Denver
Colorado's capital stands exactly one mile above sea level, at the foot of a wall of 4,000-metre peaks that closes off the horizon to the west. Between a 1914 railway station handed back to the city, brick warehouses covered in murals and a red sandstone amphitheatre carved into the mountain, it can be explored in three days before serving as a gateway to the Rockies.
By PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ views on Google MapsBy PierrickLocal Guide ★8 · 14M+ Maps views
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Denver · Photo Noel Aph / Pexels
Things to do in Denver in 4 days
Day 1
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Denver's 1914 Beaux-Arts station, reopened in 2014 as a public lounge with bars and a hotel, surrounded by LoDo's converted brick warehouses, Victorian Larimer Square and Coors Field.
💡 Arrive from the airport on the A Line train, which ends its run in the station after about 37 minutes: the one-way ticket is an Airport Day Pass at $10, about €9, valid all day on the network. In the evening, have a drink at the Terminal Bar, set in the old ticket office. Price: free.
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A former district of foundries and railway warehouses along the South Platte, now covered in ever-changing murals and packed with craft breweries, artists' studios and the Denver Central Market.
💡 Park or get off at the 38th & Blake station on the A Line, then wander without a map through the alleys between Larimer and Walnut, where the largest murals are hidden. Have lunch at the Denver Central Market, on Larimer Street. Price: free.
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The 1890s Capitol, its dome covered with gold given by Colorado miners and its walls lined with rare rose onyx, marks the mile-high altitude on its western steps.
💡 Free guided tours leave on the hour Monday to Friday, from 10am to 3pm, limited to 30 people: it is the only way to reach the dome. The building is closed at weekends. Carry on to Civic Center Park, just opposite. Price: free.
NateBergin / CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 2
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Gio Ponti's glass-tiled fortress and Daniel Libeskind's sharp-edged titanium wing hold one of the country's richest collections of Native American art and art of the American West.
💡 The museum is closed on Wednesdays and stays open until 8pm on Tuesdays, the quietest evening. Come on a weekday, as the weekend rate is higher. Price: $27, about €23, on weekdays for an adult who is not a Colorado resident, $30, about €26, on Fridays, weekends and public holidays; free up to age 18.
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Ten hectares showing what grows at altitude and in a dry climate, from Rocky Mountain alpine plants to Central Asian steppes, a Japanese garden and a 1960s tropical conservatory.
💡 Check the day's opening hours before you come: they change with the season, and the gardens close earlier on some event days. The peonies and roses bloom in June. Price: $16.25, about €14, adults; $12, about €10, ages 3 to 15.
Sarbjit Bahga / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 3
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On the edge of City Park, Colorado dinosaur skeletons including a stegosaurus, wildlife dioramas painted between the 1930s and 1950s, a planetarium and a fine view of the Rockies.
💡 Buy your ticket online in advance, as the museum recommends, and allow for an extra timed ticket for the planetarium or temporary exhibitions. The museum opens every day from 9am to 5pm, and until 9pm on most Fridays. Price: $27.95, about €24, adults; $20.95, about €18, ages 3 to 18.
Sarbjit Bahga / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Day 4
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A small gold-rush town in the foothills, home to the Coors brewery since 1873, with its welcome arch over the main street and Buffalo Bill's grave on Lookout Mountain.
💡 The hour-and-a-half Coors brewery tour is booked online 25 days in advance and is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Buffalo Bill museum opens every day from 9am to 5pm from late May to late October, then Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Price: Coors tour $25.50, about €22, aged 21 and over, $17.50, about €15, under 21; Buffalo Bill museum $5, about €4.
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A 9,525-seat amphitheatre carved between two red sandstone monoliths in the 1930s, where the Beatles and U2 played, open to all outside concert days with a trail among the rocks.
💡 Come early in the morning or in the late afternoon on a day without a concert: on show days, the amphitheatre closes to the public at around 2pm. For a concert, book as soon as tickets go on sale and bring a jacket, as the temperature drops quickly after sunset. Price: free entry and parking outside concerts.
Sarbjit Bahga / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)"Book" (hotels) and "via GetYourGuide" (activities) are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide). Prices, times and distances are approximate.
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Good to know before you go
🍽️ Must-try food
Burgers and barbecue
brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl
the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
Mexican food
tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
Pancakes and weekend brunch
a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
Dishes to look for in the good places: Denver.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Have you thought of…?
The little details that make all the difference once you're there.
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