtown Phoenix.
Arriving just in time to see the sunset across the city of Phoenix.
Overall Thoughts on Flixbus from Las Vegas to Phoenix
Flying would probably be the quickest option, but it certainly wasn’t cheap. Overall, though, the journey was amazing and well worth the extra few hours spent sitting back and watching the world go by.
If you’re in a rush and money isn’t an issue, fly. But if you have the time and want to see a bit of the country, I’d recommend going by bus or even driving.
Thank you for taking the time to read our blog about Flixbus from Las Vegas to Phoenix, if you have any questions please ask.
The Lewis Family.
