Arriving

By Plane -- Boulder doesn't have a commercial airport. Air travelers must fly into Denver International Airport and then make ground connections to Boulder, a trip of about an hour.

Getting To & From the Airport -- The SuperShuttle Boulder (tel. 303/227-0000) leaves Denver International Airport hourly from 8am to 11pm, and Boulder hourly between 3:30am and 9:30pm, with fewer departures on holidays. Scheduled pickups in Boulder are at the University of Colorado campus and area hotels; pickups from other locations are made on call. The one-way fare from a scheduled pickup point to the airport is $20 per person, or $26 for residential pickup service from other points; children 8 and under ride free.

Boulder Yellow Cab (tel. 303/777-7777) charges $70 one-way to the airport for up to five passengers.

Buses operated by the Regional Transportation District, known locally as RTD (tel. 800/366-7433 or 303/299-6000, TDD 303/299-6089), charge $10 for a one-way trip to the airport (exact change required). Buses leave from, and return to, the main terminal at 14th and Walnut streets daily every hour from before 4am to after midnight.

Boulder Limousine Service (tel. 303/449-5466) charges $100 to $250 to take up to three people from Boulder to DIA in a limousine.

By Car -- The Boulder Turnpike (U.S. 36) branches off I-25 north of Denver and passes through the suburbs of Westminster, Broomfield, and Louisville before reaching Boulder. The trip takes about 30 minutes. If you are coming from Denver International Airport, E-470 west to I-25 south is the best route to U.S. 36.

If you're arriving from the north, take the Longmont exit from I-25 and follow Colo. 119 all the way. Longmont is 7 miles due west of the freeway; Boulder is another 15 miles southwest on the Longmont Diagonal Highway.

Visitor Information

The Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2440 Pearl St. (at Folsom St.), Boulder, CO 80302 (tel. 800/444-0447 or 303/442-2911), is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30am to 5pm, Friday from 8:30am to 4pm, and can provide excellent maps, brochures, and general information on the city.

There are also visitor information kiosks on Pearl Street Mall and at the Davidson Mesa overlook, several miles southeast of Boulder on U.S. 36. Brochures are available at both sites year-round.

City Layout

The north-south streets increase in number going from west to east, beginning with 3rd Street. (The eastern city limit is at 61st St., although the numbers continue to the Boulder County line at 124th St. in Broomfield.) Where U.S. 36 enters Boulder (and does a 45-degree turn to the north), it becomes 28th Street, a major commercial artery. The Longmont Diagonal Highway (Colo. 119) enters Boulder from the northeast and intersects 28th Street at the north end of the city.

To reach downtown Boulder from U.S. 36, turn west on Canyon Boulevard (Colo. 119 west) and north on Broadway, which would be 12th Street if it had a number. It's 2 blocks to the Pearl Street Mall, a 4-block, east-west pedestrian-only strip from 11th to 15th streets that constitutes the historic downtown district. Boulder's few one-way streets circle the mall: 13th and 15th streets are one-way north, 11th and 14th one-way south, Walnut Street (a block south of the mall) one-way east, and Spruce Street (a block north) one-way west.

Broadway continues across the mall, eventually joining U.S. 36 north of the city. South of Arapahoe Avenue, Broadway turns southeast, skirting the University of Colorado campus and becoming Colo. 93 (the Foothills Hwy. to Golden) after crossing Baseline Road. Baseline follows a straight line from east Boulder, across U.S. 36 and Broadway, past Chautauqua Park and up the mountain slopes. To the south, Table Mesa Drive takes a similar course.

The Foothills Parkway (not to be confused with the Foothills Hwy.) is the principal north-south route on the east side of Boulder, extending from U.S. 36 at Table Mesa Drive to the Longmont Diagonal; Arapahoe Avenue, a block south of Canyon Boulevard, continues east across 28th Street as Arapahoe Road.

Getting Around

By Public Transportation -- The Regional Transportation District, known as the RTD (tel. 800/366-7433 or 303/299-6000), provides bus service throughout Boulder as well as the Denver greater metropolitan area. The Boulder Transit Center, 14th and Walnut streets, is open Monday through Friday from 5am to midnight and Saturday and Sunday from 6am to midnight. Fares within the city are $1.50 for adults and children (75¢ for seniors and passengers with disabilities; children under 6 ride free). Schedules are available at the Transit Center, the Chamber of Commerce, and other locations. Buses are wheelchair accessible.

The city of Boulder runs a shuttle bus service called the HOP (tel. 303/447-8282), connecting downtown, University Hill, the University of Colorado, and 30th and Pearl. The HOP operates Monday through Thursday from 7am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday from 9am to 10pm, and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. While the University of Colorado is in session, the night HOP runs Friday and Saturday from 10pm to 3am. Buses run about every 8 to 15 minutes during the day, every 15 to 20 minutes at night; the fare is $1.50 (75¢ for seniors).

The RTD runs a complementary local shuttle, the SKIP, Monday through Friday from 5:09am to 12:30am, Saturday from 7:30am to 12:30am, and Sunday from 7:18am to 11pm. Buses run north and south along Broadway, with a loop through the west Table Mesa neighborhood, every 6 to 10 minutes during peak weekday times and less frequently in the evenings and on weekends.

By Car -- The American Automobile Association (AAA) has an office at 1933 28th St., #200 (tel. 303/753-8800). It's open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Car Rentals -- Most people who fly to Colorado land at Denver International Airport and rent a car there. To rent a car in Boulder, contact Avis (tel. 800/331-1212), Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000), Enterprise (tel. 800/736-8222), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), or National (tel. 888/227-7368).

Parking -- Most downtown streets have parking meters, with rates of about 25¢ per 20 minutes. Downtown parking lots cost $1 to $3 for 3 hours. Parking can be hard to find around the Pearl Street Mall, but new lots have eased the pain. Outside downtown, free parking is generally available on side streets.

By Bicycle -- Boulder is a wonderful place for bicycling; there are bike paths throughout the city and an extensive trail system leading for miles beyond Boulder's borders.

You can rent and repair mountain bikes and buy trail and city maps at University Bicycles, 839 Pearl St., about 2 blocks west of the Pearl Street Mall (tel. 303/444-4196), and Full Cycle, 1211 13th St., near the campus (tel. 303/440-7771). Bike rentals cost $20 to $80 daily. Maps and other information are also available at the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2440 Pearl St. (tel. 303/442-2911).

By Taxi -- Boulder Yellow Cab (tel. 303/777-7777) operates 24 hours, but you need to call for service -- there are no taxi stands, and taxis won't stop for you on the street. Another company that serves Boulder is Metro Taxi (tel. 303/333-3333).

On Foot -- You can walk to most of what's worth seeing in downtown Boulder, especially around the Pearl Street Mall and University of Colorado campus. Historic Boulder, Inc., 4735 Walnut St. (tel. 303/444-5192), can provide advice about exploring the city's historic neighborhoods on foot. It prints a brochure, Walking Tours of Boulder, that's available for $3.50 at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2440 Pearl St.