Denver Union Station & LoDo

Denver Union Station is where most visitors should begin. The station opened in 1881, was rebuilt in its present Beaux-Arts form in 1914, and in 2014 was reimagined as a mixed-use landmark that serves as a transit hub, a hotel, and the city's favorite indoor public square. The Great Hall is the heart of it: a soaring, chandelier-lit waiting room with long tables, leather sofas and shuffleboard, ringed by restaurants, a coffee bar and boutiques, and the Terminal Bar, set in the old ticketing office. The Crawford Hotel occupies the floors above. Out back, a sweeping white canopy shelters the commuter and Amtrak platforms, and the station is the downtown terminus of the A Line train to Denver International Airport, so many visitors pass through without realizing they are in one of the city's best spaces. Out front, Wynkoop Street opens into LoDo, Lower Downtown, Denver's historic warehouse district. Its red-brick blocks, now filled with restaurants, bars and galleries, lead to Larimer Square, the city's oldest block, strung with lights, and to Coors Field three blocks away. It is free to explore at any hour the station is open, and it is the easiest place in Denver to feel the city's mix of history and energy. Spend an hour here on arrival, come back for a drink in the evening, and use it as your base for the 16th Street corridor and the riverfront parks beyond.

The station's story tracks the city's. Denver began as a mining supply town that the transcontinental railroad initially bypassed; local leaders built their own connecting line and, eventually, a grand union station to consolidate the railroads that followed. For much of the twentieth century it was the city's front door, and its famous neon sign urging travelers to ride the train became a downtown landmark. As rail travel declined, the station faded, and so did LoDo, whose warehouses stood empty for years. The revival began in the 1990s when Coors Field arrived and old buildings turned into lofts and bars. The station's 2014 renovation completed the turnaround and turned the surrounding rail yard into a new neighborhood of offices, apartments and parks.

To enjoy it, treat the Great Hall as a place to linger rather than pass through. Grab a coffee or a cocktail, sit at one of the long communal tables, and watch the mix of commuters, families and travelers with luggage. The restaurants range from quick bites to serious dinners; the Terminal Bar's Colorado-focused taps are a fine introduction to the local beer scene. Step outside to see the facade and the famous neon sign, then walk the train hall canopy. On summer days, the plaza fountains in front become a splash zone for kids.

From the station, LoDo is your walking district. Head up Wynkoop and Wazee for brick-lined streets, then cut over to Larimer Square for its block of restaurants and shops under strings of lights. Coors Field is a short walk northeast; the free MallRide shuttle runs the length of the 16th Street corridor to the Civic Center end, where the Capitol and art museum sit. West of the station, Commons Park and the Millennium Bridge lead to the South Platte River and the Highlands beyond. For travelers, the A Line connection to the airport makes Union Station the easiest arrival point in the city.