Make the most of your trip to Las Vegas ... no matter the weather

WHY: Temperature-wise, spring hits the sweet spot in Vegas: you won't feel like you're in a furnace, but It's usually warm enough to enjoy the pool. There's also a crowded events calendar, with the Electric Daisy Carnival in May being the largest dance-music festival in North America.

HOW: For Ocean's Eleven swagger, stay at the Bellagio in the centre of the Las Vegas Strip. The city's best free attraction - the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanic Gardens - is at its blooming best in spring. The second best - the fountains that dance to music outside - is worth seeing in the evening before heading to the most mesmerising of the five Cirque du Soleil productions in the city. O is water-based, with acrobats tumbling from high swings into pools. The weather should be pleasant enough for an often mazy walk along the Strip. Stop on the way to go selfie-crazy among the supersized creative projections at the ARTE Museum, head to the top of the replica Eiffel Tower at Paris and go for a shamelessly cheesy gondola ride at the Venetian. For relatively affordable refuelling on the way, the Proper Eats Food Hall inside Aria has plenty of variety. If you want to splurge, Maverick's helicopter tour flies over the desert and lands inside the Grand Canyon. Pick an afternoon flight time, and the chopper comes back over the city with the neon lights at full dazzle. And, after that, some fun. The Golden Tiki Bar in Chinatown serves up a wide world of cocktails inside fishbowls and hollowed-out pineapples.

Average temperature: 32/35

WHY: The desert heat can get ferocious in June, July and August, which means fewer visitors and bargain resort prices. It's a time to embrace Vegas at its most woozy - ignore the clocks, hit the pool parties, savour the myriad air-conditioned attractions and walk around clutching a gigantic slushy cocktail.

HOW: Aim to stay in a resort with a sprawling pool complex, such as the Fontainebleau or Mandalay Bay. The latter is also handy for indoor attractions, with the Shark Reef Aquarium surprisingly impressive and a covered, aircon-blasted walkway to the neighbouring Luxor. This Egyptian-themed resort hosts a cluster of showy museums, one about human bodies, one about the Titanic and a third about the discovery of king Tutankhamun's tomb. You can round off the day there by watching the surreal musical comedy of the Blue Man Group - one of Vegas's more family-friendly shows. Other indoor imagination-spurrers include Area 15, where several virtual reality and immersive experiences congregate. It's also home to Omega Mart, a giant, explorable art installation that starts as an off-kilter supermarket then gets seriously weird. Hot weather calls for cold beer, and the Beerhaus at New York New York provides. Unusually in brand-happy Vegas, the focus here is on locally-brewed craft beers, along with affordable pub food. If you're after a non-alcoholic cooldown, attack the gargantuan sundaes at Sloan's Ice Cream in the Grand Canal Shoppes.

Average temperature: 20/24

WHY: Halloween in October and the Formula One Grand Prix in November bring an even bigger party vibe to the city, but the cooler temperatures make exploring the reliably spectacular desert scenery around Las Vegas much more appealing. September is considerably hotter than October and November, though.

HOW: About 27 kilometres west of the Strip, Red Rock Canyon is Las Vegas's premier outdoor playground. Red E Bike runs cycling tours (with electric assistance) around the big boulders and ancient petroglyphs. Alternatively, head south to Seven Magic Mountains. Ugo Rondinone's open-air art installation sees a series of luridly-painted rock towers stand tall in arresting contrast to the stark surroundings of a dry lake bed. A 35-minute drive south-east brings you to Hoover Dam, one of history's great engineering projects. You can walk or drive over the dam wall or, even better, take a guided tour inside the dam to see how it works. The other approach is from the water. Lake Mead Cruises heads into Black Canyon aboard a three-tiered paddlewheeler. Once back in Las Vegas, head to the Wynn resort, which embraces the outdoors the most. Its SW Steakhouse serves up prime cuts on a lakeside patio, while the more relaxed La Cave specialises in small plates and wine-tasting overlooking the pools. Autumn is also gridiron season. If you can get a ticket, the Las Vegas Raiders take on the rest of the NFL at the Allegiant Stadium.

Average temperature: 9/12

WHY: Cooler temperatures bring a different crowd to Vegas in December - think older snowbirds and families rather than revellers. It's less hectic, and a good opportunity to explore the city's cultural attractions. Many cluster Downtown, which is at its countrified best during the National Finals Rodeo in the first two weeks of December.

HOW: The Fremont Street Experience - a long, pedestrianised mall under a light show provided by the biggest LED canopy screen on earth - is the heart of Downtown Las Vegas. Expect free concerts, often with a country twang, as you amble through. The excellent and absorbingly detailed Mob Museum, which looks at the organised crime that Las Vegas was built upon, is nearby. It's next to the Downtown Grand - the slickest Downtown joint to bed down in. With the winter-cooled city at its most walkable, a short stroll past a mushrooming collection of street art brings you to the Neon Museum, where hundreds of enormous old neon signs have been faithfully restored and displayed. Also close is the Downtown Container Park, where indie shops, bars and food outlets cluster in shipping containers, with a giant, fire-breathing mechanical mantis outside. Winter also gives a free pass for hearty indulgence in one of the notorious buffets. The Garden Court Buffet at Downtown's Main Street Station is the best value but, with more than 250 dishes, the Bacchanal at Caesar's Palace on the Strip is the most ridiculously lavish.