Neighborhood 48H guide
Downtown & Sixth Street: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
The Driskill, the Paramount and the Congress Avenue bats.
Downtown runs up Congress Avenue from the river to the Capitol, crossed by Sixth Street’s bars and music venues.
Photo gallery
Photo: Spawnzilla · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Kevin Payravi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Spawnzilla · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Walk to the clubs, theaters, the bat bridge and the Capitol.
Who it's for: First-timers, groups and live-music fans.
Pros
- Walkable
- Live music every night
- Historic hotels
Cons
- Rowdy on weekend nights
- Pricey parking
- Bachelor-party crowds
48H Downtown
A grand hotel bar, bats at dusk, a show.
17:00 – The Driskill
A drink in the 1886 hotel’s bar.
Dusk – Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Season runs through October; check the Austin Bat Refuge’s nightly prediction.
20:00 – Paramount Theatre or Esther’s Follies
Films and shows at the Paramount; sketch comedy on Sixth, Thursday to Saturday.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
See / do
See / do
Paramount Theatre
713 Congress Ave
Restored historic theater for films, comedy and concerts.
Photo: Kevin Payravi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →See / do
Esther’s Follies
525 E 6th St
Long-running musical sketch comedy on Sixth Street.
Official site / map →
Sunrise / sunset
Sunrise / sunset
Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Congress Ave Bridge
A huge bat colony flies out from under the bridge at dusk.
Photo: Aleksandr Zykov from Russia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
The Driskill, in The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
604 Brazos St
Austin’s grand 1886 hotel, in the middle of Sixth Street.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Downtown & Sixth Street.
The City of Austin requires short-term rentals to hold an operating license. Look for it on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Downtown & Sixth Street on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Austin
- Rainey Street — Bungalow bars, Banger’s beer garden and music at the Van Zandt.
- South Congress — The Continental Club, Jo’s Coffee and Allens Boots.
- East Austin — Franklin Barbecue, the Texas State Cemetery and East Sixth bars.
- UT & Capitol — Capitol tours, the Bullock Museum and the Blanton.
- Lady Bird Lake & Barton Springs Road — Barton Springs Pool, Umlauf and a kayak on the lake.
- The Domain & North Austin — Domain Northside and Austin FC at Q2 Stadium.
- Lake Travis & Lakeway — The Oasis at sunset and the Mount Bonnell view on the way.
- Fredericksburg (Hill Country stay) — Main Street, the Pacific War museum and Enchanted Rock.