October 8, 2003 -- The Mile-High City is worth more than just a layover. That's United's message with their new Denver stopover program, which will let you dally in Denver for as long as you like by adding $60 to any flight between the "lower 48" US states stopping over there.
United has a major Western hub in Denver, and plenty of their flights require you to change planes there. This new program is refreshingly free of restrictions, and it even applies to online bookings and sale fares.
To book a Denver stopover on the Web, click on the "multi-city" button on your travel agency or United's Web site (www.united.com) and book the flight as three legs: one into Denver, one from Denver to your final destination, and one from your final destination back home.
In fact, you can even stop over in Denver twice -- once coming, once going. (That would cost you $120 rather than $60, though.) Advance purchase and maximum stay rules apply to your whole trip. So if your fare allows a 30-day stay, that's 30 days including your Denver stopover; if it requires a Saturday night stay, you can stay Saturday night in Denver or at your final destination.
The price advantages of this deal are hard to measure, but $60 for adding a city to your trip sounds pretty good to us.
Things to Do in Denver When You're Alive
Denver's most attractive feature isn't what's in the city, but what's around it. Surrounded by the majesty of the Rockies, you can spend a day or two hiking or skiing and then get back to your regular business.
Our online guide lists four ski resorts right near Denver. And the famed resorts of Vail and Breckenridge are only about an hour and a half's drive west of the city. You can easily land in the morning and be on the slopes by the afternoon.
Denver's 14,000 acres of parks -- not to mention the nearby mountains -- offer an amazing variety of other active-holiday options, including places to bike, hike, fish and even float in a hot-air balloon. For full details, check out our free online Denver guide.
If town life interests you more than the dramatic wilderness you see on all sides, you can easily enjoy a day or two around Denver. Stroll the civic center and spend an evening taking in the shops and restaurants of the ultra-chic LoDo area. Take a side trip to the Victorian mining village of Georgetown, and another to the bohemian college town of Boulder. Then drive back to the airport and continue to your final destination, refreshed by a Rocky Mountain high.
What do you suggest travelers do with a few extra days in and around Denver? Share your tips on our Colorado Message Boards by clicking here.
