It's known that a gradual rise helps prevent air sickness. Since Denver is situated at exactly 5,280 feet (one mile) above sea level, it's the perfect place to adapt before ascending to the summits of Colorado stations at 8,000 to 10,000 feet - and if you want proof of the altitude, head for the State Capitol Building and look for the marker that shows the exact point from which it's calculated. With the more rarefied air, golf balls travel further and cocktails pack more of a wallop! In Denver, the sun is hotter since you're closer to the sun, but your coffee is cooler since water boils at 202° F instead of 212° F. At this altitude the air contains less water vapor, making the sky bluer. But the solar protection factor is reduced by 25%, so sun screen is a necessity.

This new museum is an architectural marvel that recreates the neighboring Rocky Mountains with its titanium peaks. The building was designed by Daniel Libeskind (who is overseeing work at New York's World Trade Center site). "The form of the Art Museum came to me as I was flying over the city. I recreated the shapes that I saw from my airplane window: the steep cliffs of the Rockies," says Libeskind. It's his first building in the US. Some 60,000 pieces of art are shown at the museum.

Denver has its own herd of buffalo, found in a spectacular landscape (exit 256 off highway 1-70). The 40 buffalo live in the middle of green prairie framed in the background by snowy mountain peaks. If you prefer to taste, rather than smell, buffalo, head for the Buckhorn Exchange, the oldest Old West-style restaurant and saloon in the city. Decorated with firearms and 500 stuffed animal heads, the Buckhorn Exchange's menu offers such specialties as bison, elk and rattlesnake. For more contemporary cuisine, there are 2,000 other restaurants in Denver that offer specialties from around the world. The city's chefs frequently receive rave reviews in the national press as they serve up innovative dishes with a uniquely Rocky Mountain style. From southwestern to southern, Denver restaurants are making their mark.

The new $92 million Ellie Caulkins Opera House is one of three halls in the US (and just 9 worldwide) fitted with an electronic system in the back of each seat that simultaneously provides the text of the performance in 8 languages. The large 2268-seat auditorium (affectionately nicknamed "The Ellie") completes the Denver Performing Arts Complex (DPAC), which provides a world-class venue for opera, dance and song. The DPAC is the second-largest arts centre in the United States, with 10 performance halls and a total seating capacity of 11,000.

You might enjoy visiting the Convention Center, but if you're looking for a little more action, there are more than 90 pubs, jazz clubs, cafés with rooftop patios and chic restaurants in Denver's trendy and historic LoDo district. Former warehouses with red brick walls have been transformed into lofts, art galleries, boutiques and coffee shops. Browse the three levels of the huge Tatted Cover bookstore or seek out some cowboy kitsch clothing at Crybaby Ranch, as outside horsedrawn carriages clip-clop past. El Chapultepec has offered jazz evenings for decades, with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Bill Clinton stopping by to play a riff.

At 106, "Papa Jack" Weil is the oldest active CEO in the country, and one of the coolest. You can meet this living legend every weekday morning at the Rockmount Ranch Wear store at 162 Wazee Street. Papa Jack has worked there every morning since 1946 and has served customers including Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen. It was Papa Jack who invented the famous Western Rockmount snap-button shirt, worn and loved by everyone from Elvis to Ronald Reagan. The Rockmount shirt worn by Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain recently fetched $101,000 at a charity auction. But you can buy a similar one at the Rockmount shop for just $55.

Denver has more skiers per capita than any other city. Denver skiers and snowboarders enjoy reduced-price lift tickets, sold in the local King Soopers supermarket chain and in most Front Range ski shops. Reductions vary according to the time of year: you can get more information in ski shops. Denver is also the ideal place to get ready for the slopes. Some megastores like Colorado Ski & Golf, as well as Dick's Sporting Goods, Sports Authority and Bass Pro Shop specialize in personalized sizing of ski boots, as well as stocking a large inventory of equipment, clothing and accessories. In the REI flagship store you can also try on an anorak in their -30° C cold room before buying it.

You can dive (if you're a certified diver) in the Denver Downtown Aquarium. You'll swim alongside rays, sharks, eels, a 250-lb. Queensland Grouper and 400 of their friends. Just next door, at the Butterfly Pavilion, you can stroll through a tropical jungle filled with 1,200 luminous butterflies floating freely through the air. You can also see a jungle river swarming with crocodiles and bats at the Denver Zoo.

Denver's trendy outlying regions, such as Cherry Creek, offer abundant choice when it comes to shopping. There are more than 30 art galleries in a six block area in the Santa Fe Art District. A multitude of cafés and galleries can also be found in the Triangle Museum District. Highlands is a charming neighborhood full of wonderful little restaurants such as swimclub32, and you'll find 400 antique shops on Antique Row, South Broadway.

With government's characteristic efficiency, it now costs more to make a penny than the coin is actually worth. You can take a guided visit of the U.S. Mint, where every year some 10 billion copper pennies (as well as all other American coins) are produced. The Mint's gift shop is the perfect place to pick up some souvenirs.

And much more...
A visit to the Larimer Square business district allows you to imagine what Denver looked like in the late 19th century. 

A short excursion to Lookout Mountains will take you to the grave of Buffalo Bill, as well as providing you with a view into the depths of Clear Creek Canyon.

Nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills fifteen miles west of Denver, there stands a symbol of nature's unparalleled majesty. Red Rocks is a geologically formed, open-air Amphitheatre that is not duplicated anywhere in the world. With Mother Nature as the architect, the design of the Amphitheatre consists of two, three hundred-foot monoliths (Ship Rock and Creation Rock) that provide acoustic perfection for any performance. It is here that the Beatles made their come back in 1964.

The area of Red Rocks, originally known as the Garden of Angels, has attracted the attention of musical performers since before the turn of the century. The majestic setting of the Amphitheatre, along with the panoramic view of Denver, makes for a breathtaking scene.