The capital of Colorado has all grown up and we have found the best places to eat, drink, stay and visit.
1. Why the train station should be your first stop
Union Station is a grand gateway to Denver, just 37 minutes from the airport on the cheap and efficient A-Line train. Built in 1914, the Beaux-Arts station was lovingly refurbished in 2014, and is the undisputed heart of Denver’s revitalised Lower Downtown district (LoDo to locals). Step out into the opulent Great Hall, lined with white marble and arched windows, and depending on the time of day grab a cocktail at the classy Cooper Lounge, or brunch at Snooze AM Eatery, a cool diner with a creative, modern menu. Rocky Mountaineer’s Rockies to Red Rocks train departs here for a two-night luxury train journey to Moab, Utah, and every Friday to Sunday in winter, skiers board the Winter Park Express for the equally scenic two-hour trip to Denver’s closest major ski resort.
2. The city’s coolest district
LoDo was once considered no-go. Originally the city’s mercantile district, the area became something of a skid row before the construction of the major league baseball stadium Coors Field kicked off a renaissance in the 1990s. Bars, restaurants and office workers moved into the old red-brick warehouses, and the transformation was fully realised in 2021 with the opening of McGregor Square, a public plaza spanning an entire block opposite the ballpark. Bust your moves on the beautiful ice-skating rink in winter, or take the free 16th Street Mallride shuttle from Union Station to historic Larimar Square, a shopping and entertainment hot spot full of stately Victorian buildings.
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