Denver: what to see in 1 day

Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City because it sits exactly at 5,280 feet above sea level, a height marked by a step engraved on the staircase of the state Capitol building.

Capital of Colorado at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, it combines a historic centre of Victorian architecture with an artistic and culinary scene that has grown rapidly in recent decades.

Union Station is visited first: the 1881 railway station, restored as a hub of restaurants and shops, remains a convenient starting point to explore the center on foot.

A few steps away is Larimer Square, the oldest block in the city, with its Victorian brick facades today occupied by independent boutiques and restaurants.

Continuing toward the State Capitol, the golden step carved on its staircase marks exactly the altitude of 5,280 feet that gives the city its nickname.

For lunch, the restaurants around Larimer Square or nearby 16th Street Mall offer contemporary American cuisine, often paired with craft beers from Colorado.

The Denver Art Museum, famous for its collection of Native American art and for the building with irregular geometric forms signed by Daniel Libeskind.

The 16th Street Mall, the pedestrian avenue that crosses the center, instead offers an open view of the Rocky Mountains that close the horizon west of the city.

As evening falls, heading back to Larimer Square, the restaurants in the neighborhood are the obvious place to dine, with the mountains darkening against the sky.

Union Station, Larimer Square, and the Capitol sketch Denver's historical soul, while an afternoon choice between the Denver Art Museum and 16th Street Mall completes the picture with the artistic or urban side.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the natural amphitheater just outside the city, and a trip to the Rocky Mountains remain chapters for a second journey. Watching the Rocky Mountains snow-capped close the horizon at the end of 16th Street Mall condenses Denver into a single scene.