Just 4 hours flight from Boston, Colorado State combines its grand natural landscapes with art museums, historical monuments, and luxurious restaurants and breweries… Discover its main attractions in this guide.

Colorado, the Old West in all its splendor!

In the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado is a premier tourist destination in the southwestern United States. Through its military past, where Spanish, Americans, and Mexicans each took their turn leading the way, the state gained its freedom only in 1876, which is where it gets its nickname, the Centennial State. Due to its rebellious and desert-like terrain, the Colorado Plateau is a vast mosaic of natural parks.

This land of mountains, deep red canyons, mesas, sand dunes, and crystalline lakes is an inexhaustible playground for hiking enthusiasts. After a day of horseback riding or skiing, visitors will delight in exploring downtown Denver, which brims with family attractions, such as the Denver Zoo and the Museum of Nature and Science. Set off today for Colorado and discover what you've been looking for in an authentic Old West adventure!

History

People know Colorado by its nickname as the Centennial State. Indeed, it only joined the Union a hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on August 1st, 1876.

Colorado was originally the territory of the Apaches, Pueblos, and Comanche. Buffalo hunting, horse herding, and trading formed the core of their subsistence.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Native Americans had to cede their lands to settlers. The region had become a Spanish trading post and an eldorado for adventurers who came to make their fortunes by mining gold and silver.

The gold rush resulted in a population explosion. The need to establish an administrative organization became clear. The Jefferson Territory was created in October 1859 without the agreement or approval of the United States, replaced two years later by the Colorado Territory, which this time enjoyed official recognition.

In 1930, Colorado's population crossed the 1 million mark. The economy was heavily impacted by the Great Depression and dust storms, before experiencing tremendous growth after World War II. Tourism and technological development led to sustained economic expansion.

Today

Mountainous, verdant, watered by torrents yet featuring arid and scorching desert in places, Colorado plays the nature card to dazzle tourists. The Centennial State shares its borders with Utah, Nebraska, Wyoming, Arizona, and New Mexico. Its capital and largest city is Denver.

Each summer, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking and zip-lining attract crowds to the Rockies. When winter returns, alpine skiing animates the snow-capped peaks, with around twenty world-class winter resorts.

No matter your hobby—ice skating, exploring history-laden cities, touring art galleries, or venturing into the mountains—your dream vacation awaits in Colorado.

What to visit on a trip to Colorado?

The city of Denver

To dive headfirst into Colorado's history, a stroll through downtown Denver is essential.

Highly frequented, the Golden Triangle houses great architectural masterpieces such as:

• The Capitol Building, built in the early 20th century;
• The 18-story Prado Skyscraper, known for its avant-garde French design;
• The Ellie Kaulkins Opera House, Colorado's first opera venue, which has hosted some of the finest American voices.

Strolling through Larimer Square, you'll feast your eyes on homes featuring 19th-century architecture. Don't miss the Molly Brown House Museum, home of the famous Titanic passenger, where you can relive memories of that tragic maritime disaster.

A wealth of museums invites you to step outside of time in downtown Denver. Discover:

• The Denver Art Museum,
• The American Museum of Western Art,
• The Black American West Museum,
• The Colorado Historical Center.

For a shopping interlude, head to South Broadway or SoBo, as locals affectionately call it. Jewelry boutiques and haute couture labels have settled in the district. After dressing in the latest fashion, you deserve a culinary pause in the cafés and fine dining restaurants. Be sure to taste the local beers, which also contribute to Denver's reputation.

Natural Heritage

Colorado is also an essential ecotourism destination! Tourists come here primarily for backpacking, camping, and alpine skiing.

Mesa Verde National Park

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Mesa Verde National Park is extraordinarily rich in natural resources. Rock climbers will delight in discovering cliff dwellings or structures built directly into the rock, which archaeologists have attributed to the earliest Puebloan Indians. The site is located about fifteen kilometers from Cortez.

The Rocky Mountain National Park

It's impossible to miss the Rockies on a Colorado road trip! The landscape is dotted with cliffs, high-altitude lakes, turbulent waterfalls, and narrow, colorful gorges. Climbing is all the more rewarding as it allows you to observe indigenous wildlife, such as bighorn sheep, elk, and mule deer. These American herbivores have grazed on mountain meadows since time immemorial. This wild paradise awaits a day's drive from the capital.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The park owes its name to the galleries of dark rocks that sunlight illuminates only half an hour each day. Writer Duane Vandenbusche declared of it: "Several canyons in the American West are longer and some deeper, but none can compare to Black Canyon which combines depth, verticality, narrowness, darkness, and an atmosphere of terror". Very remote from traffic, the park is sheltered from mass tourism. An unconventional itinerary for those seeking thrills.

Colorado National Monument

Road trippers will have the time of their lives here. A winding road snakes between chains of mesas interspersed with majestic monolithic blocks. The Rim Rock Drive continues with a descent into canyons. Red rock walls rise on either side of the gorges. Invaluable geological heritage!

Aspen Ski Resort

Aspen is an iconic Colorado winter sports destination. Renowned for its varied slopes, it attracts both beginners and experienced skiers. With its four ski areas—Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk—it offers spectacular scenery and world-class facilities. In winter, it's a paradise for skiing enthusiasts, while in summer, hiking and mountain biking take over.

Museums and Recreation Parks

The Colorado Historical Center

Established in 2012 south of the former museum, the Colorado Historic Center sheds light on Colorado's thousand-year past. The lifestyle of early Puebloans, cliff dwellings, strategies for adapting to drought, animal species typical of the mountains, the region's conquest by settlers, the trials faced by Coloradans during World War II… It's all documented here!

Children will enjoy manipulating the Time Machine, a giant map of Colorado designed like a clock. As they move its dial, the machine reveals a significant event that occurred in the region during a particular time period.

The Museum of Nature and Science

This educational museum addresses the themes of wildlife, flora, and Colorado's and the world's geological history. Exhibitions on dinosaurs, space research, and a planetarium dedicated to observing stars and planets will delight both children and adults.

Denver Zoo

It's hard to find a better attraction for enjoying a family day out in the capital. Within City Park, the zoo houses animals imported from all corners of the world: elephants, one-horned rhinoceroses, gibbons, grizzly bears, and much more. Over 3,500 different specimens are on display. Interactive experiences, such as feeding, care-taking, and up-close observation, will please all the kids.

What is the climate like in Colorado?

Colorado's climate is continental, with warm summers and cold winters. In the mountains, temperatures vary greatly. The best time to visit is June through September for hiking and exploring parks, and December through March for skiing.

Thanks to a well-developed transportation network, it's easy to reach Colorado.

By car and bus

Follow Interstate 70 to go east to west and Interstate 25 to visit cities in the North and South. I-25 passes through Denver, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo.

You can also travel by bus.

By plane

Denver International Airport ranks sixth in the États-Unis in terms of passenger traffic and eleventh worldwide. American Airlines, Delta, and Air France connect Paris to Denver in approximately 14 hours of flight, with one or two stops. Norwegian Air offers two direct flights per week from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Apart from this main airport, about a dozen domestic airports serve the state's major cities.

What to do in Colorado?

- See fantastic rock formations;

- Plan a hike through Mesa Verde Park;

- Enjoy the thrills of alpine skiing;

- Tour art museums;

- Visit abandoned mines;

- Take a family excursion to the Garden of the Gods;

- Observe the wonderful exotic wildlife at Denver Zoo;

- Taste excellent local specialties.