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    16th Street FreeRide

    4.1 (92 reviews)
    Open 5:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)

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    16th Street Free Mall Ride
    Helene S.

    Need to get a lift between Union Station and the Colorado State Capital? Hop on the 16th Street Free Mall Ride. Easy to get to Union Station from the Denver Airport using the Denver Airport Rail. Nice to learn about the Free MallRide from the Hyatt Concierge. The free electric bus stops at each corner on 16th Street. There are luggage racks available as well. The buses run almost all day from around 5 AM to 1 AM. Nice to be able to hop on and hop off, especially after a long day spent exploring the parks, museums and shops in Downtown Denver.

    Inside looking out during the holidays in December
    Pamela M.

    Can people really complain about FREE? Of course they can, but let's face it no one has to ride it :) I love the convenience of the free mall ride if I'm headed someplace on or near 16th street. It picks up at civic center station downtown and ends at union station, just over a mile away. All along the way it stops at *almost* every street. So depending how many are running at the time and where you're headed, it's true, it "might" be quicker to walk. But, if you're tired of walking, have a long way, or catch it in perfect timing, it's really helpful! The driver is behind glass for their safety. Not sure what's gone on in Denver, but it's been in the news (even in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI) that (sadly) bus drivers have at times been victims of violence!

    Bill T.

    I like free things that are useful and this fits the bill! The buses run frequently during the day so if you miss one another will come along quickly. The stops are well marked and it's so easy to use, even a tourist can do it! I was able to pick it up right by Union Station and take it to the street my hotel was on and it was super easy. Buses are easy to enter and leave. There is a large transient population in Denver and these folks make use of this free service just like everyone else and I could tell it made some of the tourists uncomfortable when one of these individuals plopped down in a seat right next to them. I ride the E train every day so I encounter that a lot but for people who aren't used to mass transit, it may be a wake up call. Not saying that is a bad thing at all...it's good to "pop the bubble" that some people live in. Service starts early and runs late, so if you're downtown having fun, no need to rush, you can still hop on the bus.

    Jenna S.

    I absolutely love free things, and I love free transportation even more. As a citizen from the city that ups its public transportation and parking meter rates as often as it possibly can, I really appreciate all kinds of free transportation. The MallRide leaves from the base of the Capitol at the beginning of the mall and drives up and down the mall all day. Though the mall is only one mile long, the MallRide stops at every block and allows passengers to get on/off as they please. No need to ring a bell, the bus will stop anyway! On those hot summer days, this really provides some much needed relief from the sun. Also helpful for those just a bit too lazy to walk from one end to the other if that's your destination. I don't know why so many people rate this so poorly. Sure, there are some colorful characters on the bus, but aren't there everywhere? I enjoy the guy who is singing or preaching on the bus - he adds a little bit of funny to my day and I like that. The MallRide buses were clean and comfortable, even when they were packed. The layout provides a lot of standing space so there isn't a ton of awkward touching (as there are on some older Chicago buses - ewww). I love the MallRide and I'll just take it back and forth the next time I come to Denver.

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    15 years ago

    This Free MallRide is a Great Idea, but it is hard to ride on the bus, because you smell some unwanted smells from the homeless on there.

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    Page 3 of 3

    Ask the Community - 16th Street FreeRide

    Need ride to zoo?

    The MallRide only goes up and down the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver, not to the zoo, which is in City Park, five miles east. You can take the MallRide to Civic Center Station or Union Station, then catch a regular RTD bus to the zoo.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - 16th Street FreeRide

    Great idea for 16th Street mall especially for the lazy or great during the winter months.

    Mentioned in 21 reviews

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    Denver Union Station - Upstairs

    Denver Union Station

    4.3(574 reviews)
    0.2 miLodo, Northwest

    What an absolutely beautiful station. I was impressed with the outside and then when I went inside…read morethe building I was taken aback. It wasn't what I as expected at all. There were arched windows, beautiful lighting, and everything was just so bright due to the two. Inside there was a variety of places to eat. There were restaurants, a bar, and a coffee shop from what I had seen. I came early in the morning, so only the coffee shop was open. At the Union Station, you can catch a ride on the Amtrak or catch Denver's bus or rail. I thought the system was very nice and orderly.

    Denver Union Station is a very large, very grand structure designed to help human beings move from…read moreone spot on the Earth to another. I did not ride a train here. I simply walked inside, stared at the ceiling, drank coffee, and conducted myself like a person who had accidentally discovered that a transportation building can be a tourist attraction. The central room is called the Great Hall, and it is appropriately named. It features sixty-foot arched ceilings, giant chandeliers, and Beaux-Arts masonry that suggests important historical figures in dramatic clothing ought to be striding through the doors. The original station opened in 1881, burned down in 1894 because wooden structures are vulnerable to fire, and was rebuilt in 1914. A century later, after a long period of quiet decline, it was reimagined as a combination of train terminal, boutique hotel called The Crawford, cocktail venue known as the Terminal Bar, and general indoor living room for the public. It should be noted that it is not meant to stand in as a bedroom, however, as my friend was sternly warned about napping there by a camera guided security officer. If you look closely, the building contains small physical clues about the past. There are display cases showing forgotten items recovered from the original wooden waiting benches, vintage railroad artifacts, and framed architectural blueprints from 1914. These objects serve as physical proof that millions of long-gone citizens once sat in this exact space holding tickets to towns that have since changed beyond recognition or disappeared entirely. I stood with a hot beverage and watched the endless parade of organisms. There were hurried commuters, confused tourists, hotel guests with rolling suitcases, and individuals who had entered for no apparent reason other than that the room was warm and visually pleasing. Outside, Wynkoop Plaza connects the granite building to the Lower Downtown neighborhood with splash fountains and outdoor benches. You can buy a cocktail, eat an expensive meal, or sit on a plush couch and contemplate the sheer volume of human lives that have intersected under this roof over the past one hundred and forty years. I cannot report on whether the Amtrak trains operate according to their printed schedules. Based on my personal experience, I would doubt it, but that is hardly the fault of the station. I have no opinion regarding the cushioning of the waiting room chairs. I did not inspect the platform boarding platforms. I came strictly to observe a magnificent survivor made of stone and iron, and the station performed its duty. Sometimes the most satisfying place to arrive is the building originally constructed to send you somewhere else.

    Photos
    Denver Union Station - Observation car

    Observation car

    Denver Union Station - Entrance

    Entrance

    Denver Union Station - At Snooze AM!

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    At Snooze AM!

    RTD Union Station - Union Station transportation hub for Denver

    RTD Union Station

    2.9(38 reviews)
    0.4 miLodo, Northwest

    Shoutout great public transportation…read more RTD Union Station has been the beginning and end of many memorable nights downtown. If you're headed downtown for some fun, I recommend checking if RTD is available near you. From concerts and sporting events at Denver's top venues to bar hopping or skating downtown, RTD Union Station is a great and reliable way to get to and from your event. Did someone say free DD for the night? RTD has you covered. I found it to be safe and well taken care of, though I recommend the buddy system when possible. RTD Union Station is ALSO the perfect way to get to and from the Denver International Airport affordably. It makes solid time as well, considering how far Denver International Airport is from the city.

    Had a 6+ hour layover in Denver and thought it would be "fun" to leave the airport, catch the train…read moredowntown and "explore." Boy was that a mistake. After navigating the labyrinth that is exiting the airport made it to the train. Trains were parked and waiting so hopped on. It was cool-ish in there. Pretty empty. Had places to put your luggage. Seats were large and comfortable ish. They had a cling on the windows that made it hard to see out and hard to tell if it was the cling or just dirt on the window. Got to union station, got off the train and promptly tripped on a curb, sending my luggage tumbling and my back pack flying. There was a tiny lip of a curb that extends from where there were steps. Scraped several layers off my knees that over month later is still not fully healed. Had several kind people stop and offer to help me up. It wasn't that I could not get up but that my knees stung so bad I couldn't stand just yet. Security came over to ask how I was and admitted what happened to me happens to others. Thought then maybe they should paint it, or put something around it or a warning but I guess not. Wandered around downtown and came back here to catch the train back to the airport. Also weird on the train they had people asking to see your ticket. I explained I had done the tap to pay and had my credit card out (assuming he had a hand held device that he could tap to verify I had paid) but they did not. They walked through at least 3x in the ride from the airport to downtown and asked each time. Don't plan on trying to ride the train again here.

    Photos
    RTD Union Station
    RTD Union Station
    RTD Union Station - Headed to DIA

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    Headed to DIA

    RTD Alameda Station - Four Chromatic Gates by Herbert Bayer is at this station  02-25-2024

    RTD Alameda Station

    3.9(7 reviews)
    3.0 miBaker, Southwest

    Headed south from Union Station, this is stop #5. The Alameda Station serves the Denver Design…read moreDistrict. Many people that live in this area use this station to commute to and from downtown Denver for both work and play. There are many beautiful art installations both at and nearby the station including the Articulated Wall sculpture that is seen by thousands of people everyday that drive past it on I-25.

    So, as other reviewers have stated, this is indeed a light rail station. Other than the strange…read morestatue just north of the platform ("breakdancing native Americans"), it's not a bad spot. I probably wouldn't want to live in the "luxury apartments" next door, but maybe that's just me. There seems to be a little restaurant nearby, judging by a sign on the corner of the building that states "coffee and cocktails," but since I'm usually on my way to work when I pass through here, I'm unlikely to give that one a shot for the most part. The station is about as clean as you can reasonably expect a station in the middle of Denver to be, perhaps because of the "luxury" station-adjacent housing. Maybe that's what makes it so luxurious--it's like having your own chauffeur that also drives around thousands of other people a day and stays on a set of tracks? I know not. I-25 and Broadway houses the next stop, and it certainly has ample parking as well as a plethora of included bus lines to transfer to. For park-n-rides, I don't really know which would be better, but I'd probably rather transfer trains at Alameda given the choice--less people means less fighting to get onto the train, at least, even if the train is crowded.

    Photos
    RTD Alameda Station - Timetable   02-25-2024

    Timetable 02-25-2024

    RTD Alameda Station - The Platform with the Light Rail Train  02-25-2024

    The Platform with the Light Rail Train 02-25-2024

    RTD Alameda Station - Looking up from under the Four Chromatic Gates by Herbert Bayer is at this station  02-25-2024

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    Looking up from under the Four Chromatic Gates by Herbert Bayer is at this station 02-25-2024

    RTD - 10th And Osage Station

    RTD - 10th And Osage Station

    3.5(2 reviews)
    1.3 miLincoln Park, Southwest

    Headed south on the E line from Union Station, this is stop #4. This station services the Lincoln…read moreNeighborhood. One of the Oldest neighborhoods in the Denver Metro Area. Points of interest include The Buckhorn Steakhouse, which is Denver's oldest still in operation restaurants, Lincoln Park, Museo de las Americas, and other small art galleries and recreation centers. I like the beautiful art installation right in front of the station.

    Nice little station but a single stop away from the visually-bland Auraria Station. Curiously,…read morealthough this station seems to handle far less volume than Auraria, the eastern side features some grass and trees, and it's actually a surprisingly pleasant little nook in the middle of the city as a result. (The western side is simply a bunch of empty train tracks and industrial properties, but you take what you can get from city tram stations.) There's a footpath leading directly to the Bighorn Exchange if you're coming through later in the day and crave a bite to eat at the northern end of the station, or you can just get out of the sun beneath one of the awnings if you're just waiting between trains. All in all, it's worth it to hop the first southbound train you can from Auraria and transfer to whatever you'd like here, if just for the trees and the pleasant atmosphere (both metaphorical and literal, since this station is a bit off the roadside and Auraria is at the center point between two highways and several campus access roads) for that few minutes between rides.

    Photos
    RTD - 10th And Osage Station
    RTD - 10th And Osage Station - Parking deck underway

    Parking deck underway

    RTD - 10th And Osage Station - Art work

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    Art work

    16th Street FreeRide - publictransport - Updated September 2026

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