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Our neighbourhood guide to Austin reveals the varied pleasures of some of Austin’s most popular districts. Most visitors plan to stay in the central neighbourhoods, close to Downtown Austin and the main sights. There’s plenty of variety within this central area, though, both in accommodation choices and atmosphere. Opt for the myriad of food choices in South Congress, or hip hotels and lively nightlife in East Austin, or relaxed and family friendly in North Loop.
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Known for laid-back cool and creativity, Austin presents a quirky, music-loving face to visitors, while also offering all the traditional charms of a state capital, and a spectacular Texan backdrop. The central areas of Austin have all got great music venues and an exciting array of food and drink options — in some neighbourhoods it’s all about the food trucks and picnic grounds, while others veer more towards fine dining, or multicultural cuisine. First time visitors might also want to do a spot of sightseeing, in which case the State Capitol, the Texas State History Museum, and the LBJ Presidential Library should probably top the list. Outdoorsy visitors may well be here for the Lady Bird Johnson Lake/Trails/Wildflower Centre — if that’s the Austin you’re here to see you may even want to stay in West Austin, which is on the far side of Lady Bird Lake, heading out towards the Hill Country. There are some fantastic spa hotels out this way too.
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Downtown is the CBD, or Central Business District, as well as Austin’s most central neighbourhood. Yes, people work here amongst the high-rises, but they also come here to eat, drink and be merry — and to shop and see the sights. Downtown Austin is where you’ll find the majority of Austin’s museums and galleries, including The Contemporary Austin.
Downtown has some distinct specialty areas or micro-neighbourhoods: the Sixth Street neighbourhood offers classic Austin charm, in the form of bars, restaurants and live music venues — this is the perfect spot if you’re not in Austin for long and you what to capture some of this city’s spirit. Sixth Street also has recognised historic architecture. The area around Second Street is the place to come for shopping and high-end dining. For day and night drinking and dining swing by Rainy Street, it’s a relaxed and central option, where many of the businesses have been converted from houses — for extra homely appeal. The Warehouse neighbourhood stands in direct contrast, with plenty of industrial conversions and a grittier, vibrant scene. Bremond Block has the historic architecture, largely Victorian.
As you can probably imagine, Downtown Austin has a huge range of accommodation of all shapes and sizes.
Discover our hotel recommendations in Downtown Austin
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Central Austin’s boundaries include several smaller neighbourhoods, North Loop, Anderson, Hyde Park, Brentwood and Allandale, as well as the area around the University of Texas. If you’re not quite sure where to stay, this larger net will offer more varied accommodation options. The campus of the University of Texas has a number of museums and galleries, but one of the highlights is the Harry Ransom Centre, which is home to the world’s first photograph, and a Gutenberg Bible. The Hyde Park neighbourhood is one of Austin’s oldest, and is known for being charming, but it doesn’t have a huge amount of accommodation. North Loop (see below) has more choice, and is a great place for vintage shopping and trying new places to eat and drink.
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Technically a road, South Congress has an atmosphere that makes it a neighbourhood. The district, which locals have dubbed SoCo, spreads out on the roads around South Congress, offering funky shopping opportunities, and some of the most popular cafes and restaurants in town. SoCo is also another fantastic destination for live music — it’s the home of the Continental Club. You can expect to find niche, and cleverly themed venues. It’s not just music venues, SoCo also has a bar themed on the 1950s GI’s bars in Japan, a specialist Japanese whisky bar, and a restaurant with only 12 places. The shopping is charming too; think custom jewellery, vinyl, cowboy boots, hats, handmade paper goods and art. South Congress is also a great neighbourhood for sight seeing more generally, it leads directly to the Texas Capitol.
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East Austin is yet another super central, trendy neighbourhood with fantastic places to eat, drink, make merry and hear amazing live music. It also has great independent boutiques and colourful street art, like a number of areas on this list. What it has that’s a bit different are numerous art galleries, craft breweries, and honky-tonk joints. And it’s super convenient for the airport. When it comes to sight-seeing East Austin has the Swedish Hill Historic District; the George Washington Carver Museum, the kids’ museum Thinkery, the Texan Music Museum and the Puerto Rican Cultural Centre.
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North Austin is a very walkable neighbourhood, great for shopping, eating, and outdoor adventures. With super easy connections to the airport and the centre of town, it is also a good choice for visiting families. There’s plenty of typically ‘Austin’ accommodation — cool, creative and quirky, with a boutique feel. But this is also a great neighbourhood for aparthotels, and family friendly properties. North Austin is both classic and cool; in this area up-and-comers mix with world-renowned chefs and staple luxury brands. The neighbourhood encompasses The Domain, which is an eating and shopping precinct that calls itself a ’second Downtown’; and The Arboretum, which is a more family-friendly version, with biking and hiking trails too, and a more multicultural collection of restaurants.
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North Loop is to the north of Downtown Austin (about ten miles), but well connected by public transport, and close to the University of Texas. This neighbourhood has a low-key feel; relaxed, friendly and bohemian, with plenty of independent restaurants, cafes, bars, and boutiques — and some fabulous thrift and vintage shopping opportunities. Expect gas stations and white good shops along side hip gyms and cocktail bars. Accommodation in North Loop is limited — though the sexy design and boutique hotels are moving in. At the moment there are just a handful, along with aparthotels, B&Bs and apartment rentals. The local student population means this is a fun place to go out of an evening, and the public transport is still good.
South Austin is large and leafy, known for its parks, gardens and golf courses. This area is where you’ll find the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre, a botanical garden focused on Texan natives; the Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park, which is run through with hiking and biking trails; and the Zilker Botanical Gardens. In summer the Barton Springs Pool, a three acre natural pool, is very popular with visitors and locals alike, and you may also want to check out the Thicket Food Park, a sort of community garden with a whole host of great food trucks. South Austin’s most unique shopping is centred around South First Street, where you’ll find jewellery shops, vintage stores, pop art, cowboy boots, and contemporary fashion. If you’re the sort of person who would consider an original artwork a good souvenir the South Austin neighbourhood is a good choice — make sure to visit the Austin Art Garage, the Art for the People Gallery, and the aptly named Cathedral of Junk!
SoLa is off centre, close to Barton Springs and Zilker Park, and pretty close to the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and some fantastic hiking and biking trails. As well as being a great spot for outdoorsy folk, it is home to the legendary honky-tonk dance hall, The Broken Spoke Bar, and a number of less well known music and theatre venues (but lots of keep you entertained of an evening). And it’s a just across the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge from the nightlife of West 6th. It's lively but laidback with some great bars, restaurants on every corner, cafes, thrift shops and independent boutiques.
West Austin spreads out past Lady Bird Lake, offering an area where nature has a top spot on the agenda. This district has a wonderful collection of parks, gardens and nature reserves, starting from just west of Lamar Boulevard and heading off into the hills! Lake Austin and Lake Travis are within this area, and Deep Eddy Pool is a fun family highlight — at over 100 years old, it’s the oldest swimming pool in Texas. The West Austin neighbourhood isn’t just about the great outdoors, some of its parks are sculpture parks, and some of its gardens are beer gardens, or picnic grounds with fantastic food truck offerings. Within West Austin you can also find Clarksville Historic District, a fantastic neighbourhood for art lovers, buyers and arty cafes. Right on the edge of West Austin is Dripping Springs — beyond which you’re in the Hill Country, where visitors will discover wineries, distilleries, and microbreweries, and some fantastic restaurants. This far out you’re almost at day trip distance from Downtown Austin, but that’s quite a good way to see this city if you like your accommodation spacious, and you’re into the great outdoors. West Austin is also known for its spa hotels.
Discover our recommended hotels in West Austin
