Excalibur Hotel & Casino: Las Vegas Castle Hotel

The Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is a medieval castle-themed hotel that really stands out on the Strip. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Excalibur.

I was so excited to visit Excalibur Hotel & Casino on our trip to Vegas because there’s nothing better in my mind than a castle hotel. And while we didn’t actually stay here and I can’t give a full resort review, I can let you know what to see if you just want to visit (because just visiting is free!).

In this guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about visiting this unique Vegas hotel, including what to see while you’re there, the history of the hotel, and where to stay nearby.

Excalibur Hotel & Casino Overview

Excalibur Hotel & Casino is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International.

The hotel is named after King Arthur‘s mythical Excalibur sword. The medieval castle theme was thought up by Circus Circus Enterprises founder William Bennett and was designed by architect Veldon Simpson (who also designed the Luxor Hotel & Casino).

Excalibur’s unique architecture helps it stand out on the Vegas Strip. Because of its whimsical castle design, it’s a popular hotel for families as well as for fellow nerds.

History of the Excalibur Hotel & Casino

The Excalibur broke ground in 1988, and the $290 million resort opened in 1990. With 4,032 rooms, it was the largest hotel in the world at the time.

The design of this castle hotel was based on old castle renderings from England and Germany, particularly Neuschwanstein Castle (a personal favorite of mine). For the exterior of the hotel, they incorporated stone turrets, a moat, and a drawbridge. The interior was more like movie-set castles rather than real-life castles, as designing rooms as they would have looked in the traditional period would make them too dark.

In 2006, the hotel went through a redesign that removed some castle-themed elements from the rooms and replaced them with a more understated design. The number of rooms in the 28-story towers also reduced to 3,981 room.

The hotel opened with two medieval-themed shows: a dinner and jousting tournament called King Arthur’s Tournament and a dragon show at the moat entrance where an animatronic dragon faced off against a mechanical Merlin. King Arthur’s Tournament was redesigned into the Tournament of Kings in 1999, and the dragon show was considered underwhelming and closed in 2003.

What to See at Excalibur

You don’t have to stay at Excalibur Hotel & Casino to experience the castle; you can just visit! Checking out the architecture of the different Las Vegas hotels is honestly one of my favorite free things to do in Vegas.

Here’s a look at the different shows and attractions at Excalibur:

• Tournament of Kings — This live-action jousting tournament lets you feast on a hearty medieval dinner while you cheer on your knight. It’s a lot like Medieval Times.
• Thunder from Down Under — This male strip show is the perfect girls night out with sexy Australian hunks. It’s also the longest running male revue show on the Strip!
• Spice Wannabe: The Spice Girls Tribute — This tribute to the Spice Girls will transport you back to the 90s and your favorite girl band.
• The Australian Bee Gees Show — This tribute to the Bee Gees will transport you back to the 70’s where every night is Saturday Night Fever.
• The Mac King Comedy Magic Show — This comedy and magic show is one of the best in Vegas!
• Fun Dungeon — This arcade is family-friendly with over 200 games.
• Karaoke at the Kastle — This karaoke night is a great time to mix and mingle and sing your heart out.
• Casino — The 92,389 square foot casino has 2,630 slot machines and 100 table games.

The hotel also has tons of restaurants, bars, and shopping. You can even even visit the pool as a non-hotel guest by reserving a lounge chair or cabana.

Visiting Excalibur Hotel & Casino

Admission: It’s free to visit Excalibur Hotel & Casino and just walk around.

Hours: The hotel and casino are open 24 hours.

Address: 3850 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Staying at Excalibur

Excalibur Hotel & Casino is considered a budget hotel. It’s one of the cheapest hotels on the Strip.

The rooms are pretty simple, but they’re comfortable. You don’t get a ton of amenities inside the room, but you’ll get things like a flat screen TV, a large bathroom with granite countertops, and in the more upgraded rooms and suites you can get a soaking tub and more space.

This is a popular hotel for families because kids love the castle theme, the arcade, and the jousting tournament. It’s also a great option for families because it’s budget-friendly, so you can stay for a long trip and not spend a ton.

Hotels Near Excalibur

If you don’t want to stay at Excalibur, here are some more hotels that are close by:

• Luxor Hotel & Casino
• New York New York Hotel & Casino
• MGM Grand
• Park MGM Las Vegas
• NoMad Las Vegas
• Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

Excalibur Hotel & Casino FAQ

Castle Count: 40

So why does this castle count? Turrets? Check. Moat and drawbridge? Check. Knights jousting? Check.

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Cheers!

Paige

Have you visited the Excalibur Hotel & Casino? Let me know in the comments!