For two
A dramatic, intimate setting where five-star comfort and high-alpine wildness sit side by side. We weave both into the week.
Design This TripBase yourselves at the Madeline in Mountain Village, where a five-star room with a soaking tub and balcony frames the 14,000-foot San Juans, with a morning at The Spa and its altitude-easing treatment to settle you in.
At dusk, ride the free gondola to Allred's at San Sophia Station for a candlelit prix fixe as the lifts go quiet beneath you, then keep a night for classic French at La Marmotte in the 1893 ice house.
A private scenic helicopter flight with Helitrax banks over untracked San Juan snowfields just for the two of you. We hold the timing, the table and the gondola rhythm, so the only thing you do is take it in.
What’s inside
A sample rhythm
Arrive and slow down
A transfer to the Madeline, a spa morning, a quiet first dinner.
Up the gondola
A dusk ride to Allred's for a candlelit mountaintop prix fixe.
A morning in the sky
A private Helitrax flight over untracked San Juan snowfields.
A French close
A low-lit dinner at La Marmotte in the 1893 ice house.
The Telluridewe’d build in
Where to stay
Telluride splits its great lodgings between ski-in/ski-out Mountain Village and the historic box-canyon town, with a free gondola stitching the two together.
Mountain Village
The only Forbes five-star and inaugural Michelin Key hotel in Telluride, with the best ski-in/ski-out access, an award-winning spa, the Alpine Swim Club and an ice rink.
Visit official siteMountain Village
A grand ski-in/ski-out resort home to Colorado's largest spa, indoor and outdoor pools and the Altezza dining room, with the gondola at the door.
Visit official siteMountain Village
An intimate, design-forward boutique of roughly 18 full-kitchen residences at the base of Lift 4, with a Relais and Chateaux pedigree and personalized service.
Visit official siteTown
A 59-room downtown boutique chalet with a warm European feel, walkable to galleries, shops and the gondola, known for genuinely personal, pet-friendly service.
Visit official siteMountain Village
A handsome ski-in/ski-out lodge of rooms, condos and sprawling luxury log cabins with sweeping San Juan views, plus the Alloy Kitchen and ski-butler service.
Visit official siteTown
A restored 1895 landmark in the heart of downtown where Victorian character meets modern comfort, steps from the main street and the Sheridan Opera House.
Visit official siteSpa and stillness
Telluride's resort spas are built for recovery at elevation, from a Forbes-rated alpine sanctuary to the largest spa in the state, with quieter in-residence options too.
Mountain Village
An alpine-inspired sanctuary with locally made botanicals, signature massages and an altitude-easing treatment; treatments over a set minimum unlock the Alpine Swim Club.
Visit official siteMountain Village
Colorado's largest spa and fitness center, with 32 treatment rooms, a full hair and nail salon and an enormous menu of massage, facial and recovery services.
Visit official siteMountain Village
Personalized spa and in-room treatments at the boutique Lumiere, ideal for guests who prefer privacy and a curated, low-key wellness experience.
Visit official siteMountain Village
On-site massage, a hot tub and post-adventure recovery at Mountain Lodge, convenient for guests staying in the lodge's cabins and condos.
Visit official siteMountain Village
The Madeline's heated outdoor pool and hot tubs set against the San Juans, an unhurried place to soak and acclimate that spa guests can unlock with a treatment.
Visit official siteRegional (Ridgway)
A scenic-detour recovery option down valley near Ridgway, with natural geothermal soaking pools, a serene mountain setting and a longer day of restoration beyond the resort spas.
Where to eat
Telluride dines small and serious, from a mountaintop room at 10,551 feet reached only by gondola to candlelit French and chef-owned New American in century-old buildings.
Mid-mountain (San Sophia)
Reached by free gondola to San Sophia Station at 10,551 feet, a contemporary-American prix-fixe room pairing sweeping canyon views with an award-winning wine program and live piano.
Visit official siteTown
A romantic, long-running French table in the 1893 ice-house building on West San Juan Avenue, serving a refined nightly prix fixe with a world-class wine list.
Visit official siteTown
A buzzy downtown room of shared plates, fresh seafood and house-made pasta with Mediterranean and Italian accents, plus a seasonal rooftop.
Visit official siteTown
Chef-owner Eliza Gavin's intimate New American restaurant in a refurbished historic home steps from the gondola, blending Southern, Creole, French and Californian influences.
Visit official siteMountain Village
The Peaks Resort's signature Italian-leaning dining room, an easy elegant option for Mountain Village guests with mountain views and a strong wine selection.
Visit official siteThe signature days
Beyond the slopes, Telluride offers 4x4 climbs to ghost towns and alpine passes, scenic helicopter flights, tandem paragliding off the resort and snowmelt rafting on the San Miguel.
Black Bear and Ophir are the reliable high-alpine 4x4 passes; Imogene Pass remains affected by 2024 road damage, so outfitters adjust itineraries to current conditions.
Town
Guided 4x4 tours to the Tomboy ghost town and high alpine passes, the most popular a half-day climb up the old mining road above town.
Visit official siteTown
Private off-road Jeep tours to iconic objectives like Black Bear Pass, Ophir Pass and the Alta ghost town, with itineraries adjusted to current pass conditions.
Visit official siteTelluride Airport / The Peaks
Fifteen-minute scenic helicopter flights over the San Juans for up to four or five passengers, departing from The Peaks or the Telluride Airport.
Visit official siteMountain Village / resort
The only permitted, fully insured commercial tandem paragliding operator launching from the ski resort, billed as the highest-elevation paragliding school in the country.
Visit official siteTown
Half-day to two-day whitewater trips through Class II-III rapids on the snowmelt-fed San Miguel, a hands-on paddling river running a short late-spring-to-summer season.
Visit official siteTown and Mountain Village
The free, wind-powered 12-minute gondola linking the two towns over Coonskin Ridge, the only system of its kind in the U.S. and a scenic ride in its own right.
Visit official siteThe long views
The free gondola is Telluride's signature view, and the canyon frames Bridal Veil Falls, while the San Juan Skyway loops past Ouray's box-canyon cascade for a no-trail grand tour.
Town and Mountain Village
A front-row, 10,500-foot ride over the ridge between the towns, offering expansive views of the San Juans, mesas and waterfalls, free and open daily into the night.
Visit official siteTown (east end)
The dramatic cliff-edge waterfall closing the box canyon east of town, viewable from the valley floor or up close via the trail to the historic power station.
Visit official siteRegional (Telluride hub)
A 236-mile National Scenic and Historic Byway looping through Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, Durango and Cortez, taking in the Million Dollar Highway and high passes.
Visit official siteRegional (Ouray)
A short, spectacular detour off the Skyway in Little Switzerland Ouray, where a thundering 285-foot cascade roars through a narrow slot canyon.
Visit official siteRegional (Ouray to Silverton)
The most dramatic stretch of the Skyway, US 550 between Ouray and Silverton, a cliff-hugging, guardrail-free climb over Red Mountain Pass past old mines and sheer drops.
Regional (near Telluride)
A celebrated high-country back road through aspen stands and ranchland with Sneffels Range views, among the finest fall-color drives in Colorado in late September.
Luxury Honeymoon
Share what you can already picture. A concierge fills in everything still open and sends back a plan, not a quote.
