How to Spend 3 Days in Denver in Winter

Thinking about visiting Denver in winter? While it may be cold, it’s a great time to visit! Here’s my first-timer’s 3-day itinerary.

As someone who prefers the warmth of a beach destination, I was a little nervous about visiting Denver in winter.

Would it be super cold? Would it snow?

Yes and yes. But despite that, our 3 days in Denver turned out to be a great trip filled with delicious food and beautiful spots to explore – as well as some snow!

Here’s how you can make the most of a weekend in Denver and enjoy the wintery wonderland that the city transforms into.

A wintry Denver street with large buildings and snow falling. There's a sign that reads "Denver Pavilions" on the left, and wet roads reflecting the grey, snowy sky.

This blog post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you).

What to do in Denver

Don’t have time to read this whole post and just want to quickly find out the top things to do so you can plan your own Denver winter itinerary? Here’s a summary.

Day 1:

Brunch at Snooze
Visit Red Rocks amphitheatre
Take a brewery tour at Coors brewery
Eat lunch at Bob’s Atomic Burgers
Have dinner at Truffle Table

Day 2:

Browse Tattered Cover Bookstore
Visit Union Station
Wander down 16th Street Mall
Have lunch at Steuben’s
Sample the beers at Great Divide Brewing Co or take a craft beer tour
Dine at Linger

Day 3:

Visit Rocky Mountain National Park
Have dinner at Work & Class

For those who want the detail for this Denver weekend itinerary, read on!

Top tip: Visiting Denver with kids? Buy a Denver CityPASS to save big on attractions such as the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Denver attractions map

Here’s a map so you can see where everything listed in this Denver itinerary is located.

Day 1 of Denver itinerary

We had an early flight from Dallas to Denver to take advantage of our time there. By the time we arrived and picked up our rental car, we were starving (or, more accurately, I was hangry).

SEARCH FOR AND COMPARE FLIGHTS TO DENVER

Morning

Our weekend in Denver began with brunch. We headed straight to the highly recommended Snooze (2262 Larimer St) and were lucky enough to skip the queue and get a table straight away. I think the hostess felt sorry for us when I told her what time we’d woken up that morning.

We immediately tucked in to delicious breakfast tacos with egg, shredded hash and pico de gallo, and finished off by sharing a lemon poppyseed pancake. Snooze has several locations in Denver and as the city’s brunch institution, they’re all always busy, so plan to arrive early.

Far more lively with some food in our bellies, we got back in the car for the trip to Red Rocks. Having watched concerts staged at this venue on TV, I was blown away by seeing the outdoor amphitheatre in person.

I would love to come back here to see a concert, surrounded by the towering sandstone rock formations. Visiting Red Rocks is a must do in Denver. (If you don’t have your own car while you’re in Denver, then join a tour like this one.)

As well as the actual amphitheatre, there’s the Red Rocks Performers Hall of Fame which has photos of concerts that have taken place over the past decades.

Anyone who’s anyone in musical royalty has performed here: The Beatles, Jethro Tull, Carole King, U2, Stevie Nicks and Depeche Mode. It’s fascinating to wander through and see all of the performance photos (and take a break from the cold outside).

A person - the author's husband - in a grey beanie and black vest standing with their back to the camera, looking up at a towering red rock formation at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The sky is partly cloudy.

The view of Red Rocks Amphitheatre with no people in the foreground. The amphitheater seating curves around the stage, set against a backdrop of large red rock formations under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

The area around Red Rocks has a few museums and historical sites. We stopped at the Buffalo Bill Museum for a quick look around.

Afternoon

It was then off to Golden, a small town 30 minutes from Denver. It’s most famous for being the home of Coors beer, so we joined a Coors brewery tour.

The tour is guided and includes three samples in the bar at the end. When we visited, the tour was free but there’s now a small charge ($20 for the tour). It’s pretty cheap though when you consider that you get three samples and a commemorative cup to take home with you.

If you don’t want to do the tour, it’s only $10 to sample a few beers.

Tours are only offered Thursday to Monday.

A large welcome sign reading "Howdy Folks! WELCOME TO GOLDEN" in bold letters stretches across a street lined with parked cars and buildings, beneath a partly cloudy sky. Golden CO is a great place to visit on your 3-day Denver winter itinerary.

A large outdoor display of a yellow Coors Banquet beer can and a copper brewing kettle with a plaque in front, part of the Coors Brewery Complex.

Hungry after a busy day of sight-seeing, we stopped by Bob’s Atomic Burgers (1310 Ford St, Golden) and wrote out our order on paper bags.

A close-up view of a restaurant menu titled Bob's Atomic Burgers with various burger options and checkboxes for additional toppings and cheeses.

Evening

We drove back to Denver and napped for the afternoon before dinner at the Truffle Table (2556 15th St).

This is a really cute little restaurant that’s all about charcuterie and wine. The owner was there and made some great wine recommendations. Indeed, all the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. I highly recommend it.

A charcuterie board with an assortment of cheeses, cured meats, and garnishes, accompanied by slices of bread, two glasses of red wine, and a wine bottle on a wooden table.