Unless you plan on staying only in Denver (and really, if you are coming to Colorado you should explore more outside the city), you will need to rent a car. Even if you do only plan to stay in the city, it might be more economical to rent anyways. At something like $20 per person, each way for the Super Shuttle, it would have cost us nearly as much as our car rental. We paid $134 including insurance, for 3 days from National through Orbitz. And here's a tip: if you are ever offered a hybrid for no upcharge - take it! Our gas bill for 3 days, nearly 150 miles of driving, was $3.42!
Public transportation, we were told, is great in Boulder. In Denver, not so much. We did take the bus during the day from our host's house on the west side to downtown, but were told we shouldn't at night. It was easy to catch a cab in LoDo, but we rarely so any in other areas of the city. There is also a light rail system, but we didn't use it. Overall, Denver seems to be a driving city. Unlike Boulder, we saw very few people walking around the central downtown area. I was surprised by how much it looked like Detroit, with it's vacant streets and wide lanes. We also saw a lot of panhandlers, though we never felt unsafe.
Happy hour is illegal in Chicago (you can't price a drink differently at different times of day) so I was overjoyed at the happy hour options in Colorado. To save money on food and drinks, definitely plan your meals around happy hour.
Approximate Trip Cost:
1 nonstop flight from Chicago to Denver (bought on Orbitz, flying on United there and Frontier back) - $170
My half of 3 days car rental (booked with National through Orbitz) for 3 days plus gas and insurance - $65
Lodging - $0
Misc. (tour of Gardens, bus fare, cab fare home in Chicago) - $45
Food and drink for 3 days - approx. $150
Total cost for 3 days in Denver - $430
1 comments:
Pretty good budget for 3 days! I heard many good things about Boulder. One of the doctors here in my office goes there every few months!
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