Are you doing the smart thing when planning your vacation? That is, are you taking a solo vacation? No friends, no family, just you, your destination, and whatever you can do there all the livelong day. If you’re looking for places in the United States to take a solo journey, here’s an itinerary you can use in the Denver/Boulder area. Denver, Boulder and Colorado in general are a terrific vacation spot these days; it’s a recreational place, if you get my drift. Anyway, here are some tips for having an awesome stay in the Denver/Boulder area, as well as some off-beat things to do.
Great Hotels for a Solo Traveler in Denver
There are a few areas around the Denver area where the hotels spring up. Don’t stay close to Denver International Airport though, because to be honest, you probably won’t spend much time in that area as a visitor. I’d suggest finding a hotel in the Westminster/Broomfield area, close to the Boulder Turnpike, and the major Interstates. This area is situated right between Denver and Boulder, and you can easily get to the mountains or the city from there. Here are a couple hotels to consider, if you want a nice stay for your visit. (There are discount chains nearby as well.)
- Aloft – Comfortable and modern hotel with an awesome lobby bar. Close to everything in Broomfield, Westminster, and also a bus station that will get you to either Denver or Boulder in minutes.
- Westin – Just a little up the road from the Aloft, this hotel offers many amenities and is situated right in the midst of Westminster’s nightlife. Another bus station here that’ll get you to anywhere you want to go in Denver or Boulder.
Now that you’ve got the home-base, how can you get around town?
RTD: a Solo Traveler’s Way Around Denver and Boulder
The Regional Transportation District is in charge of public transportation, pretty much from Colorado Springs up to Fort Collins. For Denver, the system is pretty all-encompassing. It includes buses – local buses, and nice coach buses for the Express and Regional routes. Denver also has a lightrail train system that is growing. If you have access to a bicycle, you can even bring it on the buses and trains with you.
- RTD Passes – here you can order day passes and multi-day passes or tickets. Save money with a pass, rather than shelling out the fare every time you need a ride.
- RTD Schedules – here you can find a schedule for any route in the region, as well as plan trips so you know when and where you’re supposed to be to catch buses and trains.
Bicycling Is the Best Way to Get Around Denver for a Solo Traveler, or Anyone
If you have a bike, Denver, Boulder and Colorado as a whole is one of the best places to ride. Denver also participates in the Bcycle bike sharing program, so you can always grab a bike to get from one side of town to the other along one of Denver’s huge bike path systems.
Now that we’ve covered where to stay and how to get around, let’s talk about what to do in Denver when you’re by yourself.
LoDo Is the Nightlife Epicenter of Denver
This used to be where the trains went in Denver to get dirty, but over the last 20 or 30 years or so, it’s gone through a renewal and is now the epicenter to Denver’s nightlife. This is where you should go at the end of the day to unwind, have some drinks, and meet Denver’s party crowd, and drink some local beers.
Get a Free Bottle of Whiskey at Stranahan’s Whiskey Distillery
That’s right, in addition to brewing craft beers and selling other recreational substances, a new breed of distillers is rising up. There is vodka made in Aspen, and in Denver there is Whiskey. In fact, if you’d like a free bottle, you can volunteer your time at the distillery bottling the booze.
Lookout Mountain
If you want to get to the mountains, feel high altitude, and see a great view of the entire Denver Metro Area, then take a trip to Lookout Mountain in Golden Colorado. If you ask anyone in Colorado, it’s home to the ‘real’ grave of famed frontier showman Buffalo Bill Cody.
Colorado Microbreweries Are Everywhere
Last, but certainly not least, Colorado is one of the best places for craft microbrewery beer. Nearly every town has a brewery and restaurant of some sort. Many offer samplings of their beer lines, so you can find the right beverage. Here’s a brief list of places you can grab a bite and a brew.
- Oskar Blues
- Odyssey Beerwerks
- Breckenridge Brewery
- New Belgium
- Dry Dock Brewing Co.
There are plenty of things to do in Denver. You should see what we have here that’s left off this list.
