Where to Stay in Austin, Texas

Downtown puts you on Congress Avenue with the State Capitol at the north end and Lady Bird Lake at the south. Rainey Street is the main bar district, a row of converted bungalows packed shoulder to shoulder. Sixth Street is the older, rowdier strip closer to I-35, fine for a night but loud after dark. The Driskill on Brazos Street and the JW Marriott on Congress are the anchor hotels here. Stay west of Congress if you want quieter mornings. Most downtown hotels charge $35 to $50 a night for valet, which adds up fast.

Best for

First-time visitors who want to walk everywhere and skip the rental car

Walk times

Lady Bird Lake trail 8 min
Rainey Street bars 6 min
Texas State Capitol 12 min

Skip if: You hate paying for parking or want a quiet residential feel

Local tip: Book a hotel south of 7th Street. Anything north of 11th puts you in office territory with dead sidewalks after 6pm.

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$246per night

South Congress (SoCo)

Indie shops, food trucks, and the iconic 'I love you so much' wall

Luxury $240-$480/night

South Congress runs from Lady Bird Lake down past Oltorf Street and is Austin's most photographed strip. Allens Boots, Uncommon Objects, and Lucy in Disguise sit between food trucks and small restaurants. Home Slice Pizza and Hopdoddy on South Congress draw lines past 9pm on weekends. Hotel San Jose and the Austin Motel are the two boutique stays everyone tries to book. The walk across the Congress Avenue Bridge to downtown takes about 20 minutes, and at sunset from late March through early November you can watch 1.5 million bats fly out from under it.

Best for

Couplesdesign-minded travelersanyone who hates corporate hotels

Walk times

Congress Avenue Bridge 18 min
Barton Springs Pool 22 min
Home Slice Pizza 4 min

Skip if: You need to be within stumbling distance of bars at 2am

Local tip: Stay between Riverside and Oltorf. Past Oltorf the strip thins out and you're in a long walk or rideshare for everything.

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$269per night

East Austin

Best food in the city, lower prices, and the real local scene

Luxury $180-$340/night

East Austin sits across I-35 from downtown and is where most locals actually eat and drink. East 6th Street and East 11th have the bulk of the action: Franklin Barbecue on East 11th opens at 11am and sells out by 1pm most days. Suerte for tacos, Veracruz All Natural for breakfast tacos, and the Cosmic Coffee complex on East Cesar Chavez are the spots worth the trip. Hotel Eleven and the Carpenter Hotel are the two main boutique options. Rooms run cheaper here than downtown, but you'll need rideshares after dark since the area is residential between commercial pockets.

Best for

Repeat visitorsfood obsessivestravelers on a budget

Walk times

East 6th bars: 5 to 15 min
Downtown via rideshare 7 min

Skip if: It's your first trip and you want to walk to the Capitol

Local tip: Skip Franklin's line. Get La Barbecue on East Cesar Chavez instead. Same quality, half the wait, and they take online orders.

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$202per night

The Domain

North Austin's shopping district, quiet and corporate

Mid-range $160-$280/night

The Domain is a planned shopping and office district about 12 miles north of downtown, near the Apple and Indeed campuses. Rock Rose is the main pedestrian street with bars and restaurants, and the area has Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and a Dell flagship. The Westin and Archer Hotel are the main stays, and rooms run noticeably cheaper than downtown. The trade-off is obvious: you're 20 minutes by car from anything else in Austin, and rideshare to South Congress costs $25 to $35 each way. Only stay here if you have business at one of the tech campuses or specifically want shopping.

Best for

Business travelersshopping tripsanyone with a rental car

Walk times

Rock Rose dining: 5 to 10 min
Apple campus 8 min
Downtown 20 min

Skip if: You came to Austin for music, food trucks, or the lake

Local tip: MoPac (Loop 1) into downtown moves faster than I-35 at every hour of the day. Take it both ways even if Google Maps says otherwise.

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$179per night