Austin: A guide to short-term rentals

Flying into Austin, you’ll land at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), less than 8 miles from the city’s downtown and many of Kasa's short-term rentals. The city’s Capital Metro bus, on the Route 20 Manor Road / Riverside line, runs frequently between the city and the airport, while shuttles and taxis are available as well.

Within the city, the MetroRapid bus serves the downtown area, and the Capital Metro light rail can help connect you to destinations across the city and its surrounds. Renting a car is also a reliable way to get around, but expect to spend some time in traffic navigating the city’s one-way streets and limited parking. Rideshares and taxis are readily available throughout the city.

Much of the city is walkable, however, and most streets are outfitted with sidewalks for pedestrians and bike lanes for cyclists. You can easily rent bikes through the city’s bike share program, Austin B-Cycle, with stations scattered throughout downtown.

Austin is famous for its live music, and there’s a near-constant roster of festivals you won’t want to miss. South by Southwest (SXSW) in March and the Austin City Limits Festival in October attract crowds from all over the country, but don’t miss the more local events too, like May and September’s biannual Pecan Street Festival or December’s Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.

The arts are at the core of Austin’s soul, and its museums and abundant art galleries are not to be missed. Visit the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin for a renowned collection of classic and contemporary artworks, or the Harry Ransom Center, home to the Gutenberg Bible. Through the non-profit organization Big Medium, you can also take tours of local artist studios and attend pop-up galleries across the city.

Spend a day at the races at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the country’s preeminent Grand Prix race track and home to the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, the INDYCAR Classic, and more. The 1,000-acre site can seat 120,000 fans and hosts world-class racing events year-round, many of them accompanied by live music performances.

For a glimpse of Austin’s architecture and history, visit the Texas Capitol, the largest capitol building in the country (even bigger than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.), made from sunset red Texas granite. Take a free tour of the building’s ornate interior, and then spend some time wandering the 22-acre grounds, filled with monuments, historic buildings, and manicured lawns.

Nearly as famous as its music scene, Austin’s food truck scene is unparalleled. No matter where you are, with more than 1,000 food trucks circulating the city, you’re never far from a unique, delicious meal, be it Philly cheesesteak egg rolls, spicy Lao sausage, Mexican tacos, or West African jollof rice—just to name a few. While trucks are scattered all over Austin, there are several parks where trucks congregate daily. Check out The Picnic, Rosewood Food Trucks, or Rainey Street Food Trucks to get a sample of what the city has to offer.

Mexican food is everywhere in Austin, but one dish in particular reigns supreme: migas. Made with eggs, crunchy tortilla chips, and cheese (along with a few other various toppings), and served as a taco or with tortillas, it’s the city’s go-to breakfast. Wash it down with a bottle of Topo Chico sparkling water.

You may have never heard of kolache, the Czech pastry usually filled with sausage and cheese, but thanks to Austin’s Czech immigrants, they’re beloved across the city. Look for classic meat-filled pastries, or sweet jam-topped ones, or even some more modern barbecue-inspired kolache stuffed with smoked brisket or pastrami.

Austin runs on small businesses, and there’s no shortage of unique local shops to explore. On South Congress Avenue, or SoCo, you’ll find a lively strip of local boutiques, vintage shops, antiques, and oddities, and in the Domain, you’ll find an outdoor mall with 100 name-brand shops and luxury boutiques.

Wander down South First Street and you’ll encounter a wide array of vintage shops, locally made jewelry, art galleries, and quaint cafés to grab a coffee or a bite. While you’re here, swing by the corner of W Annie Street for a photo of the iconic “Greetings from Austin” mural.

With its hot summers and mild winters, Austin is a haven for outdoors enthusiasts. Barton Springs, in the sprawling Zilker Park, is a natural, spring-fed public pool carved out of the Barton Creek. It’s always popular on hot days, but it’s worth a visit for the cool water and good vibes. Just across the river is Deep Eddy, another beloved spring-fed public pool.

Take a day trip out to Hill Country, a massive region of rolling hills that begins just a half hour’s drive outside the city. There’s a lot to see here, including hiking trails, swimming holes, historic towns, towering cliffs, and wineries, so you can easily spend a day or more just exploring this beautiful region.

Austin’s Barton Creek Greenbelt is a 7-mile stretch of public space that offers adventurers a spot to play without ever leaving the city. Limestone cliffs make for great rock climbing, and shallow creeks (which get deeper after heavy rainfall) provide a great outlet for swimming, tubing, and cliff diving.

In the center of the city, the Colorado River is dammed off into Lady Bird Lake, which is surrounded by miles of hiking and biking trails. The boardwalk, which is part of the Ann and Roy Butler trail, offers incredible views of the city skyline. Rent a kayak, canoe, or a stand-up paddle board to spend some time on the water.

Austin City Limits, which still airs weekly on PBS, was the country’s first—and is the longest-running live music television show. Its first featured guest in 1974 was someone relatively unknown at the time: Willie Nelson.

Austin is home to more bats than any city in the U.S. The Congress Avenue Bridge houses more than 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats, which you can watch fly out to feast on insects every night at dusk.

Each night, Austin is lit up by a series of 13 “moonlight towers,” each one 165 feet tall. They also happened to be over 120 years old; they were first built in 1894, and 13 of the original 31 have been kept in working shape ever since.