Welcome to Denver, the capital of Colorado and the starting point of our road trip through the American West, which will take us to Los Angeles in 4 weeks. We'll be visiting Denver for the first time in 48 hours. Denver, nicknamed the 1 mile high city, lies at the foot of the snow-capped Rockies at exactly 1 mile, or 1609 m, above sea level. It's even engraved on one of the steps of the Colorado Capitol! The city has 2 districts, LoDo and RiNo, that are not to be missed when visiting Denver. Finally, we can't talk about Denver without mentioning its very impressive natural amphitheatre, the Red Rocks Theatre, which dominates the whole city.
Visiting Denver for the first time: Tips and advice
Here's how this blog post is structured
1. When and how to visit Denver?
2. Where to sleep in Denver?
3. Programme for our 48 hours in Denver
4. Our 3 favourites in Denver
Conclusion
Downtown Denver has one of the fewest skyscrapers in the United States. We're nowhere near Los Angeles or New York. As a result, we found a more human city where pedestrians are less sidelined than in the usual American megacities. So, for once, we opted for outdoor walks, with street art in the RiNo district and contemporary works scattered here and there throughout the city centre, particularly in LoDo.
View over Denver from the Red Rocks Amphitheatre
We're taking you on a video tour of Denver for the first time. As well as the beautiful images, we'll give you lots of advice in this new vlog, the first in a long series of episodes due to be released soon.
It's the end of October and we're in luck, as we're enjoyingglorious weather in Denver, with temperatures hovering around 20-25 degrees. The forecast is for snow the following week. We'll be living it up in the Rockies at Estes Park.
Before Denver, we spent 3 days in Moab, Utah, learning to drive Range Rovers off-road. An unforgettable experience!
We then took a domestic flight of about 1 hour with United Express to the capital of Colorado. At the international airport, we picked up our hire car at theSixt branch. We left ourselves 48 hours to visit Denver for the first time.
All the practical advice (formalities, budget, stages, car hire, etc.) relating to our trip is here: road trip itinerary in the American West.
Interactive map of Denver
1. When and how can I visit Denver?
1.1 When should you visit Denver for the first time?
The climate in Denver is semi-arid. And as the capital of Colorado lies at the foot of the Rockies, it is generally well protected from the bad weather that comes from the west. The result: 300 days of sunshine a year! It's a dream come true ^^
Unless you like snow and cold, it's best toavoid visiting Denver between November and February. That said, you can still enjoy the snow in the Rockies, particularly in Estes Park, which is only an hour and a half's drive (110km) from Denver. It's late October. It's 25 degrees, but temperatures are set to drop in early November with snow. Don't forget that Denver is at an altitude of 1,609 m!
May and June are the 2 months when the vegetation blooms in the neighbouring Rockies. And there aren't many tourists, just like in September and October. We therefore recommend that you choose one of these 4 months to visit Denver and enjoy the Rockies. July and August are hot months. These are the 2 months of the high season to avoid, unless of course you have no choice but to travel at another time of year.
1.2 How do I get to Denver?
There are no direct flights between Paris and Denver. Lufthansa, Delta, United Airlines, Iceland Air and Air France offer 1-stop flights. To get an idea of ticket prices for your next trip, don't hesitate to use skyscanner. We use it all the time! We also encourage you to read this article where we give you all our best advice for booking your plane tickets and flying at the right price.
Price of plane tickets Paris-Denver (AR)
Exceptional price: €430
Average price: €552
High price: €728
The cheapest months to visit Denver are February, May and November.
The most most expensive are July and August.
Once you've arrived at the airport, you'll need to get to Denver city centre. There are several options available:
Train: The 37-minute train to Denver Union Station costs $9 (37 km).
Bus: 5 different bus routes connect Denver. Departures are on the east side of the airport, on level 5, gate 511.
Car hire: If, like us, you were thinking of picking up your hire car directly from Denver airport, you're out of luck. Sixt, which we chose, like all its competitors, has hubs outside the airport area. As a result, we had to take a shuttle bus (1 per rental company) to get to the rental company free of charge in 15 minutes. The reception was very pleasant and it was a pleasure to be upgraded. We still prefer a Mercedes SUV to a Kia ^^
2. Where to stay in Denver?
The problem with accommodation in large American cities like Denver is that prices tend to soar quickly in the city centre, especially when there are events. And there are a lot of them in Denver, all year round.
So we had to compromise and find a hotel that was comfortable and not too far from the city centre. In American parlance, that means a 15-20 minute drive ^^ By getting to the centre from the hotel, you get to walk through neighbourhoods you wouldn't have seen otherwise.
The hotel we chose was theRadisson Central Denver Hotel (booking to compare). Our room was comfortable but the problem with this hotel is that it is located at a motorway junction. The traffic noise is just infernal. It's better if you change rooms and go to the 3rd floor on the car park side. It's unbelievable that a hotel in this category only has single-glazed windows, just like in an ordinary motel! As a result, there's no soundproofing or acoustic insulation. If you can't stand noise, you know which side to sleep on.
As for breakfast, it's very classic. No pastries.
To book this or any other establishment in Denver, we advise you to use booking. In the United States, prices are much cheaper than on the establishments' official websites. We had to book our room at the Radisson on the booking site (at €138 per night) directly in front of the hotel counter because there was an €82 difference on the advertised room rate. The rate advertised by the hotelier opposite us was €220 per night for the same room!
3. Programme for visiting Denver in 48 hours
Day 1
Morning in historic Lower Downtown (LoDo)
Noon: The Denver Central Market
Afternoon: Visit to the RiNo district
Evening: Larimer street, dinner
Day 2: Morning
Morning: 16th street, shopping and the Colorado Capitol district
Afternoon: Red Rocks Amphitheatre
4. Our 3 favourites in Denver
4.1 Exploring the LoDo district
Historic Lower Downtown(LoDo) is Denver's must-see neighbourhood. It's the city centre with its tall towers. Beyond these skyscrapers, the district is very lively and contemporary art is everywhere. As a result, wandering around the district is rather pleasant. A nice surprise!
You might even come face to face with a big blue bear in front of the Colorado Convention Center at 700 14th Street.
In the alleyways between 14th St and 15th St, like us, you may come across hundreds of cat sculptures installed by artist Kelly Monico (the cats meow too ^^) all over the façades of buildings. It's a real eye-opener, but it also makes the alleyways around Square Larimer seem less sad. In Rue Larimer, don't miss the trendy boutiques and restaurants.
What we love about Denver's LoDo district is 16th St, the city centre's pedestrianised shopping avenue linking Union Station and the Capitol. As always, the street is miles long. The city of Denver had the good idea of introducing a free bus service for everyone.
The train station is one of Denver's most emblematic and historic buildings. Union Station was built in 1875 and is still in use today. Completely renovated, it now houses cosy cafés, chic restaurantsand a hotel. It's a great place to enjoy a croissant and a good cup of coffee!
The Colorado Capitol is at the other end of 16th St. It's well worth a visit to both sites. The green spaces and parks surrounding the Capitol are reminiscent of those in Montreal, with its ever-interesting squirrels.
If you want to walk from the LoDo district to the RiNo district, you can either take your car or walk to the Denver baseball stadium called Coors Field, on Wynkoop St., which is just around the corner from the Capitol.
4.2 Exploring the RiNo district
Visiting Denver also means going in search of its murals. As in Montreal, street art is an integral part of the urban landscape. The best place to find a lot of it is in the RiNo neighbourhood (River North Art District). It's all around the Denver Central Market, which is located on Larimer st at no. 2669 at the intersection of 27th.
You park your car and then wander from one street to the next in the middle of a district with both houses and old warehouses and red-brick factories that have been renovated. You'll find plenty of trendy boutiques, art galleries, brasseries and restaurants.
For lunch in this trendy district, we recommend you try one of the crafts on offer at the Denver Central Market. Everything is local, everything is good
Art is everywhere in the streets of Denver, not just in this district, but that's where we saw the most of it. As we wander around the city, we regularly come across monumental or discreet works of art.
Follow our adventures on Instagram too
4.3. Visit the Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Here's our 3rd Denver favourite, located outside the city in the foothills of the Rockies: the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This site can be a stopover on the way toEstes Park. With its 10,000 tiered seats, it is the largest open-air stage in the United States, with a view over the entire city of Denver and the entire plain of the South Platte River.
The Red Rocks Amphitheatre is also a favourite with joggers. Not a bad place to do your exercise when you think that the Beatles played here in 1964, as well as the Rolling Stones, U2, etc.
To conclude this trip to Denver,
Visiting Denver means visiting a typically American city. We've confined ourselves to outdoor visits, but you can find out more on the Get Your Guide site for other indoor and outdoor activities, some of which are guided.
Next stop: Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains
Full itinerary: Road trip in the American West
