In some cities, it's easy and well-known where you should go to get good views of the skyline, for example, Victoria Peak in Hong Kong or Coronado Island in San Diego. In Denver, you might think that since it's located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains you just need to go up into the mountains to get the best views. I do recommend every first-time tourist in Denver to visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the beautiful landscape views you get from there, and the unique design of the arena. However, the Downtown views from there will disappoint.

As you can see in the picture above - the Skyline of Denver isn't so impressive from the Rocky Mountains (You can see it in the distance in the center-left of the picture if you look closely). Regardless of this, and regardless if there's a concert or not to go to, you still should visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and the nearby Buffalo Bill Grave.

Red Rocks is located 16 kilometers, or ten miles, from Downtown Denver and you won't get any closer views from the mountain itself. To see the stunning landscape, you can't get a much better overview than at the top of the stands for this outdoor arena, where concerts are often held. Just make sure to go on a clear day, which shouldn't be hard to find since Denver has over 300 days a year of blue skies and sunshine. I never had the opportunity to go to a concert at Red Rocks but I can only imagine what it will look like during the evening/night when the lights of the Metropolitan area lights up the horizon.

While you're up there, don't forget to also visit Buffalo Bill's Grave. You don't need to spend much time there, but it's one of those things you should do while in town. In this area you also have the old town of Golden, where you'll also be able to visit Coors Brewery. It's a nice little day trip from Downtown Denver!

So where should you go to get good skyline views in Denver?

The simple answer is: Rodeway Inn Denver Downtown ( 2601 Zuni St Building B, Denver, CO 80211, United States ).

At the time of my visit to Denver, it was a Super 8 Motel (which I also stayed at), but that doesn't matter as it's not the motel you're there to visit. To get here by foot from the Daniels & Fisher Tower on 16th Street Mall you can take the quickest route by just following Speer Blvd North. It takes about 30 minutes. A more interesting walk would be to follow 16th Street North through Union Station and Commons Park and then take a left at Boulder Street. That route takes around 40 minutes to walk but you have a lot more to see on the way. If you take the route through Speer Blvd be aware that you'll pass through an area with many homeless. During the day I had no issues walking that route, which I did several times during my stay in Denver. I never walked at night, but the whole area felt sketchy during the night. However, the actual area where you would stop to look at the skyline is fairly safe even at night due to the proximity to the motel.

If you instead want to arrive by car I would say you can easily just park at the motel parking lot if you're just staying for a few minutes to look at the skyline and take a few photos. Along 27th Ave you also have street-side parking available. Just make sure to cross Zuni street to get the best views. The picture above is from 2016, so if you visit today you'll see a skyline that's even more impressive since Denver is one of the fastest-growing Downtowns in the United States.