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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 (100°F) days), mid-Dec–mid-Feb ice-storm riskJun–Aug (100°F (38°C) 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 (3.1 mi) downtownRideshare, 3.1 mi (5 km) 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 (5 mi) southeast of downtown; bus 20 to downtown, or a 20–30 min taxi/rideshareAbout 5 mi (8 km) 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)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
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.