Day trip from Austin to Houston
Houston lies 236 km (147 mi) east of Austin, in the same time zone. What the numbers say about getting there.
At 236 km (147 mi) apart, Houston is a realistic day trip from Austin: about 3 h 50 min each way by road.
| Austin | Houston | |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| Population | 974,447 | 2.3 million |
| Elevation | 165 m (541 ft) | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Time now | UTC-5 (America/Chicago) | UTC-5 (America/Chicago) |
| Postal codes | 73301–78799 | 77001–77299 |
What to see in Houston
| 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.
Where to book tours and tickets in Houston
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Staying in Houston
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.
Book a hotel in Houston
Live rooms and prices from our booking partner, booked and paid for here. Free cancellation is marked where it applies.
Common questions
How far is Houston from Austin?
236 km (147 mi) in a straight line, east of Austin; by road roughly 288 km (179 mi).
How long does it take to get from Austin to Houston by road?
About 3 h 50 min, estimated from distance and typical speeds. Timetables and traffic decide the real figure.
Is there a time difference between Austin and Houston?
No, both are on America/Chicago at the moment.
Where can I stay in Houston?
Our booking partner lists 2,017+ places to stay in Houston, bookable on this site.
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 13 September 2026. Hotel 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.