Ranked as the second most livable city in America by CNN/Money Magazine, Austin is by far the most diverse and lively city in Texas. If partying on Sixth Street until the wee hours of the morning isn't your scene, Austin is also a sanctuary for mountain bikers, cyclists (Lance Armstrong is a native), hikers, kayakers, and anyone who enjoys a good game of Frisbee golf.

Some of Austin’s neighborhoods are:

• Downtown: Downtown Austin by day has well-dressed business folk walk with a purpose between its capitol building, towering condominium complexes, and sophisticated banks, and by night, new energy emanates from America’s countless bars, clubs, and music venues as live bands turn up their amps along Sixth Street. Bars, restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and record stores round out this neighborhood’s harmonious repertoire. Austin's Texas' state capitol is a prominent landmark that outsizes the U.S. State Capitol.
  • Sixth Street: Sixth Street is a historic street and entertainment district in Austin, Texas. E. Sixth Street (known locally as Dirty Sixth), has many bars, clubs, music venues offering live music at one time or another during the week; plays host to a wide variety of events each year, ranging from music and film festivals (such as South by Southwest) to biker rallies (such as The Republic of Texas Biker Rally) and the Pecan Street Festival.
• Central Austin: The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, located in Central Austin, is the first museum in Texas devoted to African-American history.
• Highland: Highland is located near Windsor Park, six miles north of the University of Texas and seven miles north of Downtown Austin.  Highland in North Austin is a quiet, multigenerational neighborhood.
• Riverside: Riverside is located near Lady Bird Lake & Downtown.
• South Congress: Directly across the lake from Downtown, South Congress is the Alternative Austin with organic markets, taco stands, and craft coffee-and-brew bars, thrift stores, with the largest congregation of Austin's mobile eateries. Austin's reputation centers on its musical prowess, and SoCo (as South Congress is fondly known) showcases some of the city's biggest acts, with American legends like Muddy Waters and Janis Joplin gracing the stage at The Continental Club.
• West Austin: West Austin is generally considered to be the wealthy part of town, extending from the Mopac Expressway (Loop 1) all the way to Lake Travis.
• East Austin: East Austin not only touts some of the most highly rated Mexican eateries in the country but also coffee shops, a farmers market, and food trucks like the East Side King parked outside of bars and music venues every night.
• North Loop: North Loop is the new East Side, with tons of restaurants, like Foreign and Domestic, vintage stores like Room Service Vintage, bars and coffee shops like Epoch.
• Hyde Park: Hyde Park traces its origins back to 1891 and is considered to be Austin's first suburb. The Hyde Park Historic District includes Victorian architecture, Tudor Revival architecture and Bungalows.
• Highland Park /West Balcones: Located between the downtown area and Lake Austin, Highland Park offers an enchanting mix of urban fun and natural beauty. Some great attractions in this area are Camp Mabry, Brightleaf Nature Center, Mayfield Park and Perry Park.

General info

Airport:

The Austin Bergstrom International Airport is approximately eleven miles from downtown Austin. You can use the following services to reach Austin:

• Bus: 100-MetroAirport, Inbound takes 30 minutes to Trinity  & 15th.
• Shuttle: Shuttle services can be booked at the airport and online.
• Taxi: Minimum fare for taxi customers is USD 13.10; this includes a USD 1.00 airport surcharge. All taxis have a 4 passenger maximum limit, excluding children 12 years and under. All taxis accept major credit cards. . Taxi fare from the airport to Downtown costs approximately USD 25.00.
• Rental car companies are available at the airport:
  • Avis Car Rental
  • ACE Car Rental of Austin
  • Advantage Rent A Car
  • Budget Rent A Car
  • Hertz Car Rental
  • Thrifty Car Rental
• For private/shared car hire:
  • You can hire a private/shared car here.
  • For limo hire, visit here.

• It will take you approximately 20 minutes to reach Austin from the airport.
• Refer here for the schedules.
• Refer here for shuttle fare information.

Train

• Capital Metro coordinates the operation of the train, shuttle and bus service.
• 7 Day Premium Service Pass includes MetroRapid and Flyer Routes 100-199, plus all Local routes with a Day Pass or higher, costs USD 13.50, and the 31 Day Premium Service Pass costs USD 49.50.
• 7 Day Commuter Service Pass includes MetroRail and Express Routes 935-990, plus all Local and Premium routes with a Day Pass or higher, costs USD 22, and the 31 Day Commuter Service Pass costs USD 77.
• Refer here for the schedules.
• Train tickets can be purchased online.

Bus

• Refer here for the Metro Bus schedules and for the Metro Rapid schedules refer here.
• Refer here for fare information.
• Bus tickets can be purchased online.

Shuttle

• UT Shuttle provides limited stop service from student living centers and the UT campus.
• Refer here for the UT Shuttle schedules.
• Refer here for fare information.
• UT Shuttle tickets can be purchased online.

Taxi

• Taxis are available at bus stations, airport, city centre.
• Minimum fare is USD 2.65 for first mile and fare above minimum fare is USD 2.3 per mile.
• Taxi agencies with their contact numbers:
  • Yellow Cab: 512-452-9999
  • Austin Cab: 512-478-2222
  • Lone Star Cab: 512-836-4900

Tipping is expected in most places and should always be done unless the service provided was completely unsatisfactory.

• Hotels: Tip your porter USD 1 to 2 per bag depending on the weight. A doorman who helps you hail a cab should be paid USD 1 to 2 as well.
• Restaurants: Tip your server 10 to 15% of the bill for average service. Restaurants will add a service charge for groups of five or more.
• Bars: Tip the bartender USD 1 to 2 per drink.
• Counter Service: Tips are not generally required.
• Taxis: Tip your driver 10 to 15% of the fare; an additional USD 1 to 2 for help with bags.

Austin in 3 Days (Source: Frommers)

Day 1

• San Marcos
  
  • Go for a tandem skydive experience at Skydive San Marcos.
  • Experience the Meadows Center Glass-Bottom boat tours with underwater perspective of Spring Lake.
  • Visit Wonder World Park, the first commercial show cave in Texas, or Wimberley Glassworks for amazing works of art glass.

• New Braunfels
  
  • Visit Schlitterbahn Waterpark or wakeboard at the only Texas Lake where you can ski without a boat at Texas Ski Ranch.
  • Tour lovely Landa Park on a miniature train, view the Comal Springs – the largest springs in Texas.
  • Experience the Natural Bridge Caverns, the largest caverns in Texas or enjoy a family safari next door at Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch.
• Gruene
  
  • Visit Gruene Historic District, a unique shopping & entertainment district on the banks of the Guadalupe River.
  • Visit Gruene Hall, built in 1878, which is Texas' oldest continually operating and most famous dance hall. Details of performances at Gruene Hall can be found here.
  • Details of events in Gruene Historic District can be found here.

Day 2

• Austin
  
  • Hike & Bike Trails, Lady Bird Lake – Take a jog, stroll or ride.
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan Statue – Find him at Auditorium Shores.
  • Texas Rowing Center – Rent a kayak or canoe on Lady Bird Lake.
  • Congress Avenue Bridge – Watch 1.5 million bats fly at dusk.
  • Willie Nelson Statue – See the living legend on Willie Nelson Blvd. (2nd Street)
  • Stubb’s Gospel Brunch – Revel in the Sunday morning joy.

Day 3

• Austin
  
  • Go for a tour through the State Capitol.
  • Visit the Texas State History Museum.
  • Experience the historic 6th Street.

• There are two main GSM service providers in the USA - AT&T and T-Mobile.
• Both offer 3G services across the 850 MHz / 1900 MHz bands which supported by most modern quad-band phones.
• If you have an “Unlocked” phone then you can purchase a prepaid / Pay As You Go SIM card for your phone. Check this link for tariff rates.
  
• Prepaid SIM cards are readily available – both at the airport as well as at convenience stores like Walgreens.
• You could consider purchasing a SIM from either of the two bigger players, which might have a broader coverage, or from Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) like Ultra Mobile, Black Wireless and H2O, which might have a more flexible pricing.

Local

Varied as the topography from coast to plains to mountainous desert, Texas is a fusion of 27 ethnic or cultural groups, each stirring their own ingredients into timeless Texas recipes.

Texan cuisine has Southern, Mexican and Western influences. African Americans deserve at least half of the credit for the Texas legacy of Southern cooking. Sopapillas and strudel are the official state pastries of Texas. Tigua Pueblo Indians planted, harvested and ground wheat for use in meals prepared for Franciscan friars. Known by the Tigua as “Indian fry bread,” the pastry, made of wheat dough and fried in lard, evolved into what we know as Sopapilla.Strudel came to Texas via European immigrants: English, French, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, German, Polish, Scandinavian and Austro-Hungarian.

Popular dishes include Chicken-fried steak, Barbecue, Chili, Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas, Chile con queso, Brisket tacos, Pecan pie, King Ranch Casserole, and Tortilla soup.

Places where one will be able to taste some popular dishes include:

• Hoover's Cooking - Chicken-fried steak
• Franklin Barbecue
• Joe's Bakery & Mexican Food - A combination plate with Tex-Mex all-stars: a crispy beef taco, refried pinto beans, Mexican rice and a deep brown layer of chilli gravy over a beef enchilada and corn-jacketed tamale.
• Nau’s Enfield Drug – Soda Fountain & Hamburger
• Texas Chili Parlor - Chili

Vegetarian

• Veggie Heaven
  
  • Cuisine: International
  • Review: Happy Cow
• Vegan Yacht
  
  • Cuisine: Mexican & American
  • Review: Happy Cow
• Mother’s Café and Garden
  
  • Cuisine: Mexican & Continental
  • Review: Happy Cow
• Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery
  
  • Cuisine: Bakery
  • Review: Happy Cow
    

Drink

Austin is America’s Live Music capital and 6th Street with its music venues, bars and restaurants is the pulse of Austin’s nightlife.

• Dublin Dr Pepper & Frozen margarita are popular Texan drinks
• The Austin Brew Bus is all about exploring Austin craft beer and learning about the craft beer industry.
• Austin Beerworks is listed as one of the best breweries in Texas.
• Popular pubs, bars, dives in the region:
  • Craft Pride
  • Draught House Pub and Brewery
  • Driskill Bar
  • Parkside
  • Foreign & Domestic
  • Continental Club
  • Carousel Lounge