Thompson Denver

Denver sits a mile above sea level where the Great Plains meet the Front Range, a city that built itself on mining wealth and western reinvention. The air here is impossibly dry, the light sharp and unforgiving, and the skyline jagged with mountains to the west.

Thompson Denver occupies the Central Business District, where glass towers give way to red brick warehouses and the pedestrianized 16th Street Mall threads through downtown like a vein. Walk five minutes west and you're in the Dairy Block, a former industrial quarter reimagined as a collection of food halls and tasting rooms. Larimer Square, Denver's oldest block, strings Victorian storefronts with string lights a few blocks southeast. The Theatre District is stirring back to life near Curtis and 14th, while Union Station anchors the western edge with its Beaux-Arts hall and transit hub.

East lies Capitol Hill's tree-lined boulevards. Denver International Airport sits 30 kilometres to the east, connected by rail and highway.

Start at Brutø, the one-Michelin-starred counter tucked inside Free Market, a three-minute walk from the hotel. Chef Byron Gomez ferments grains and produce in-house, building a tasting menu that shifts with Colorado's short growing season. Book ahead for The Wolf's Tailor, a two-starred contemporary spot three kilometres south where Chef Taylor Stark stitches together a multicourse exploration of global technique and local ingredients. Closer still, Mezcaleria Alma earns its star with Chef Johnny Curiel's inventive Mexican plates and agave-focused bar.

The Free Market itself is a warren of makers and producers, honey vendors next to pasta counters. Blanchard Family Wines pours Colorado bottles half a kilometre away, while Infinite Monkey Theorem operates a full urban winery two kilometres south. Don't miss City Park Golf Course, a public links four kilometres northeast with views back toward the city and mountains beyond.

Winter in Denver is bright and cold, temperatures dipping well below freezing at night but climbing into the single digits by midday, the sun fierce even when snow dusts the streets. Spring arrives fitfully, March and April swinging between warm afternoons and sudden snowstorms that melt by evening. May warms quickly, wildflowers blooming in the foothills.

Summer is hot and dry, temperatures reaching 30 degrees, thunderstorms rolling off the mountains in late afternoon. September and October are ideal: warm days, cool nights, golden aspens in the high country. November turns cold again, the city bracing for winter.

Visit between June and October for the longest days and most reliable weather.