12 Things To Do Alone In Denver, Colorado - Updated 2024

things to do alone in denver
Ishita
Ishita 
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Denver is a bustling metropolitan city with abundant natural beauty and a sprawling skyline! Its wonderful neighborhoods especially Lower Downtown (LoDo) and River North (RiNo) are its two lifelines with upscale restaurants, great breweries, and lounges. There are numerous trails and parks in the proximity of every neighborhood where you can spend some time unwinding amidst nature. While solo trips are exhilarating, they can sometimes get overwhelming due to the flood of information you can find online these days about things to do and places to see. First off, you can find a place to stay in Denver by checking our guide on the top hotels and Vrbo vacation rentals in the city. These lodging options will make your solo trip planning infinitely better. We’ve compiled a list of the best things to do alone in Denver. This way you can not only cover the best of everything but also plan according to your time & budget.

1. Stroll along the scenic Larimer Square

LarimerSquareDenver
Source: Photo by Wikimedia Commons user Jeffrey Beall used under CC BY 3.0

One of the best things to do alone, especially in such a beautiful city like Denver, is to take a stroll along the picturesque districts. It’s a great way to spend your time admiring the beauty of your surroundings and feeling like you belong with the community. A place for such walks in the city is Larimer Square. This historic block features a nice, diverse mix of restaurants, bars, and independent stores. The district is one of the hippest spots in Denver, so if you want to see the nightlife scene, this is where you want to go!

Larimer Square

Address: 1430 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80202, United States

Website: Larimer Square

Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 10am - 9pm; Sun: 11am - 7pm

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2. Splurge at 16th Street Mall

Denver's 16th Street Mall
Source: Photo by Flickr user vxla used under CC BY 2.0

This mall may be the most unique you’ll ever see yet. 16th Street Mall is exactly what it is—a street mall! It is a 1.25-mile-long (2-kilometer) mall in Downtown Denver that’s located on 16th Street, starting from Wewatta Street up to the Broadway and 16th Avenue intersection. It’s your one-stop promenade for everything you may need and may want to buy. There’s a dining complex and various movie theaters too. Outdoor cafes beautify the street, and nighttime is really when you want to visit as string lights illuminate the walkways and carriages and pedicabs take pedestrians up and down the street.

16th Street Mall

Address: 1001 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80265, United States

Website: 16th Street Mall

Opening hours: 24/7 (daily)

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3. Lower Downtown Denver Craft Beer Tour (from USD 52.0)

Missing your friends on this solo trip to Denver? Love beer? We’ve got your back. All you need is this pub-crawl to pump up the vibe in your life! With four stops, 10+ beer samples, plenty of beer trivia about the “Napa Valley of Craft Beer”, and scandalous city history; in this Lower Downtown beer tour, you get to see-smell-hear-taste beer and more. You can also take home the beer tasting glass as a souvenir! Whether you love ale, lager, hops, wheat beer or stout, you will get to try it all on this tour with a cool guide. The tour covers Rock Bottom Brewery (est 1991), Jagged Mountain Brewery (est 2013), Falling Rock Tap House (est 1997), and Wynkoop Brewery (est 1988). The tour usually starts at 3:15 pm spanning 2 hours 30 minutes on the weekends (Fri, Sat, Sun) and doesn’t include food.

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Craft Beer Tour in Lower Downtown Denver

Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

500 reviews

4. Guided Mountain-Biking Tour of Colorado's Front Range (from USD 129.0)

Your Denver solo travel is about to be thrilling! If you enjoy a good ol’ adrenaline rush, then this guided half-day Mountain Biking adventure tour along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is going to be perfect for you! From beginner to intermediate, and morning to afternoon, you can choose your fitness level and departure time. The tour includes a high-quality mountain bike, helmet, energy bar and sports drink to prep you up for the exciting 3 hours in the open alpine meadows and dense pine forests. You will cruise down amongst a backdrop of the Colorado sun and spectacular scenery on a small part of the trail that actually stretches 486 miles (782 km) through the Front Range of this mountain park.

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Guided Mountain-Biking Tour of Colorado's Front Range

Duration: 3 hours

26 reviews

5. Rock-Climbing Adventure in Colorado's Front Range (from USD 140.0)

This tour is exclusively for adventure enthusiasts! Colorado boasts of unique rock formations that attract all types of rock climbers from beginners to professionals. If you are an adrenaline junkie you will enjoy this 5-hour tour set amidst Colorado’s spectacular Front Range where you’ll do top-rope climbing under the guidance of experts. The price includes all climbing gear including ropes, harness and shoes, and refreshments that include snacks and drinks. Rock climbing is a highly recommended and unmissable activity on this entire list.

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Rock-Climbing Adventure in Colorado's Front Range

Duration: 4 hours

11 reviews

6. Scenic Mt. Evans Tour (from USD 160.0)

Utilise your free day, with this scenic 7-hour day tour that starts from Denver and leads you to the stunning peaks of the Rocky Mountains. It’s one of the most fulfilling things to do by yourself in Denver. Depending on which season you will be visiting here, the beauty of this place transforms and the tour differs. During the summers you get to drive to the top of Mt. Evans 14,000 ft (4267 metres) while in fall, the last 5 miles (8 km) to the top are closed so the tour takes you up till 12,800 ft (3901.4 metres). In the winters, the tour drives along the foot of Mt Evans and stops at a scenic lake. So, you can literally take the tour in all the three seasons and be smitten with the unique flora and fauna this landscape has to offer. Throughout your tour, you must keep an open eye for spotting bison and bighorn sheep. The tour includes packed lunch (turkey or vegetable sandwich). The stops on the tour include the Red Rocks Amphitheater, Bear Creek Canyon, Echo Lake, and historic mining towns.

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Mt. Evans Scenic Tour from Denver with Red Rocks Amphitheater

Duration: 7 hours

114 reviews

7. Mile Canyon Road Test Drive (from USD 130.0)

This is a once in a lifetime experience where you can get to test drive a $300,000 professional grade racing car. You can choose from a 2014 Lamborghini Spyder, a 2011 Lamborghini Superleggera, or a 2011 Porsche 911 Turbo to go on this 20-minute driving adventure. All they need is that you be 21 years of age, own a valid driving license, and a full coverage car insurance! Once you meet their requirements, you are good to zoom around in one of these mean machines on the canyon road and cover 15 miles (24 km) that stretch includes 158 turns and elevation changes too. You will be guided by an instructor through the entire ride so you that you ride tension free and can even record your test-driving session (at your own expense).

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Canyon Road Supercar 15-Mile Test Drive Near Golden, Colorado

Duration: 20 minutes

59 reviews

8. Denver City Sightseeing Tour (from USD 40.0)

denver city sightseeing tour
Source: www.viator.com

When travelling alone to any city, the best way to make the most of your limited time is to opt for a guided city tour. In Denver, you can discover the best of everything the city has on this 3-hour guided sightseeing tour with Viator. You can learn about the city’s history, interesting facts about its best attractions, grab a glimpse of the upscale restaurants, trendy bars, and learn entertaining insights about its culture. While you drive through the beautiful city in a coach or mini-van, you will be enamoured by Denver’s strikingly different neighbourhoods from the historic downtown to its urban landscape. Not only do you get to see famous landmarks such as Larimer Square, the State Capitol, Denver Art Museum, Civic Center Park, and the United States Mint; but also the famous “pedestrian only” 16th Street Mall. The pick up of the tour is at the Union Station in downtown Denver and at the end of the tour, you will be dropped off at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center which is in the heart of the city! Go ahead feel free to book your seat today!

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Denver City Highlights Tour

Duration: 3 hours

183 reviews

9. Denver Mountain Parks with Optional Denver City Tour (from USD 52.0)

denver mountain parks with optional denver city tour
Source: www.viator.com

No trip to Denver can be complete without a trip to the beautiful Rocky Mountains in the Denver Mountain Park. It’s a great place to go alone in Denver. If you have a day to spare on your solo-itinerary, then it is best to book this guided tour along with a Denver city tour to see the best of everything. While you begin the tour from the heart of the city in an air-conditioned coach, in a short span of time you find yourself amidst the beautiful alpine landscape consisting of Colorado’s glorious Red Rock mountains and native wildlife at Bear Creek Canyon. Keep on the lookout for elk, buffalo, and deer as you may encounter them anywhere in the park that spans more than 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares). This trip covers the Red Rocks Park, Amphitheater, Bear Creek Canyon, Lookout Mountain, and the Buffalo Bill Museum apart from the spectacular natural beauty of Denver. If you extend your tour to include a Denver city tour, then you also get to cover the city’s best attractions including the State Capital, City Park, Denver’s financial district, historic Larimer Square, the United States Mint, pedestrian-only 16th Street Mall, and the Denver Art Museum. This is one of the hot-selling tours from Denver so make sure you book your seat in advance!

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Denver Mountain Parks with Optional Denver City Tour

Duration: 4 or 9 hours

188 reviews

10. The Mile High Wine Tour in Denver (from USD 131.0)

the mile high wine tour in denver
Source: www.viator.com

Satisfy the “winederlust” in you with this lovely wine tour in a luxury car/SUV in downtown Denver. Visit the best wineries in the city, to learn about Colorado’s art of winemaking and savour scrumptious nibbles along with wine samples. On this 5 hour tour, you will get to try as many as 20 different wine samples ranging from syrahs, tempranillo, merlots, muscats, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandels, rieslings, pinot noirs, to pinot gris in as many as three different wineries. The best part is that you will also be taken to a wine cellar where you can see how all this wine is naturally made. Isn’t it amazing?

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The Mile High Wine Tour in Denver

Duration: 5 hours

3 reviews

11. Small-Group Downtown Denver Food Tour (from USD 62.0)

small-group downtown denver food tour
Source: www.viator.com

This small-group tour by Viator is the best way to spend a leisure evening in downtown Denver. Under the guidance of an expert foodie, you can experience some impeccable local food, lovely ambiance, and local architecture. This exquisite culinary journey is a 3-hour walking tour that includes all food tastings at seven different spots. Apart from trying unique dishes at locally acclaimed restaurants and food stands, you can also get local tips, learn about the city’s history, art, and culture. You can also inform the guide about any food allergies or special requests and rest assured, it will be taken care of by the restaurants! You don’t really need to be a foodie to enjoy this 3-hour food tour, all you need is an appetite for deliciousness. When you have taken a food-tour once, then mouth-watering food and a friendly guide are all that you will ask for again on your next impeccable “food-tour” in any city.

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Small-Group Downtown Denver Food Tour

Duration: 3 hours

18 reviews

12. Hour Sunset Hike from Denver (from USD 75.0)

hour sunset hike from denver
Source: www.viator.com

For nature-lovers, Viator hosts this wonderful 3-hour sunset hike with a local wildlife expert in the Rockies area. There’s no better way to enjoy the natural beauty of this place other than walking in this surreal environment, breathing in the fresh air, and basking in the glorious sunset views. On the tour, you get to follow a well-maintained trail in a moderate hike with stunning views of Colorado’s backyard amidst bountiful wildlife including elk, deer, and birds. The tour includes a 1.5-hour hike with no more than 500 feet (152 meters) in elevation gain, transportation to-and-from the area, and a local guide to ensure you have a memorable experience.

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3-Hour Sunset Hike from Denver

Duration: 3 hours

1 review

Enjoy exploring Denver

Make the most out of your upcoming solo-trip to Denver with exclusive tours handpicked by us. Since these are hot-selling tours, chances are they may get fully booked if you wait until the last minute. So, plan ahead and book your tour today!

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Ishita Gupta is a freelance Indian writer with a passion for travelling extensively and discovering new destinations that also reflects in her style of writing. While charting the road less...Read more

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