Where to stay · Austin, United States
Where to stay in Austin
6 areas worth booking in Austin, sorted by the budget each one actually suits — what the neighborhood feels like, and what a night there costs.
Budget — best areas
≈ $45 / nightNorth of the university: motels, thrift shops and the cheapest beds in the city, plus the Domain's mall-and-apartment district further out. You will need a car or a long bus ride.
Budget picks to book
Mid-range — best areas
≈ $120 / nightThe Capitol, the convention centre and the live-music strip. "Dirty Sixth" is the rowdy college end; West Sixth is a little older and calmer. Closest base to the airport shuttles on race weekend.
East of I-35: the best new restaurants, breweries and coffee, on streets that are gentrifying visibly. Ten minutes from downtown by car.
Around Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool. Quiet, leafy and the right base if you came for the trails and the swimming rather than the bars.
Mid-range picks to book
Luxury — best areas
≈ $340 / nightA row of old bungalows converted into bars, now hemmed in by high-rises. Walkable to downtown and the lake, and where most of the new luxury inventory sits.
The postcard Austin strip: vintage shops, the "Greetings from Austin" mural, and the skyline view back across the river. Rooms here are the priciest in town.
Luxury picks to book
Now pick the hotel
The Austin guide carries the full shortlist for each tier, with why each hotel is on it.