Knowing I was going to be at a hotel in downtown Denver – a very walkable city – for a multi-day conference, I decided to take public transportation from the airport.
I could have taken a ride share instead, but the cost would have been nearly 4x as much, and I would have been subject to potential traffic delays.
Instead, the train cost $10.50 one-way, took just 40 minutes and was very safe.
The hardest part was finding the train terminal at the airport. DIA is very large, so you first have to take a train from your terminal to the main hub, then walk to transit center. It’s located outside, down a very tall escalator.
The fare machines are easy to use – some of the simplest instructions I’ve ever seen. The DIA train station is at one end of the line; Union Station (downtown Denver) is at the other. You’ll need a day pass.
Then you wait for a train to arrive – all trains are heading back to town the direction you want to go, so you just need to grab the first available.
They will check for tickets throughout the ride. Keep your pass handy. The train is clean, there’s security present and there’s even space to store your bags during the trip.
The final stop on the A line is Union Station. It’s in the heart of downtown. For me, it was a quick 15 minute walk from Union Station to my hotel near the 16th Street Mall and the Capitol.
Denver really has one of the easiest train systems to navigate. It’s worth using it and avoiding a car if you’ll be staying in and around downtown.