All About Denver
Guide Sections
Getting There
Air
Denver International Airport (DIA) +1 303 342 2000 http://www.flydenver.com
DIA is located 25 miles from downtown and services the following airlines:
Air Canada (+1 888 247 2262 / http://www.aircanada.com) American Airlines (+1 800 433 7300 / http://www.aa.com) British Airways (+1 800 403 0882 / http://www.britishairways.com) Continental (+1 800 523 3273 / http://www.continental.com) Delta (+1 800 221 1212 / http://www.delta.com) Frontier (+1 800 432 1359 / http://www.frontierairlines.com) jetBlue (+1 800 538 2583 / http://www.jetblue.com) Lufthansa (+1 800 645 3880 / http://cms.lufthansa.com) Northwest/KLM (+1 800 225 2525 / http://www.nwa.com) Southwest Airlines (+1 800 435 9792/ http://www.southwest.com) United Airlines (+1 800 864 8331 / http://www.ual.com) US Airways (+1 800 428 4322 / http://www.usairways.com)
Airport Parking Service:
PCA Parking (Park 'N Fly) (+1 800 763 6895 / http://www.pnfnetwork.com)
From the Airport
Shuttle: SuperShuttle (+1 800 525 3177 / +1 303 370 1300/ http://www.supershuttledenver.com) BlueSky (+1 303 300 2626 / http://www.blueskyshuttle.net)
Bus: The Regional Transportation District (RTD) (+1 800 366-7433 / +1 303 299 6000; http://www.rtd-denver.com) provides public transportation in the form of the "luxury" SkyRide.
Train
Amtrak (+1 800 872 7245 / http://www.amtrak.com) has daily service to and from Denver via the California Zephyr to points west (San Francisco/ Reno/ Salt Lake City) and points east (Omaha/ Chicago).
Shuttle
CME - Colorado Mountain Express (+1 800 525 6363 / +1 970 926 9800/http://www.ridecme.com/)
Bus
Greyhound (+1 303 293 6555 / http://www.greyhound.com) arrives and departs to and from various locations across the US and Canada at the central bus station located at 1055 19th Street in downtown.
Car
Interstate 25 running north/south and Interstate-70 running east/west intersect just north of downtown and are the major traveling arteries through the city. Although the city's grid street set up is easy to pilot, like many major cities traffic congestion can be a problem. During the peak summer months the roads fill with campers and RVs heading to the hills and in the winter the highways bog with ski traffic. If you are planning on driving south of the city to the DTC vicinity utilizing I-25 beware of the massive highway and light rail expansion aptly known as T-REX (+1 303 786 8739 / http://www.trexproject.com/). The project is going to drag out until sometime in 2006. Until then lane and road closures, detours, and slow-downs are routine.
Getting Around
Public Transit
RTD is Denver's public transit service and offers a variety of options for hobnobbing around town including regular bus service, light rail and shuttles.
If you are simply trying to get from one end of downtown to the other you can hop aboard the free 16th Street Mall Shuttle. It slogs a mile from the edge of Civic Center Park to LoDo passing outdoor cafes, theaters and shopping malls, stopping at every intersection (16 in all) along the way. It is not the fastest ride, but it beats walking for many people.
Light rail features two lines. The 13-mile C line (orange) snakes from Union Station in LoDo to the southern suburbs with 12 station stops including Elitch Gardens and the Pepsi Center. The 14-mile D line (green), with 20 stopping stations, wanders through the heart of downtown before following the C line into the depths of the south burbs.
Bike
One of the better ways to get around town is by bicycle. Denver is one of the friendliest pedal power environments on the globe, and it has a network of urban and designated street trails that is the envy of many a town.
The main segments are the east/west Cherry Creek Trail and north/south Platte River Trail. Both trails meander by popular attractions, and are paved, well lighted, safe and easy enough for the entire family. All of the city buses have bike racks if you plan to venture further a field.
Traffic Information
To find out city traffic information go to http://www.traffic.com
If traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out http://travel.state.gov/
Car
Although it is possible to explore the Denver using many forms of transport, like most western cities the car is king (or the SUV in this case). With a good map it is easy to navigate the city and mountain roads, but parking in the downtown vicinity and especially LoDo is difficult and expensive, so if you are headed that direction you might consider public transit or a taxi. Denver is served by three taxi companies: Freedom Cab (+1303 444 4444), Yellow Cab (+1 303 777 7777) and MetroTaxi (+1 303 333 3333). In most cases, you have to call them to come get you (hailing is infrequent).
Trolley
Gray Line's Cultural Connection Trolley (+1 800 348-6877 / +1 303 289 2841; http://www.coloradograyline.com) runs daily 8:30a-5:30p (Memorial Day to Labor Day) and stops at Denver's numerous attractions, including the zoo, Ocean Journey, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Cherry Creek Mall and the Botanic Gardens. A USD16 boarding fee is good for 24 hours and allows you to hop on and off at any location along the route. Passes are available on-line and at various hotels and attractions along the route.
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