Colorado's "Mile High City" sits on a plain nestled against the Rocky Mountains which provide a dramatic view from the window of your Denver flight as you land. Denver balances big-city life with a love of the great outdoors. Here’s where you'll find the nation’s largest city park system, 90 golf courses, about 650 miles of paved bike trails, and a mile-long pedestrian promenade in downtown.
A must-see list, once you step off your Denver flight, would include the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the world’s second-largest performing arts centre, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, an open-air natural theatre and the setting for thousands of rock and classical concerts and the Denver Art Museum which has one of the most impressive collections of Western art in the US and an excellent American Indian collection.
The trendy historic district is Lower Downtown, called LoDo. Carefully restored Victorian buildings are now homes to jazz clubs, art galleries, restaurants, and shops. LoDo, the city's birthplace, is the trendiest part of the city and the heart of Denver's night scene.
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Denver is flat and, with the Rockies just 15 miles to the west, has a mild climate with more than 300 days of sunshine a year. Colorado weather is famous for its fluctuations, during any season and any day, which also means that most weather conditions are temporary. The average temperatures in January range from the mid-teens to the low single digits (about 4 degrees Celsius) and in July from the mid-teens to the 30s.
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Peak Season:
Summer offers the best chance for good weather with the warmest temperatures, and the wildflowers are at their peak in July and August. Ski season runs from mid-November to mid-April.
Off Season:
Spring and autumn are when you’re more likely to find a cheap flight to Denver. There’s a chance of snow, but it will probably melt quickly. Spring is typically colourful and wet where autumn is usually dry. September is the time to catch the leaves change colour and is the favourite time of year for many locals.
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Denver International Airport (DEN) (website: www.flydenver.com)
Distance: 37km (23 miles) northeast
Drive time: 35-45 mins.
Buses, taxis, and limousines provide transport between the airport and downtown, and most major car-rental companies have outlets at the airport. Information on skyRide and the hotel shuttles is available on the Ground Transportation page of the airport website. As many major hotels are some distance from the airport, check the availability and cost of hotel shuttle services when making your reservations.
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Downtown Denver is easy to get around both on foot and using public transport. A free bus service runs the length of the 16th Street Mall, stopping at two-block intervals. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) — called The Ride — operates bus routes and a light-rail system, with free transfer tickets. There’s good service within Denver, its suburbs, and outlying communities (including Boulder, Longmont, and Evergreen).
For sightseeing, the open-air Platte Valley Trolley runs a half-hour "Denver Sightseeing Route" from June through October.
If you plan to spend time outside of Denver, you’ll need a car. Because you can get around Denver so easily without one, you may want to rent a car only for those out-of-town excursion days. Parking spots are usually easy to find downtown. In winter, keep in mind that driving conditions can be treacherous, and, as with all US cities, it’s best to avoid driving during rush hour traffic.
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- The Colorado State Capitol has murals depicting the history of water in the state on the walls of the first-floor rotunda. On the first floor, the west lobby hosts revolving temporary exhibits. When you stand on the 18th step of the State Capitol, you are 1.6km (5,280 feet or one mile) above sea level.
- Two museums of interest are Museo de las Americas, showing the artistic and cultural achievements of Latinos in the Americas, and the Colorado History Museum, with exhibits including Ancient Voices, a look at Colorado’s ancient peoples through artifacts and film, and Soldiers on Skis, the story of WWII soldiers who trained for battle in the Colorado Rockies.
- One of the top five US botanical gardens is here. The Denver Botanic Gardens are 23 acres of local, Australian, African, and Himalayan flora.
- There are 80 different beers brewed in the Denver area. Coors Brewing Company offers free tours, with stops in the sampling areas. The tours are limited and conducted on a first-come first-served basis, so you may want to get there early. The brewery is in Golden, about 30 minutes from Denver.
- When you ask for directions, people usually instruct you to “turn west off of” or “then go south” and so on. Just remember that everything is Denver is relative to the mountains, and that the mountains are west of the city.
- For gifts to take back home, take a look at fossils. Fossils tend to cost less in Denver because they are more abundant here than in other places.
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