Denver

Gateway to the Rockies and the American West. Capital of Colorado, Denver is very much an outdoor city with marvellous views of the Rocky Mountains. However, Denver is much more than just an outdoor city. Many of the preserved Victorian buildings house speciality shops and chef-driven restaurants and cocktail lounges and the Art Museum has a splendid collection of both American Indian art and European masters.

The iconic Union Station is more than just the transportation hub for the city, with its trendy restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques that lie within the 12,000 square-foot Grand Hall. The Terminal Bar in the restored old ticket station has at least 30 regional draft beers and many local Colorado spirits.

Denver has a thriving farm-to-table cuisine with many local breweries serving craft beer – Denver brews more beer than any other place in America – and live music venues like the famous Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world.

For a more sedate activity, visit one of the city’s 26 floral gardens; Denver Botanic Gardens is a lovely oasis in the centre of the city with 45 gardens to explore, surrounded by ponds, streams, fountains and a gigantic conservatory.

Explore the moniker of the Mile High city, so named as it lies one mile above sea-level, by climbing to the 13th step of the Colorado State Capitol and you are 5,280 feet above sea level – one mile high! Or, you can cheer on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field from the row of purple seats – the best “mile high” seats.