Ultimate Guide to 4 Days in Denver, CO

Round trip flight to Denver, Colorado for only $95?! Say less. My bestfriend and I jumped on that deal (which is still ongoing depending on the dates your looking at) and booked our flights. The only "catch" was that the flight was 2 weeks away from the time we booked. Want to know how I planned the trip in just 2 weeks? Where I found the cheap flights? Where we stayed? How much Lyft/Uber estimated? Keep reading!

Booking The Flights: I'm signed up to receive promotional emails from Southwest Airlines and one morning, I saw that one way fares were as low as $49. Out of curiosity (definitely wasn't planning to book right away) I clicked on the link and explored the $49 one way fares. I saw that there was one for Denver, Colorado and clicked on it. It allowed me to select a "return" date and there was PLENTY for just $45! I immediately told my bestie group chat and waited to see who was willing to travel with me! Once at least one person said yes, I booked without hesitation. Moral of the story: CHECK SOUTHWEST $49 LOW FARES! You don't have to be signed up for their emails, just visit their site and it should pop up as a promotion you can click on.

Where We Stayed: When choosing where to stay, I like to see what is more or less close to multiple things that we would like to see/do on our trip. I wanted something that was nice with great ratings but also budget-friendly. I selected Super 8 by Wyndham Wheat Ridge which was $250 total for 4 nights. In addition, it was 10 mins from Downtown Denver, 15 mins from Red Rocks Parks and Amphitheatre, 32 mins from Eldorado Springs, and 30 mins from Boulder Colorado.

Estimate for Lyft: Lyft can run up a pretty penny. Especially when you are relying on it to go to and from basically everywhere. In total, Lyft cost us $280. Split between 2 is not bad. My bestie and I did explore the option of renting a car, however, since we are under 25, there was going to be additional fees and we didn't end up choosing this option. Looking back now, I'd definitely recommend renting a car. Only because once we totaled up the total Lyft cost, we realized it would've been around the same price range as if we were to have rented a car with the under 25 fees. Plus, with renting a car, you'll be able to come and go everywhere you like as you please, rather than have to wait around for your Lyft driver. One con of possibly renting a car is that parking can be a pain.

Day 1: Started in downtown for brunch at Yardhouse Ballpark, which has a trendy, outdoor eating atmosphere with huge screens everywhere showing sports. Yardhouse Ballpark is actually right in front of Coors Field so as you eat, you can literally see the stadium. We walked our food off by going down half a mile to 16th Street Mall to explore. This was listed a "must do" in Denver and it was quite neat! We then walked to Larimer Square to explore some more. From here, we walked to Jagged Mountain Brewery to drink and then to Mile High Spirits to take a couple of shots. The fun thing about this is that everything is within walking distance!! We then walked on over to Union Station and Denver Millenium Bridge which were more to just sight see as they are both notably beautiful and unique. Commons Park was directly across so we went to walk around. We then Lyfted to the Botanic Gardens which was HUGE and extremely beautiful! Definitely worth it! We actually saw a wedding take place while we were there! For dinner, we Lyfted to Cheesecake Factory.

Day 2: After noticing how close Starbucks was to our hotel (literally walking distance), we walked to Starbucks to get our coffee fix. Our Lyft picked us up from here and we headed to Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre. Highly recommend! This is a must see! Even though there is not any concerts going on, it's fun to just see how this amphitheater is set up and you'll notice people working out around this area. Since this is also a park, there are 3 trails that are within walking distance and are easy to do! We did 2 of the 3 trails linked to the park. Once we finished, we took a Lyft to Mt. Falcon Park which was also beautiful and well worth it with beautiful sights to see and a view of downtown Denver from afar! We did a couple of trails in this area. Since we had not eaten all day because the coffee kept us up and running for a while, also the adrenaline from hiking kept us going without an appetite. Once we finished, we noticed how hungry we were! We picked up Wingstop (basic, I know, but we were so hungry we had 0 patience to wait to be seated somewhere or wait for food).

Day 3: After loving how amazing the hikes and sights were, we woke up eager for more and Lyfted to Eldorado State Canyon Park and Trail. This one is more of a hidden gem! When I was researching things to do around Denver, it didn't really pop up anywhere. We found out about it from our Lyft drivers and it is A MUST!! This was probably my favorite thing we did out of everything combined! There is a $4 ticket cost per person in order to get in and there is hardly any cell service but this is what made it my favorite just because you're not worrying about who texted you, a call coming in, etc. It's purely enjoying the nature around you. Since this is a state park, there is plenty to do. There is a visitors center which has souvenirs and places to sit, there is picnic areas all around their river, there is fishing, rock climbing, and of course, multiple trails for hiking. The trail we selected was the most recommended and was a 7 mile hike which in total, took us 3 and a half hours. After we had our fill of this beautiful state park, we Lyfted back to our hotel and got all dressed up for a fancy rooftop dinner at Linger Eateries. 10/10 recommend eating here! We only waited 20 mins to be seated and the food came out quick. They do have unique things on the menu such as duck, alligator, Waygu, etc. But it was well worth it. And it is rooftop so you are over looking the entire city! Right below us was a neat place called Little Man Ice Cream. We noticed that there was a constant line of people waiting to get in for ice cream so we decided to try it out. It was amazing!

Day 4: Our hotel checkout was 12 pm. We took a Lyft to this amazing place to have brunch/eat called Happy Camper. This was another hidden gem that we discovered by talking to our Lyft drivers for places to eat. This place is very aesthetic, colorful and unique. It is outdoor dining and there are disco balls, flamingos, and plants everywhere. They specialize in personal sized pizzas but you can also custom make your own or order a larger size to share with others. Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS and filling. From here, we took a Lyft to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This is within walking distance to the Denver Zoo, which is what we tackled next. My only complaint about this day was that we had to take our luggage with us everywhere we went since we were already checked out from out hotel and would be leaving to the airport after our last stop. Most everywhere we went, was nice enough to hold our luggage up front while we explored.

Recommendations: If you are planning to go to the botanic gardens, museums, zoo, etc. There is this thing Denver offers called a City Pass. It is $42 dollars and you select 3 placed to go from this huge list. In the end, you essentially save money in doing so. We did this instead of buy tickets at each event and not only did it cut down time, we also saved $20+. Next recommendation is Hiking Boots!! If you are planning to hike (which I highly recommend since there are beautiful hiking areas) try and get actual hiking boots! My bestie and I used our basic Nike/Adidas shoes and they worked fairly well however, we had to be extra careful and really watch our step, taking precaution since the traction and grip on our shoes aren't made for hiking. I almost slipped a few times. If we had hiking boots, the hikes would have gone by MUCH FASTER since we wouldn't have had to watch our step as much and also, we would not have had little mishaps of slips. Also, there is an app called AllTrails, which lets you know which trails are closest to you, have the most reviews, it also rates how hard or easy the trail/hike is and how long it would take to do. Last recommendation is a hydration backpack! Again, if you are planning to hike or explore state parks, try and get one to help in staying hydrated. We carried our water bottles the entire hike which was a hassle just because we always had something in our hand.

Places to Eat: These are the places I had listed on our itinerary, but we did not get to go too. What I did was lookup and research the best places to eat in Denver and made a list then my bestie and I narrowed it down and chose from there. Also, I would ask each Lyft driver for their recommendations to get more variety from someone who is actually from the area. Here are the places: Tamayo, Ace Eat Serve, Cooper Lounge, WynKoop Brewing Co., Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Ship Rock Grille, 54Thirty Rooftop Bar, Acova Restaurant, El Five, Avanti Food & Beverage, Highland Tap & Burger, Finn's Manor, Los Chingones, and Postino.

Tips: Make sure you give yourself enough time to get to your gate at the Denver airport. I recommend getting there at LEAST 2 hrs before the flight. We got there an hour before and were stuck in a long TSA that literally went out the door, and nearly missed our flight. They also have buses that are needed to take you to each terminal, so it's not like you can quickly walk to them. By the time we arrived at our gate, it was 10 mins before the flight was scheduled to take off.

Now that this post is coming to an end, I just realized how much we fit in 4 days! True to my style. Denver and it's surrounding cities actually had a lot more going on than I originally thought and I'm so glad I took time to explore this wonderful city. Planning a trip to Denver? Don't hesitate to reach out!

XOXO, Tess