Things to do in Austin, splurging
Destination dinners, sharp cocktail bars, and the best of East and South Austin.
This is Austin for the traveller who wants the table that takes planning, the bar where the drinks are actually good, and the shop where you leave with something you didn't know you needed. The route moves between East Cesar Chavez, South Congress, and downtown, with serious restaurants anchoring each evening. It suits anyone who has been to Austin before and is done with the tourist loop.
Day 1: East Cesar Chavez, Corn and Two-Steps
Start slow with coffee and a small museum, lunch at Paperboy, a lake walk, then Emmer and Rye raises the stakes at dinner and The White Horse keeps you out past midnight.
- 9:30 AM
Two Hands
Australian-style cafe on South Congress; get the avocado toast or a breakfast bowl with a flat white.
Map - 11:00 AM
French Legation Museum
Built in 1841 for France's envoy to the Republic of Texas; small museum open Tuesday to Saturday from 11.
Map - 12:30 PM
Paperboy
Daytime East 11th spot that started as a food truck; get the Texas Hash with pork, sweet potato and mole.
Map - 2:30 PM
Lady Bird Lake Hike & Bike Trail
Walk off lunch on the Lady Bird Lake loop, skyline views and boardwalk, easy 45-min stretch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Emmer & Rye
Seasonal small plates roll past on dim sum-style carts, built on grains milled in house; order freely.
Map - 9:30 PM
Day 2: South Congress, Vintage to French
A morning under the 'I love you so much' mural, an afternoon of oddities at Uncommon Objects, and a night at Le Calamar for the kind of French cooking that justifies the flight.
- 9:30 AM
Jo's Coffee, South Congress
South Congress landmark, grab a coffee under the 'I love you so much' mural to kick off the SoCo day.
Map - 12:30 PM
Matt's El Rancho
Tex-Mex institution since 1952; order the Bob Armstrong dip and a frozen margarita.
Map - 2:30 PM
Uncommon Objects
24-vendor vintage and oddities collective, reads like a museum where everything is for sale; perfect post-lunch browse.
Map - 4:30 PM
Barton Springs Pool
Spring-fed pool near 68 degrees all year; swim or lie on the grassy bank. Shut Thursdays 9am to 7pm.
Map - 7:30 PM
Le Calamar
French coastal cooking on South First; build dinner around the seafood and a bottle from the French list.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Continental Club
Intimate 1955 roots/rockabilly/blues room on South Congress, serious sound and standing room, the best nightcap on the strip.
Map
Day 3: Capitol Hill, BBQ, and the Driskill Nightcap
Tour the Capitol while it's cool, eat Terry Black's at full capacity, then close the trip at the Driskill Bar with one of the best cocktails Austin has been making since 1886.
- 9:30 AM
Kerbey Lane Cafe - University
Longtime Austin diner by the UT campus; order pancakes and a bowl of Kerbey Queso.
Map - 10:30 AM
Texas Capitol
Free tours of the pink-granite Capitol, taller than the US Capitol; stand under the dome and look up.
Map - 12:30 PM
Terry Black's Barbecue
Top-rated Bouldin Creek BBQ, a well-known Austin destination with a devoted following.
Map - 2:30 PM
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bat Bridge
By day it's a skyline walk; come back at dusk March to October, when 1.5 million bats pour out from under it.
Map - 7:30 PM
The Peacock Mediterranean Grill
Mediterranean dining room in the Austin Proper hotel downtown; share the mezze and a whole grilled fish.
Map - 9:30 PM
The Driskill Bar
The great 1886 Driskill hotel bar, one of Texas's finest for a nightcap cocktail.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Saint Cecilia
Hotel Saint Cecilia is the most design-forward property on the South Congress corridor and puts you a short walk from Le Calamar, The Continental Club, and Jo's.
Hotel San José
Hotel San José is the quieter, poolside alternative steps from the same strip, with a calibre of room and crowd that matches this itinerary's tone.
Make Austin your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- ACL Live at Moody Theater: weeks ahead
- Cathedral of Junk: a few days ahead
- Rowing Dock: a few days ahead
- Fazio Canyons Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Fazio Foothills Golf Course: weeks ahead
- Hamilton Pool Preserve: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Dirty Sixth as a destination: go once to say you saw it, then drink on West 6th, East 6th or Rainey instead.
- Settling for Torchy's: it is a chain now, so start with Veracruz, Cuantos, Discada and Rosita's.
- Stubb's as a barbecue destination: go for a concert or Gospel Brunch, eat serious barbecue elsewhere.
- The Domain as Austin: it is a nice mall, not what a visitor travelled for.
The full Austin travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around