Visit Denver

A gold dome at exactly one mile high, brick warehouses turned into breweries, an amphitheatre carved between two sandstone rocks and snowy peaks as a backdrop: Denver takes two or three days to explore, then works as a base camp for the Rockies.

Why visit Denver?

Denver, the capital of Colorado nicknamed the Mile High City, sits at about 1,609 metres where the Great Plains meet the Rockies. It offers a centre rich in museums and breweries, Red Rocks Amphitheatre 25 km away, and access within two hours to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Denver's must-sees

Museums, concerts under the stars and wide open spaces, from the city to the ridgelines.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

A natural concert venue of about 9,500 seats between two sandstone monoliths. Locals also climb its rows on foot to train at altitude.

Denver Art Museum

Two buildings by Gio Ponti and Daniel Libeskind, a major collection of Native American art and a section devoted to the art of the American West.

Colorado State Capitol

A dome covered in gold leaf recalling the gold rush, a step engraved at one mile high and views of the Rockies from the upper gallery.

Clyfford Still Museum

A museum devoted to a single painter, a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, holding the vast majority of his work. A concrete building bathed in skylight.

Museum of Nature and Science

Wildlife dioramas, dinosaur fossils, a planetarium and a space hall, in City Park. Its back terrace frames the peaks behind the skyline.

Denver Botanic Gardens

Themed gardens, a tropical conservatory and alpine plants adapted to altitude, lovely from May to September. Outdoor concerts in summer.

Mount Blue Sky

A summit over 4,300 metres reached by a spectacular road, open in summer with a reservation. Mountain goats and a strong sense of altitude.

What to see in Denver, neighbourhood by neighbourhood?

LoDo and Union Station

Lower Downtown is the historic core of the 1858 gold rush, rebuilt in brick after the 1863 fire. Union Station, a 1914 depot restored in 2014, houses a hotel, bars and halls where travellers wait for the airport train. Larimer Square, a Victorian block strung with lights, concentrates restaurants and patios. Coors Field baseball stadium is five minutes' walk away: on game nights, from May to September, the area is packed. Allow half a day on foot, and stay here to use the A Line to the airport in around forty minutes.

Civic Center and the Golden Triangle

South of downtown, the Colorado State Capitol, its dome clad in gold leaf, faces the City and County Building across Civic Center Park. One of the steps of its west staircase bears the one-mile-high marker, about 1,609 metres. The Golden Triangle, just behind, groups the Denver Art Museum, whose titanium-angled Hamilton Building was designed by Daniel Libeskind, the Clyfford Still Museum and the History Colorado Center. Plan a day for two museums and the free Capitol tour, offered on weekdays.

RiNo and the Highlands

North-east of LoDo, the River North Art District has turned former industrial warehouses into studios, galleries, breweries and food halls. The alleys around Larimer Street are covered with murals, renewed every year during a street art festival. Across Interstate 25, the Highlands, linked to LoDo by pedestrian bridges, line up Victorian houses, restaurants and bars with skyline views. A late afternoon is enough for RiNo and an evening for the Highlands, twenty minutes' walk from each other.

City Park and Cherry Creek

East of downtown, City Park brings together the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the zoo and a lake with views of the Rockies lined up behind the towers, especially on clear mornings. The Botanic Gardens, south of the park, take about two hours. Cherry Creek, further south, is the city's upscale shopping district, with a large mall and streets of boutiques. A bike path follows Cherry Creek down to Confluence Park, at the foot of LoDo, for about eight kilometres.

Red Rocks, Golden and Boulder

25 km west, Red Rocks Amphitheatre nestles between two red sandstone monoliths: the concert season runs from April to October, but the park stays free to visit by day outside shows. Golden, half an hour away, is home to the Coors brewery and the Buffalo Bill museum. Boulder, about 45 minutes north-west, a university town below the Flatirons, offers hikes from Chautauqua Park. To reach Denver other than by plane, the California Zephyr train arrives overnight from Chicago before crossing the Rockies.

Rocky Mountain National Park and the high country

Rocky Mountain National Park is about two hours away via Estes Park. From late May to mid-October, a timed reservation is required to enter during the day. Trail Ridge Road, open only in summer, climbs above 3,700 metres. Mount Blue Sky, whose summit road requires a reservation and tops 4,300 metres, is closer. In winter, the I-70 ski resorts are 1 hour 30 to 2 hours 30 away, but weekend traffic can double that. Denver is one of the great gateways to the mountain West of the United States.

Frequently asked questions about Denver

Can you visit Red Rocks without going to a concert?
Yes, the park and amphitheatre are free to visit by day, except for a few hours before shows. A small visitor centre traces the history of the artists who have played there. Come in the morning and combine it with the park trails, including the Trading Post loop of about two kilometres.
How do you book entry to Rocky Mountain National Park?
On the federal Recreation.gov website: some slots open several weeks ahead, others the evening before. The timed permit comes on top of the entrance fee. Entering before the reservation window starts, early in the morning, requires no booking.
Is altitude sickness a risk in Denver?
In the city, most travellers feel at most slight breathlessness and restless sleep on the first night. The risk rises above 2,500 metres, particularly on Mount Blue Sky or Trail Ridge Road: head back down if you have persistent headaches or nausea.
How long is the train from Denver to the airport?
RTD's A Line links Union Station to the terminal in about 37 minutes, with a departure roughly every fifteen minutes during the day. The airport fare costs more than a standard city ride. By car, allow 30 minutes to over an hour depending on traffic.
Can you ski from Denver without renting a car?
Yes. The Winter Park Express train leaves Union Station on certain days of the winter season and arrives at the foot of the Winter Park slopes. Private shuttles also serve Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone. Avoid the road on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.
When is the Great American Beer Festival?
It is held every year in early autumn at the Colorado Convention Center, in the heart of Denver, with hundreds of American breweries and thousands of beers to taste. Tickets sell out within hours of going on sale: watch for the release date.
Should you do Boulder as a day trip or stay overnight?
A day is enough for Pearl Street and a hike towards the Flatirons from Chautauqua. Stay overnight if you want to hit the trails early and avoid traffic on US-36. RTD express buses link the two centres in under an hour.

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