Denver · 3-day itinerary
3 Days in Denver: A Grown-Up Itinerary
Three days in Denver gives you a museum day downtown, a day around Union Station and RiNo, and a morning at Red Rocks or in Boulder, with a good dinner and a proper cocktail every evening.
- Day 1
- Denver Art Museum, Clyfford Still Museum, dinner and jazz at Dazzle, the Cruise Room
- Day 2
- Union Station, Larimer Square, Tavernetta, Death & Co, Williams & Graham
- Day 3
- Red Rocks, afternoon tea at the Brown Palace, Guard and Grace
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Day 1: Art and jazz
Avoid Wednesdays, when the Denver Art Museum is closed.
Morning
Denver Art Museum
100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Golden Triangle
Allow a couple of hours for the main campus.
One ticket covers the whole campus: the Hamilton and Martin buildings and The Kirkland's decorative-arts collection. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 p.m. on Tuesdays); closed Wednesdays.
Afternoon
Clyfford Still Museum
1250 Bannock St, Golden Triangle
A short walk away, and a calm hour after the big museum.
A museum given over to a single Abstract Expressionist painter, a short walk from the Denver Art Museum. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays. Buy tickets online.
Dinner
Dazzle
Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1080 14th St
Dinner during the early set.
Denver's flagship jazz club, now in the city's Performing Arts Complex, with shows seven nights a week (around 70 a month), a full dinner menu and a Sunday jazz brunch.
Late
The Cruise Room
The Oxford Hotel, 1600 17th St
A martini in the Art Deco room.
An Art Deco martini bar modelled on the Queen Mary, opened in 1933 the day after Prohibition ended and billed as Denver's longest continuously operating bar. Open from 4 p.m. daily (until 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, 10 p.m. Sunday); walk-ins only.
Day 2: Union Station to RiNo
A slow day in LoDo, then the city's best cocktail bars.
Late morning
Terminal Bar at Union Station
Denver Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St
Coffee or a drink in the old ticket office, then look round the Great Hall.
Craft cocktails and Colorado beers in the restored former ticket office off the Great Hall of Union Station (opened 1881, rebuilt 1914, reimagined in 2014). Open daily from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; no reservations.
Afternoon
Larimer Square
1400 block of Larimer St
Browse the historic block.
Denver's historic showpiece block, lined with restaurants, bars and independent shops. An easy stroll before or after dinner in LoDo.
Dinner
Tavernetta
1889 16th St, beside Union Station
Handmade pasta beside the station.
Handmade pasta and an Italian-led wine list a few steps from Union Station. Dinner daily from 5 to 10 p.m., lunch on weekdays, and happy hour every day from 3 to 6 p.m.
Evening
Death & Co Denver
The Ramble Hotel, 1280 25th St, RiNo
A short ride to RiNo.
The New York cocktail bar's Denver outpost, inside the Ramble Hotel. Open from 3 p.m. daily (until 11 p.m., 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday); walk-ins welcome, with limited reservations.
Late
Williams & Graham
3160 Tejon St, LoHi
Finish in the Highlands; book your slot.
One of Denver's most celebrated cocktail bars: more than 60 classics and originals and 500-plus spirits in a warm, low-lit room. 21+, open daily 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.; reservations recommended, with a two-hour window.
Day 3: Red Rocks and the Brown Palace
The foothills in the morning, old Denver in the afternoon.
Morning
Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
Morrison (about 30 minutes west)
Heads-up: I-70 bridge repairs near Kipling St are causing delays; allow extra time.
Walk the amphitheatre and the trails before any concert closure.
An amphitheatre set into giant red sandstone rocks, opened in 1941. The park is open from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset and is free to walk, with a visitor center and trails; concert tickets are sold through AXS.
Afternoon
Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace
The Brown Palace, 321 17th St
Tea in the Grand Atrium; reserve ahead.
Scones, tea sandwiches and pastries under the stained-glass ceiling of the Grand Atrium, which turns into a cocktail lounge at night. Tea is served daily until 4 p.m. (from noon on weekdays, late morning at weekends); book ahead.
Dinner
Guard and Grace
1801 California St
A steakhouse finale; dress up a little.
Chef Troy Guard's modern downtown steakhouse. Dinner daily from 4 to 10:30 p.m.; the dress code is casual elegance (no athletic wear, hats or printed T-shirts).
Swaps
- Rather hike than see the rocks? Swap day 3's morning for Chautauqua Park and the Flatirons in Boulder.
- Want an Old West dinner? Swap Guard and Grace for the Buckhorn Exchange, serving since 1893.
- After tea, stay on at the Brown Palace for a drink in the Ship Tavern (piano at weekends).
- Prefer a show? The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is next door to Dazzle.
Chautauqua Park and the Flatirons, Boulder
900 Baseline Rd, Boulder (about 40 minutes)
The historic Colorado Chautauqua sits at the foot of the Flatirons, with about 40 miles of trails into the foothills and the Chautauqua Dining Hall for lunch. Pair it with an afternoon in downtown Boulder.
Tip: Denver is a mile high: drink plenty of water and take the first hike easy.
Buckhorn Exchange
1000 Osage St, Lincoln Park
An Old West steakhouse, Western museum and National Historic Landmark, serving since 1893. Steaks, buffalo, elk and Colorado lamb; dinner nightly.
Tip: It's five minutes from downtown by rideshare or light rail.
Ship Tavern at the Brown Palace
The Brown Palace, 321 17th St
A Denver favourite since 1934 inside the Brown Palace, with hearty food, whiskey-forward cocktails and strong pours, plus live piano at weekends.
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th St
Eight theatres under one roof, from the Buell (touring Broadway shows) to the DCPA Theatre Company's own productions. Check what's on for your dates and pair it with dinner at Dazzle next door.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Hours change with the seasons and concert calendars, so confirm before you go.
Questions people ask
Is 3 days in Denver enough?
Yes. It covers the museums, LoDo, a jazz night, the best cocktail bars and a morning at Red Rocks, at a relaxed pace.
Do you need a car in Denver?
Not in the city: the airport train runs to Union Station and downtown is walkable. Rent a car or book a tour for Red Rocks and Boulder.
When is the best time to visit Denver?
Late spring to early autumn for the Red Rocks concert season and the foothills; the holiday season is lovely for the Brown Palace and the theatres.