Getting There

By Plane -- Denver International Airport (DIA) is 23 miles northeast of downtown, usually a 35- to 45-minute drive. Covering 53 square miles (twice the size of Manhattan), DIA boasts one of the tallest flight-control towers in the world, at 327 feet. The airport, which has 94 gates and six full-service runways, can handle around 33 million passengers annually.

Major national airlines serving Denver include American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Northwest, Southwest, Sun Country, United, and US Airways. International airlines include Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa, and Mexicana de Aviación.

Regional and commuter airlines connecting Denver with other points in the Rockies and Southwest include Alaska Airlines, Great Lakes Airlines, and Mesa.

For information, call the Denver International Airport information line (tel. 800/AIR-2-DEN or 303/342-2000; TDD 800/688-1333). Other important airport phone numbers include ground transportation, tel. 303/342-4059; vehicle assistance, including emergency car-start, tel. 303/342-4650; paging, tel. 303/342-2300; parking, tel. 303/342-7275; police, tel. 303/342-4212; and security wait times, tel. 303/342-8477.

Getting To & From The Airport -- Bus, taxi, and limousine services shuttle travelers between the airport and downtown, and most major car-rental companies have outlets at the airport. Because many major hotels are some distance from the airport, travelers should check on the availability and cost of hotel shuttle services when making reservations.

The city bus fare from the airport to downtown Denver is $8; from the airport to Boulder and suburban Park-n-Ride lots, it is about $10. The SuperShuttle (tel. 800/525-3177 or 303/370-1300) provides transportation to and from a number of hotels downtown and in the Denver Tech Center. The SuperShuttle has frequent scheduled service between the airport and downtown hotels for $18 per person each way; door-to-door service is also available. Taxi companies are another option, with fares generally in the $30-to-$50 range, and you can often share a cab and split the fare by calling the cab company ahead of time. For instance, Yellow Cab (tel. 303/777-7777) will take up to five people from DIA to most downtown hotels for a flat rate of $45.

Those who prefer a bit of luxury may call White Dove Limousine (tel. 800/910-7433 or 303/399-3683). Rates to different parts of the Denver metro area start around $75 but vary, so call for prices. The company operates sedan, stretch, and Hummer limousines, as well as a minibus. Charter services are also available.

By Car -- The principal highway routes into Denver are I-25 from the north (Fort Collins and Wyoming) and south (Colorado Springs and New Mexico), I-70 from the east (Burlington and Kansas) and west (Grand Junction and Utah), and I-76 from the northeast (Nebraska). If you're driving into Denver from Boulder, take U.S. 36; from Salida and southwest, U.S. 285.

By Train -- Amtrak serves Union Station, 17th and Wynkoop streets (tel. 800/USA-RAIL or 303/825-2583), in the lower downtown historic district.

By Bus -- Greyhound, 19th and Arapahoe streets (tel. 800/231-2222), is the major bus service in Colorado, with about 60 daily arrivals and departures to communities in and out of the state.

Visitor Information

The Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau operates a visitor center on the 16th Street Mall at 1600 California St. (tel. 303/892-1505). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. In summer, it is open until 6pm on weekdays, as well as on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm and Sundays from 11am to 3pm. Visitor information is also available at Denver International Airport. Ask for the Official Visitors Guide, a 150-plus-page full-color booklet with a comprehensive listing of accommodations, restaurants, and other visitor services in Denver and surrounding areas.

For advance information, contact the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1555 California St., Suite 300, Denver, CO 80202-4264 (tel. 800/233-6837).

Getting Around

By Public Transportation -- The Regional Transportation District, or RTD (tel. 800/366-7433, 303/299-6000, or TDD 303/299-6089 for route and schedule information; 303/299-6700 for other business), calls itself "The Ride." It operates bus routes and a light-rail system, with free transfer tickets available. It provides good service within Denver and its suburbs and outlying communities (including Boulder, Longmont, and Evergreen), as well as free parking at 65 Park-n-Ride locations throughout the Denver-Boulder metropolitan area. The light-rail service is designed to get buses and cars out of congested downtown Denver; many of the bus routes from outlying areas deliver passengers to light-rail stations rather than downtown.

The local one-way fare is $1.50; seniors and passengers with disabilities pay 75¢, and children age 5 and under travel free. Regional bus fares vary (for example, Denver to Boulder costs $3.75). Exact change is required for buses, and train tickets can be purchased at vending machines beneath light-rail station awnings.

Depending on the route, the departure time of the last bus or train varies from 9pm to 2am. Maps for all routes are available at any time at the RTD Civic Center Station, 16th Street and Broadway; and the Market Street Station, Market and 16th streets. RTD also provides special service to Colorado Rockies (baseball) and Denver Broncos (football) games. All RTD buses and trains are completely wheelchair accessible.

Free buses run up and down the 16th Street Mall between the Civic Center and Market Street, daily from 6am to 1am.

The light rail is also useful for exploring downtown and the greater metro area. The C Line diverts from the main north-south D Line at Colfax Avenue, and it veers west and stops at Invesco Field at Mile High, the Pepsi Center, and Six Flags Elitch Gardens before chugging into Union Station at 17th and Wynkoop streets in lower downtown. The D Line continues along northeast through the east side of downtown before its terminus at 30th Avenue and Downing Street. At the end of 2006, a new train began running along I-25 from Broadway to Mineral Avenue in the south suburbs.

The open-air Platte Valley Trolley (tel. 303/458-6255) operates year-round. From April to October between 12:30 and 4pm Friday through Sunday, there's a half-hour "Denver Sightseeing Route" ride ($3 adults, $2 seniors and children), which operates from 15th Street at Confluence Park, south to the Denver Children's Museum along the west bank of the Platte River. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the ride is also available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Different routes are offered at other times.

By Taxi -- The main companies are Yellow Cab (tel. 303/777-7777) and Metro Taxi (tel. 303/333-3333). Taxis can be hailed on the street, though it's preferable to telephone for a taxi or wait for one at a taxi stand outside a major hotel. On weekends, however, hailing a taxi can be difficult when the bars close down for the night.

By Car -- Because cars are not necessary downtown, visitors can save money by staying downtown while in Denver, and then renting a car to leave the area.

The Denver office of the American Automobile Association (AAA) is at 4100 E. Arkansas Ave., Denver, CO 80222-3405 (tel. 800/222-4357 or 303/753-8800); there are several other locations in the Denver area.

Car Rentals: Most major car-rental agencies have outlets in or near downtown Denver, as well as at Denver International Airport. These include Alamo, 24530 E. 78th Ave. (tel. 800/462-5266 or 303/342-7373); Avis, 1900 Broadway (tel. 800/331-1212 or 303/839-1280; 303/342-5500 at DIA); Dollar, 10343 N. Federal Blvd., Westminster (tel. 800/800-4000 or 866/434-3336; 303/342-9678 at DIA); Enterprise, 5179 S. Broadway (tel. 800/736-8222 or 303/794-3333; 303/342-7350 at DIA); Hertz, 2001 Welton St. (tel. 800/654-3131 or 303/297-9400; 303/342-3800 at DIA); National, at Denver International Airport (tel. 800/227-7368 or 303/342-0717); and Thrifty, 8006 E. Arapahoe Ave. (tel. 800/847-4389 or 303/220-1020; 303/342-9400 at DIA). You can rent campers, travel trailers, motor homes, and motorcycles from Cruise America (tel. 800/671-8042).

Per-day rentals for midsize cars range from $35 to $70, although AAA and other discounts are often available, and weekend and multiday rates can also save money. Four-wheel-drive vehicles, trucks, and campers cost more.

Parking: Downtown parking-lot rates vary from 75¢ per half-hour to $20 or more per full day. Rates are higher near the 16th Street Mall, in the central business district, and in hotel lots. Keep a handful of quarters if you plan to use on-street parking meters.