Cheap things to do in Denver
Free museums, cheap tacos, great beer and zero guilt about the bill.
This is Denver for people who'd rather spend on a round of craft beers than a tasting menu. Three days cover the art district, RiNo's mural-lined streets and the wide green sprawl of City Park, with most of the best bits costing nothing or next to nothing. If your ideal evening ends at a local bar with a cheap pint and a good crowd, you're in the right place.
Day 1: Gold domes and gourmet dogs
A morning of serious art and free civic landmarks gives you full permission to eat tacos for lunch and close the day with a classic Denver street-food dog.
- 9:30 AM
Stowaway Kitchen
Breakfast with Asian accents and strong espresso on Walnut Street; grab it and catch the bus to Civic Center.
Map - 10:30 AM
Clyfford Still Museum
Almost an entire artist's life work in one quiet, striking building, pairs perfectly with the DAM next door and is free with certain passes.
Map - 12:30 PM
El Taco de Mexico
Santa Fe Drive taco counter; get a burrito smothered in green chile and eat at the bar.
Map - 2:30 PM
Colorado State Capitol
Free to visit, gold dome, mile-high step marker, and sweeping mountain views from the west steps.
Map - 7:30 PM
Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs
Cheap, critic-approved gourmet dogs, street-food spirit and a Denver classic for a low-cost dinner.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 2: RiNo murals and sour beer
The city's best outdoor gallery is free, the food hall lunch is affordable, and the evening moves from a wallet-friendly sour-beer bar straight into a GABF-winning patio brewery.
- 9:30 AM
The Source Market
Coffee and a pastry inside the Source's market hall on Brighton Boulevard, before the walk north.
Map - 10:30 AM
Forney Museum of Transportation
Forney Museum of Transportation, quirky, affordable collection of vintage cars, trains and bikes just north of RiNo.
Map - 12:30 PM
The Source Market Hall
Back to the market hall for lunch: pick a counter, eat at the shared tables, spend under $20.
Map - 2:15 PM
RiNo (River North Art District)
Free self-guided walk through RiNo's giant, annually-refreshed street murals, the best outdoor gallery in Denver.
Map - 7:30 PM
Goed Zuur
Goed Zuur for casual, wallet-friendly sour beers and small plates in a relaxed RiNo setting.
Map - 9:00 PM
Our Mutual Friend Brewing
Our Mutual Friend Brewing, GABF medal-winning patio brewery a short walk away; a proper local bar crawl finish.
Map
Day 3: City Park and neighbourhood bites
A deliberately slow day: a quirky toy museum, a proper park walk with front-range mountain views, and a neighbourhood dinner that costs about as much as a cinema ticket.
- 10:30 AM
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls And Toys
Quirky, low-key museum of miniatures and toys right in the neighbourhood, cheap entry, genuinely fun.
Map - 12:30 PM
Denver Biscuit Company
Big buttermilk biscuit sandwiches on Colfax; the Franklin, with fried chicken and gravy, is the classic.
Map - 2:00 PM
City Park
Free walk around Ferril Lake for the classic skyline-and-mountains view from the museum steps.
Map - 7:30 PM
Misfit Snack Bar
Casual neighbourhood snack bar, great for an affordable, no-frills dinner after a full day out.
Map - 9:00 PM
Duffy's Cherry Cricket
Duffy's Cherry Cricket, a proper Denver local bar, cheap drinks, good crowd, well before midnight.
Map
Where to stay
Urban Cowboy Denver
Independent, mid-price, and close enough to RiNo and downtown to walk most of the plan.
The Ramble Hotel
The Ramble sits right in RiNo, putting Day 2 on your doorstep and keeping cab costs down across the trip.
Make Denver your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre: weeks ahead
- Meow Wolf Denver | Convergence Station: a few days ahead
- Denver Performing Arts Complex: a few days ahead
- Comedy Works Downtown: a few days ahead
- Oakwell Beer Spa: a few days ahead
- Arrowhead Golf Club: a few days ahead
Skip these
- 16th Street as a destination in itself: ride it and walk it, but the sights are at its ends and a block off it.
- Casa Bonita for the food, or without a reservation: it is theatre that serves dinner.
- The Downtown Aquarium, Elitch Gardens and the US Mint tour as adult headline sights: fillers, not pillars.
The full Denver travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around