Colorado Taxis and Car Rental
Taxis are only available in the larger cities and most of the ski towns. Denver and Boulder are where they will be most useful, with companies like Metro Taxi (+1-303-333-3333) and Freedom Cabs (+1-303-444-4444) available for a pick up 24 hours a day. Taxis in Colorado use a meter and are reasonably priced, but are hard to hail on the street, so carry a phone number to call for a pick up.
If you plan to travel anywhere outside of the town or city where you are visiting, it’s a great idea to rent a car. Public transportation will not get visitors to the hiking trails or scenic mountain viewpoints. All of the major car rental firms have offices in the airport and larger cities, but not in the small mountain ski towns. Rentals sell out frequently during the peak summer and fall seasons, so book early. If you don’t plan to leave your ski town, it’s easy to walk everywhere in Aspen or Vail.
Colorado Trains and Buses
Train travel is only a practical option if you are arriving to Denver from somewhere east of Colorado. The Amtrak stops right in the heart of downtown at Union Station. The line goes no further into the mountains, but does run north to Boulder and south to Colorado Springs along the front range of the Rockies. The train is reasonably priced and an easy way to get between these three cities, but few use this option.
Long-distance Greyhound buses are a more popular form of transportation because they are cheaper, have better schedules and cover nearly every town in Colorado and beyond. They are the best way to travel to the small mountain towns in the Rockies if you prefer not to rent a car or are scared to drive the steep inclines. The fares are very cheap and the seats comfortable enough for a few hours.
Only Colorado’s largest cities have extensive public transport systems. Denver has a solid bus network and a light rail line that runs to a few select destinations around the city and its suburbs. There are also local public bus systems in the mountain towns that typically link a ski town like Aspen with neighboring towns down the valley. These buses aren’t of much use to visitors, but are popular with residents commuting to work.