In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United States
Austin
Austin, Texas
Give Austin 3 nights: 1 downtown for the Capitol and music, 1 South Congress, 1 East Austin. Skip Jun–Aug unless you want 38°C days.
Austin is the Texas capital, a university city and the self-styled live-music capital, sitting on the southeast edge of the Hill Country. Downtown, South Congress and East Austin hold most of what a visitor does; the rest of the city is car country. Three nights covers the core, and spring or autumn is when the weather lets you walk it.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Austin, Texas
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (38°C days), mid-Dec–mid-Feb ice-storm riskJun–Aug (100°F days), mid-Dec–mid-Feb ice-storm risk
- Stay
- 3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–200 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–7 |
| Breakfast taco | $3–6 |
| Barbecue plate (meat by weight plus sides) | $18–35 |
| Draft beer at a bar | $6–9 |
| Rideshare, 5 km downtownRideshare, 3.1 mi downtown | $10–18 |
| Capital Metro local ride | $1.25 (check) |
| Museum entry | $0–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AUS · Austin-Bergstrom International
- About 8 km southeast of downtown; bus 20 to downtown, or a 20–30 min taxi/rideshareAbout 5 mi southeast of downtown; bus 20 to downtown, or a 20–30 min taxi/rideshare
Typical fares
- AUS airport → downtown, taxi
- about $30, 20–30 min (check)
- AUS airport → downtown, bus 20
- $1.25 one way, about 40 min (check)
- Capital Metro 24-hour local pass
- $2.50 (check)
Get around
Downtown, South Congress and the UT strip are walkable in good weather. Capital Metro buses cover the main corridors; a 24-hour local pass is cheap. Rideshare is the default for anything outside the centre — Austin is spread out and the bus network is thin by US standards. Bike share stations sit downtown, near UT and in South Austin.
See and do
Known for
- Live music venues
- Texas State Capitol
- South Congress Avenue
- Barton Springs Pool
- Breakfast tacos and barbecue
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| San Marcos | I-35 south by car, about 45 min | About 1 h |
| New Braunfels | I-35 south by car, about 1 h | About 1–1.25 h |
| Fredericksburg | US-290 west by car, about 1 h 30 min | About 1.5–2 h |
| Round Rock | I-35 north by car, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Georgetown | I-35 north by car, about 40 min | About 1 h |
| Boerne | US-281 northwest by car, about 1 h 45 min | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Downtown
- Capitol, 6th Street music, walkable; loudest at night and priciest.
- South Congress (SoCo)
- Shops, food, a 20–30 min walk or short bus ride to downtown.
- East Austin
- Bars, restaurants and galleries; 10–15 min by rideshare to downtown.
- UT and the Drag
- Cheaper rooms near campus; quieter in summer when students leave.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the restroom? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat is the real hazard: plan indoor stops and water between 11:00 and 17:00, and never leave anyone in a parked car.
- Spring brings severe thunderstorms and occasional hail; check the forecast before an outdoor day.
- Winter ice storms can close roads and cut power once or twice a season, roughly late Dec–mid-Feb.
- 6th Street bar crowds late at night: watch drinks and keep to lit blocks.
Central Austin is busy and generally safe in daylight. The real risks are summer heat, aggressive drivers, and late-night bar streets: keep to lit blocks, watch your drink, and don't walk alone after 02:00.Central Austin is busy and generally safe in daylight. The real risks are summer heat, aggressive drivers, and late-night bar streets: keep to lit blocks, watch your drink, and don't walk alone after 2:00 AM.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Austin yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Live music venues
- Texas State Capitol
- South Congress Avenue
- Barton Springs Pool
- Breakfast tacos and barbecue
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Austin Visitor Center: www.austintexas.org/
- City of Austin: austintexas.gov
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport: www.austintexas.gov/airport
- Capital Metro: www.capmetro.org
- Amtrak — Austin station: www.amtrak.com/stations/aus
- Wikivoyage: Austin, revision 5327055 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5327055
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AustinAustin, Texas
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Austin; most countries have consulates in Houston or Dallas and embassies in Washington, DC.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/austin). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.