The Colorado Train Station With A World-Class Hotel And Award-Winning Restaurants

While train stations may seem like utilitarian spaces simply designed to help get you from point A to point B, at Denver's Union Station, you'll find yourself wanting to stay awhile thanks to its high-end hotel, grand Great Hall, and outstanding restaurants and bars. Set in the heart of the Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood, you can get a direct train from Denver International Airport, the largest airport in America to Union Station; it takes less than 45 minutes. Along with its airport service, it can connect you to destinations around the city on RTD bus and rail. It's also an Amtrak station, so you can travel the country from here, including taking the Winter Park Express, one of Colorado's best train rides for scenic, snowy mountain views.

A big part of what makes Union Station so impressive and worth visiting, even if you don't have a train ticket, is how it combines historic beauty with modern luxury and convenience. The station here first opened in 1881 as the largest building in the American West. Then, to make room for the growing number of passengers, it was expanded and rebuilt in 1914, and that grand, granite Beaux-Arts style building still stands. As railroad use fell out of favor during the 20th century, the station was neglected. But in 2014 it was completely revitalized to — and even beyond — its former glory. 

The massive and elegant Great Hall is at the station's heart; it was updated with the goal of becoming "the city's living room," according to Denver Urbanism. If you've seen it, you know they succeeded. Ten years later, Union Station underwent another multi-million dollar refresh, and it's looking better than ever.

When it comes to food, Denver's Union Station has plenty of delicious choices. For breakfast and brunch, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery, is a popular chain that first started in Denver. Pigtrain Coffee Co. is open all day, serving local coffee and pastries along with breakfast burritos and sandwiches. Then there's Mercantile Dining & Provision, opened by James Beard Award winner Alex Seidel as a combination of high quality comfort food dining and artisanal food shopping.

Denver is America's craft beer capital, and you can try some at the Terminal Bar. Pair your local brew with their food, like pozole verde and green chile smashburger, and its patio off of the Great Hall is a perfect place to relax on a warm summer evening. For more boozy beverages, The Cooper Lounge is a glamorous cocktail bar on the mezzanine level of the Great Hall. It made the Top 100 Bars of Denver in 2024 for Westword, and it's no wonder with its impressive cocktail and wine list along with dishes like baked brie, gnocchi, and oysters.

The accolades don't stop there. Ultreia is a Spanish tapas style restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, and, in 2024, it won the Judge's Choice award in the annual Denver Burger Battle and was second place for the People's Choice. The winning burger was the Jamonburguesa, and you can find it on their menu along with more traditional tapas like bacon wrapped dates. For a sweet treat, Milkbox Ice Creamery serves locally made ice cream in what was once the station's barber shop, and the Baumé Dessert Bar, featuring champagne and French style pastries, is set to open February 2025.

If you want to enjoy all that Denver's Union Station has to offer, you'll need to book a room at The Crawford Hotel, which first opened in 2014, and all 112 guest rooms were updated during the 2024 renovation. They have a range of options from cozy rooms inspired by classic Pullman sleeper cars to luxurious suites. All guests start by getting a choice of a welcome drink in the hotel lobby before heading up to their room via private elevator. The rooms all have a feeling of lush opulence with velvet furnishings, rich colors, custom wallpapered ceilings, and art by local artists on the wall.

Dana Crawford was instrumental in bringing about Union Station's 2014 revival, and the hotel pays homage to her in a number of ways. As well as being named after her, the hotel rooms have light fixtures that look like pearls; she was known for a love of wearing pearl earrings. And guests can learn about Crawford's life via the alarm clocks in the rooms that come loaded with stories about her.

You can also go shopping at some iconic Denver stores at Union Station. It has a Tattered Cover Bookstore, a beloved local independent bookstore as well as 5 Green Boxes, a boutique with all kinds of unique gifts, jewelry, home goods, and more.