The Best Weekend Trip To Denver Itinerary For 2023

Denver is 1 of the astir unsocial cities successful the USA and is packed with things to spot and do.

The mile precocious metropolis is known for its unthinkable upland views, buzzing sports culture, fascinating museums and truthful overmuch more.

There’s truthful overmuch to spot and bash successful a play travel to Denver, nary substance your sensation and style.

If you’re readying a play travel successful the Mile High City, present are immoderate ideas connected however to marque the astir of your time.

The Mile High City

Why sojourn Denver?

Denver maintains an aerial of the unknown; astir visitors lone spot it connected their mode to oregon from the legendary skis resorts successful the Colorado Rocky Mountains – if they spot it astatine all.

It does not person the robust tourism manufacture of immoderate different American cities, but it is simply a metropolis with caller surprises waiting to beryllium discovered by the intrepid traveler.

First and foremost, Denver is an progressive city. It is consistently ranked astatine the apical of ‘healthiest city‘ lists and it is the superior metropolis of the slightest obese authorities successful the United States.

Denver residents emotion the outdoors and instrumentality vantage of the abundant sunshine and entree to satellite people hiking trails, cycling, rafting, stone climbing, and skiing successful their ain backyard.

Not to notation it’s 1 of the highest cities successful North America, measuring astatine an altitude of 1,600 meters supra oversea level (now you cognize wherefore it’s called the Mile High City!).

Denver

Denver is simply a metropolis that seeks adventure, and the champion mode to acquisition Denver is to get extracurricular – tally the trails, rhythm the roads, oregon instrumentality a kayak down the rapids that tally close done the mediate of downtown.

A Weekend Trip to Denver Itinerary

Below you volition find a suggested itinerary for a play travel successful Denver. You tin power these astir according to your sensation and question plans.

Day 1

Start your time with a sojourn to the Denver Botanic Gardens. This beauteous oasis successful the bosom of the metropolis features implicit 50 gardens dispersed crossed 24 acres.

Take a leisurely stroll done the grounds and bask the assorted flora connected display.

After lunch, caput to the Denver Art Museum. This world-renowned depository has an unthinkable postulation of implicit 70,000 works of creation from astir the world.

Be definite to cheque retired the Western creation collection, which features pieces that item the past and civilization of the American West.

Finish up your archetypal time successful Denver with a sojourn to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. This iconic outdoor venue is world-famous for its earthy acoustics and stunning setting.

If you’re fortunate capable to drawback a performance portion you’re successful town, you’re successful for a treat. If not, simply taking successful the views is an acquisition successful itself.

Day 2

Denver Museum of Nature & Science

On the 2nd day, commencement your time with a travel to the Denver Zoo. This 80-acre zoo is location to implicit 4,000 animals from astir the world. Highlights see the Predator Ridge exhibit, the Primate Panorama, and the Tropical Discovery exhibit.

After lunch, caput to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. This fascinating depository features a assortment of exhibits connected everything from dinosaurs to abstraction exploration. Be definite to cheque retired the Planetarium and the IMAX theatre portion you’re there.

Finish up your play successful Denver with a sojourn to Larimer Square. This historical artifact of Victorian buildings is location to immoderate of the city’s champion shops, restaurants, and nightlife. Take a stroll down the thoroughfare and soak up the atmosphere.

If You Have More Time…

If the attractions successful the supra play itinerary don’t suit you, oregon if you person much clip astatine your disposal, past possibly you whitethorn similar to sojourn immoderate of these places…

• RiNo (River North Art District) – a vibrant territory known for its thoroughfare creation murals and modern creation galleries. If you’re an creation lover, beryllium definite to rotation astir this neighborhood. You tin adjacent popular into Denver Central Market and get immoderate picnic items and caput implicit to City Park for a picnic.
• Colorado State Capitol Building – determination are escaped guided tours connected weekdays, truthful if you program your play to beryllium a midweek trip, past see taking a escaped circuit of the building.
• Union Station – ok, you mightiness deliberation that it’s conscionable a station, but it’s 1 of the prettiest bid stations I’ve seen. If you’re traveling into downtown Denver from the airport, chances are you volition find your mode present anyway.
• 16th Street Mall – this is simply a mile agelong pedestrianised buying thoroughfare that’s a large spot to bash immoderate shopping. If you’re looking for a buying spree weekend, this is the spot to go.
• Rocky Mountain National Park – this is the astir fashionable time travel from Denver but it truly does instrumentality a afloat day. There are truthful galore hiking trails and monuments to see, you request to springiness it a afloat day.
• Great Sand Dunes National Park – location to the tallest soil dunes successful North America. It’s a bully 3 hr thrust each way, truthful again, you volition request to program a afloat time to sojourn here.
• Pikes Peak and Gardens of the Gods – these are 2 attractions that showcase the beauteous mountainous quality astir Denver but lone wrong an hr thrust of the city. If you’re readying a travel to Denver connected way from Colorado Springs, this is thing you tin halt implicit and spot connected the way.
• Colorado Springs – known for its blistery springs, though personally I deliberation Colorado Springs is simply a destination that deserves a play travel successful its ain right.
• Keystone – this is simply a unsocial place. It’s an unincorporated community and is besides location to the largest magnitude of skis terrain successful Colorado, truthful if you’re readying a travel successful the winter, you mightiness privation to see a sojourn to Keystone afterwards.

Where to Eat successful Denver

I’ll beryllium the archetypal to admit that Denver is not a nutrient city; nutrient is simply not 1 of the city’s strengths. But determination are inactive plentifulness of unsocial Denver cuisines to effort and restaurants to visit.

Mexican nutrient and chaotic crippled are section specialties, with greenish chile being the quintessential Denver ingredient.

Rocky Mountain oysters (deep fried bull testicles) are a determination delicacy, though we usually lone bid it for our out-of-town guests to ticker them squirm.

• Tocabe – An American Indian eatery wherever the speciality is fry breadstuff tacos served with shredded bison. Topped with hominy and maize salsas, these tacos are dissimilar immoderate others.
• Little Man Ice Cream – this is the champion spot to prime up immoderate homemade crystal cream. It’s unfastened until midnight, truthful don’t consciousness similar this is lone a daytime thing.
• Cherry Cricket – A landmark dive bar/burger associated that stands arsenic the lone blue-collar associated successful the Tony Cherry Creek neighborhood. It is simply a favourite of locals and visitors alike and offers immoderate of the champion greenish chili cheeseburgers successful town.
• Biker Jim’s – A nutrient cart-turned-brick-and-mortar restaurant, Biker Jim’s serves up the champion sausages successful town. Meats similar pheasant, bison, reindeer, chaotic boar, and rattlesnake are seasoned and stuffed into sausage earlier being topped with pick food and onions caramelized successful Coca-Cola.
• Santiago’s – This ubiquitous Denver-based Mexican concatenation is simply a staple for metropolis residents. The nutrient is authentic, the prices are cheap, and the greenish chile is blistery – conscionable the mode Denver locals similar it.
• Buckhorn Exchange – Denver’s oldest edifice proudly displays liquor licence #0001. The Buckhorn Exchange specializes successful chaotic crippled including ostrich, yak, elk, quail, bison, and alligator. The walls are covered with aged occidental memorabilia and stuffed carnal heads from each implicit the world.

Where to Drink successful Denver

Linger Denver rooftop bar

Denver is simply a brew city. It perpetually ranks arsenic 1 of the apical brew cities successful the federation and plays big to the Great American Beer Festival.

Even the erstwhile politician (and existent Colorado governor) is simply a erstwhile brew pub operator. Because of this, determination are plentifulness of large places to portion brew successful Denver.

• Wynkoop Brewing – The archetypal brewpub successful Denver, founded by now-Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper. Wynkoop offers large beers and an unthinkable ambiance successful an aged ceramic warehouse successful the bosom of the Lodo neighborhood.
• Great Divide – One of the oldest and largest breweries successful Denver and located close downtown. Tours and pat country tastings are offered each time of the week.
• Williams & Graham – Denver’s newest speakeasy offers a prohibition-style secretive drinking constitution (you participate done a faux-bookshelf door). Classy cocktails are served the old-fashioned mode with manus chipped crystal and panache from immoderate of Denver’s champion bartenders.

Best Area for a Night connected the Town successful Denver

Lodo is simply a fashionable spot for the young and the young astatine heart. Bars similar The Sports Column, The Tavern, and Jackson’s battalion their rooftop patios aft Colorado Rockies shot games portion locals and visitors alike capable the upscale clubs and restaurants that enactment the fronts of Blake and Market streets.

While Lodo has the densest attraction of bars, restaurants, and clubs, each vicinity has its ain commercialized portion giving visitors a large mode to get a sensation of section Denver life.

Highland Square, Pearl Street, Colfax Avenue, Lohi, and South Broadway each supply refreshing section alternate nightlife scenes.

Where to Stay successful Denver

Ritz Carlton Denver

The Brown Palace – An elegant and historical edifice successful the bosom of downtown. It has played big to presidents, royalty, and popular icons. For those specified arsenic myself who can’t spend the elegant prices that travel with it, a sojourn to the day beverage ceremonial successful the lobby is simply a suitable alternative.

The Curtis – A overmuch much affordable edifice that offers a unsocial and whimsical alternate to the precocious people of The Brown Palace. Each level has a unsocial popular civilization taxable (think 1 deed wonders, sci-fi, etc.) that is carried done to each of the rooms.

The Crawford Hotel – A beauteous four-star edifice with a cleanable determination successful the bosom of Denver’s CBD district. It’s sheek and modern, and chiefly caters to couples implicit ample groups. It’s the cleanable spot to enactment if you’re readying a romanticist play successful Denver.

We person besides stayed astatine and loved the Aloft Hotel on 15th Street, the Hilton Homewood suites on 15th Street and the Ritz Carlton on Curtis Street.

Shopping successful Denver

Larimer Square is simply a unsocial Victorian epoch thoroughfare that offers boutique buying and eating successful Lodo. Just a fewer blocks distant sits Rockmount Ranchwear, providing a one-of-a-kind buying experience.

Rockmount introduced the archetypal Western benignant drawback fastener shirts and is inactive the premier supplier of the iconic covering to clients successful Hollywood and each astir the world.

Just down the thoroughfare from Rockmount Ranchwear is The Tattered Cover Bookstore. Located successful an aged warehouse, the autarkic bookstore is 1 of the largest of its kind.

It’s an incredibly atmospheric store with past hardwood floors, exposed bricks, and plentifulness of comfy chairs and hidden corners to settee into with a bully book.

Best Time of Year to Visit Denver

Late summertime successful Denver is spectacular. In aboriginal September, the metropolis is inactive successful afloat connected summer-mode with residents flocking to the outdoor cafes, rooftop patios and the parks successful the largest nationalist parkland strategy successful the United States.

But wrong a abbreviated drive, the mountains are opening to amusement the signs of autumn. This is the clip erstwhile the aspen leaves flash their vibrant golden hues, lighting up the slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

Visiting successful precocious summertime provides visitors with the champion of summertime and autumn successful Colorado.

Getting To and Around Denver

Love getting astir connected a motorcycle successful Denver

Denver is incredibly isolated – the closest large cities are Phoenix and Dallas which are some much than 14 hours distant by car.

Thankfully, Denver has 1 of the largest and busiest airports successful the United States. Three large airlines usage Denver International Airport arsenic a hub – United, Frontier, and Southwest. This contention helps support the prices successful and retired of Denver comparatively cheap.

When it comes to getting around, Denver has a broad autobus strategy and an expanding airy obstruction and commuter obstruction network, but the astir amusive signifier of nationalist proscription is by bike, which you tin root from Denver’s assemblage bicycles.

Denver was the archetypal metropolis successful the United States to find sustained occurrence utilizing the bicycle arsenic a large-scale signifier of nationalist transportation, and bicycle sharing stations person been popping up each implicit the metropolis since.

For conscionable a fewer dollars, guests tin prime up a bicycle astatine 1 of the check-out stations and thrust it each implicit municipality earlier checking it backmost successful to different station.

You tin besides get an Uber from spot to place, though this is much expensive.

Final Thoughts connected a 2-Day Denver Itinerary

I emotion Denver due to the fact that the metropolis seeks adventure.

Work comes 2nd to play arsenic residents instrumentality ‘powder days’ disconnected from enactment to deed the slopes connected exceptionally bully snowfall days, battalion their backpacks for extended camping trips, oregon strive to acme each 1 of Colorado’s 53 14,000 ft (4260 meter) mountains.

Denver offers the champion of some worlds with each the amenities of the large metropolis and the Rocky Mountains arsenic its backyard.

I anticipation this usher gives you immoderate inspiration for however to program your play getaway successful Denver!