Houston: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Houston is a city of 2.3 million people in United States (Texas), 30 m (98 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), 16 km (10 mi) from the centre. It has 2 railway stations on record, including Houston station. Our booking partner lists 2,017+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Houston runs from about 10 h 17 min a day in late December to 14 h 6 min in late June (computed for 29.76° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Houston is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), 16 km (10 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,602 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH, 25 km).
Flights to Houston: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Houston station, Union Station. Trains to Houston
Buses to Houston · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 2,017+ places to stay in Houston (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 756 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (299), and 14 are five-star. Across 481 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.9 out of 10. Guests have left 233,289 reviews in total.
Hotels in Houston: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 15 hostels in Houston, out of 2,017 places to stay of every kind — 0.7% of everywhere it lists in the city, a small share: this is a city where nearly everything on offer is a hotel or an apartment. Across 9 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.3 out of 10, 0.6 below the 7.9 its hotels average. Guests have left 1,896 reviews across them.
Hostels in Houston: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Museum District | 8,700,000 | — |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | 2,000,000 | — |
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | 1,269,626 | 2020 |
The busiest is Houston Museum District at 8,700,000 visitors. At that volume, anything with a gate is worth a timed ticket or an early start.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Houston
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- San Antonio, 305 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Dallas, 363 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Fort Worth, 378 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Austin, 236 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Arlington, 370 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Corpus Christi, 295 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Plano, 384 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Garland, 371 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Irving, 371 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Cypress, 40 km — buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Karachi, Cairo, Istanbul, Irapuato, Huelva, City of Perth, Guayaquil, Tyumen, Luanda, Tampico, Chiba, Mexico City, Abu Dhabi, Taipei.
Common questions
Which airport serves Houston?
William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), 16 km (10 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Houston?
About 2.3 million people live in Houston, across 1,725 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Houston in?
America/Chicago, currently UTC-5.
What currency is used in Houston?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Are there hostels in Houston?
15 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Houston.
How many hotels are there in Houston?
Our booking partner lists 2,017 or more places to stay in Houston, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Houston?
San Antonio (305 km), Dallas (363 km), Fort Worth (378 km), Austin (236 km), Arlington (370 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.