Denver International Airport to Downtown Denver: Every Transit Option Compared (2026)

Option 1: RTD A Line — The Ops Team's Default

Let's get this out of the way up front: for solo travelers or pairs with manageable luggage, the A Line commuter rail is one of the best airport train connections in the country. (It was branded the "University of Colorado A Line" for its first few years — that sponsorship has ended, and it's now simply the A Line.) It runs from the DEN Transit Center beneath the Westin hotel directly to Denver Union Station — no transfers, no guesswork, no meter running while you sit in I-70 construction.

Step-by-Step from Baggage Claim

1. Collect your bags at the main terminal (Jeppesen Terminal — Level 6 is ticketing and departures, Level 5 is baggage claim).
2. Follow signs for "A Line / Trains to the City" — head toward the south end of the terminal, where the Westin Denver International Airport hotel and its open-air plaza sit above the DEN Transit Center.
3. Take the five-story escalator (Colorado's tallest) or the elevator down to the A Line platform on Level 1 of the transit center — sheltered beneath the plaza, with the Westin straddling the tracks overhead.
4. Purchase a ticket from the RTD vending machines on the platform or tap your card on the validator if you have a pre-loaded MyRide card. Cost: $10 — and it's an Airport Day Pass, valid on the whole RTD system for the rest of the service day.
5. Board the train. Trains depart every 15 minutes through the daytime (roughly 4:30 AM–6:30 PM) and every 30 minutes early morning and late evening. The ride to Denver Union Station takes a scheduled 37 minutes with six intermediate stops along the way.
6. At Union Station, you're in the heart of Lower Downtown (LoDo). Walk to hotels, connect to light rail or bus, or grab a 5-minute rideshare to your specific address.

Pricing Details

RTD simplified its fares in January 2024, and airport pricing got friendlier. The airport fare is a $10 Airport Day Pass — valid all service day across the entire RTD system, so a same-day round trip or an onward light rail/bus connection costs nothing extra. (RTD's standard local fares are $2.75 for a 3-hour pass and $5.50 for a local Day Pass, but neither covers the Airport Fare Zone — you need the $10 pass for the A Line.) Seniors 65+, Medicare recipients, riders with disabilities, and income-qualified LiVE members pay half fare, and their $2.70 discount Day Pass does include airport travel. Youth 19 and under and active-duty military ride free under RTD's Zero Fare programs.

Option 2: Rideshare (Uber / Lyft)

Denver Airport is a solidly functional rideshare airport. Pickup is organized, signage is clear, and unless it's a Friday evening in ski season, wait times are reasonable. But there are a few things the app won't tell you.

Step-by-Step

1. From baggage claim on Level 5, follow the ride app / rideshare pickup signs — pickup is on the same level as baggage claim, no garage trek required.
2. Exit through doors 507–511 (Terminal East) or 506–510 (Terminal West) and cross out to Island 5, just past the crew shuttle pickup area. Either side of the terminal works.
3. Request your car once you're physically at Island 5 — not while still at the baggage carousel, or your driver will arrive before you're ready and start burning your arrival time.
4. Standard fare to downtown: $35–$55 off-peak. Surge pricing on Friday evenings, holidays, and after major events at Ball Arena or Empower Field can push fares to $70–$90+.

Travel time is genuinely variable. Off-peak (mid-morning, early afternoon on weekdays), expect 30–40 minutes via Peña Boulevard to I-70 West. During rush hour — particularly eastbound in the morning and westbound in the afternoon — that can stretch to 55 minutes or more. The A Line wins those battles consistently.

Option 3: Taxi

Denver taxis are regulated, and Denver Yellow Cab and Metro Taxi are the main operators. You'll find the taxi stand on Level 5 of the main terminal, Island 1 — outside doors 505, 507 and 511 (Terminal East) or 506, 510 and 512 (Terminal West). No app required, just walk out the exit and join the queue.

Airport trips run on flat zone rates rather than a pure meter: central Denver falls in Metro Taxi's $66 zone rate, and a $4.57 DIA access fee is added to every airport taxi trip — so expect roughly $70 before tip to most downtown Denver hotels. Tipping 15–20% is standard. The driver's knowledge of downtown streets is generally good — most Denver cabbies know the hotel district well.

If you don't have a working US phone number for apps, hate the rideshare garage walk, or are on a business account that requires a receipt, taxis are a perfectly solid choice. Just don't expect them to be cheaper than a rideshare — they typically aren't.

Option 4: RTD Bus (Boulder & Suburbs — Not Downtown)

Here's a correction worth making loudly, because older guides still get it wrong: there is no RTD bus from the airport to downtown Denver. The old downtown SkyRide routes were retired when the A Line opened in 2016. If you're headed downtown, the train is the transit option — full stop.

What still runs from DEN: the AB1/AB2 SkyRide to Boulder (a genuinely useful one-seat ride, covered by the same $10 Airport Day Pass, roughly 55–70 minutes), the AT/ATA toward Arapahoe County and the southeast suburbs, and local routes 104L, 145X and 169L to Thornton, Brighton and Aurora — those three are local routes that only cost the standard $2.75 fare. All RTD buses board at the bus gates in the DEN Transit Center, Level 1 at the south end of the Jeppesen Terminal — the same place you catch the train.

Where the buses earn their keep: destinations other than downtown. Boulder-bound travelers in particular should skip downtown entirely and ride the AB direct. For downtown specifically, the train is superior in every scenario.

Option 5: Shared Airport Shuttle

SuperShuttle exited Denver years ago, and most of the surviving shuttle business has shifted to mountain-resort routes (Epic Mountain Express) or Northern Colorado (Green Ride to Fort Collins). A handful of local operators — ABC Shuttle is one — still run shared rides between DEN and downtown, Cherry Creek and southeast Denver hotels. Book in advance — these can't reliably be booked curb-side, and shared-ride availability to downtown is limited. Typical fares run roughly $20–$35 per person depending on operator, which sounds attractive until you factor in the 60–90 minute actual travel time as the van works through multiple drop-offs before yours.

These services make sense if you're traveling heavy (the van can handle significant luggage), your hotel is out of the way and you don't want to explain the address to a rideshare driver, or you've pre-booked as part of a corporate travel package. For most travelers, the time cost isn't worth the $10–$20 savings over rideshare.

Option 6: Private Transfer

Pre-booked private cars — through operators like Blacklane, CarmelLimo, or local Denver town car companies — run $65–$100 flat rate to downtown, including all fees and a standard tip. The driver meets you at baggage claim with a sign (actual meet-and-greet, not just a curb pickup). Vehicles are typically black sedans, SUVs, or sprinter vans for groups.

This is the right call when you're arriving on a red-eye and don't want to think, when a client is paying, when you have a large group with gear, or when you need guaranteed timing for a connection. The experience is genuinely seamless at DEN — the operators know the airport well and track your flight number for delay adjustments.

Option 7: Rental Car

Rental car counters at DEN aren't inside the terminal — each brand operates its own facility on airport property, reached by that company's free shuttle bus. Follow signs for "Rental Cars" from baggage claim to Level 5, Island 4 (doors 505–513 on the east side, 504–512 on the west) and board the shuttle marked with your rental company's name. Shuttles run continuously — roughly every 10 minutes — and the ride takes 5–15 minutes.

Daily rates for economy cars start around $50–$70/day through the major brands (Enterprise, Hertz, National, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty are all on-site). Add Colorado rental taxes and fees and you're looking at $65–$120/day all-in. Parking in downtown Denver adds another $25–$45/day at most hotels. Unless you're driving out of Denver — to the mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, or further — a rental car is an expensive complication for a downtown-only trip.