Colorado Travel Guide

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International Travel

Getting There By Air

Departure Tax

None.

Main Airports

Denver International (DEN) (www.flydenver.com) is one of the largest airports in the world. The airport is located 38km (24 miles) northeast of Denver (journey time - 30 minutes). To/from the airport: SkyRide buses run to downtown Denver and Boulder. Taxis, shuttle buses, public buses and limousines are available to the city. There are also many shuttles that operate services to Colorado's various resorts. Facilities: ATMs, car hire and post office.

Domestic airports:
The major ski resorts are all served by their own airports with domestic flights from many major centers in the USA. Airports include Aspen/Pitkin County, Colorado Springs, Durango/La Plata, Gunnison County, Vail/Eagle County and Yampa Valley (for Steamboat).

Getting There By Rail

Denver's growth is historically linked to its importance as a rail center. It is a hub on the major Amtrak east-west route (tel: 1 800 872 7245, in the USA only; www.amtrak.com), with daily services to Chicago and San Francisco on the ‘California Zephyr.' Westbound trains pass through Glenwood Canyon, which is one of the most beautiful railway routes in the USA. The ‘Southwest Chief,' which links Chicago with Los Angeles, passes through the southeast corner of the State, where a bus link to Denver is available. The Ski Train (tel: (303) 296 4754; www.skitrain.com) makes a scenic two-hour journey through the Rockies to the Winter Park Ski Resort during the skiing season and on Saturdays in summer.

Approximate rail journey times:
From Denver to Salt Lake City is 15 hours 30 minutes, to Chicago is 20 hours and to San Francisco is 34 hours.

Getting There By Road

Greyhound (tel: 1 800 229 9424, in the USA only; www.greyhound.com) has a terminal in downtown Denver, at 1055 19th Street.

Approximate driving times:
From Denver to Albuquerque is 9 hours, to Salt Lake City is 10 hours, to Dallas is 16 hours, to St Louis is 17 hours, to Minneapolis is 17 hours 30 minutes, to Chicago is 20 hours 20 minutes, to Los Angeles is 24 hours, to Seattle is 28 hours 30 minutes and to New York is 37 hours.

Approximate bus journey times:
From Denver to Cheyenne is 2 hours 30 minutes, to Albuquerque is 9 hours 30 minutes, to Amarillo is 10 hours 30 minutes, to Kansas City is 13 hours and to Las Vegas is 16 hours.

Internal Travel

Getting Around By Air

Holidaymakers can fly from Denver International Airport to 12 other smaller airports within the state.

Getting Around By Rail

Amtrak's California Zephyr line from Chicago to California makes a stop in Denver and passes through other tourist spots in Colorado, including Fort Morgan, Fraser, Granby, Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction.

The state also has nine scenic rail journeys, including the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad through old mining sites and the gold-rush town of Cripple Creek and the Cumbres & Tolec Scenic Railroad, which is USA’s longest and highest narrow-gauge line in North America, stretching 103km (64 miles) from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico.

Getting Around By Road

Colorado's extensive system of interstate and state highways and roads means driving around the state is easy. There are two major interstates, with Interstate 70 (I-70) running east-west and Interstate 25 (I-25) traveling north-south.

In addition, there are 25 Scenic and Historic Byways within Colorado, routes chosen for their historic, cultural and scenic value.