Texas, United States

State guide with cities, regions, and key information.

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Introduction
Texas is a country-sized state — bigger than France, with a coastline, a desert, pine forests, hill country and four of the eleven largest cities in the United States. It runs from the piney woods of the east to the mountains of Big Bend, from the Gulf beaches to the high plains, and its culture is a blend of Southern, Western, Mexican and a fast-growing global mix. For travellers the appeal is range: a city trip to Austin or San Antonio, a road trip through the wineries and wildflowers of the Hill Country, a remote desert week in Big Bend, or the food, space history and museums of Houston — all under the same enormous sky.

Discover Texas

Austin built its identity on live music — it bills itself the 'Live Music Capital of the World', and the venues of the Red River and South Congress districts, plus the giant SXSW and Austin City Limits festivals, back the claim. The other obsession is barbecue: central-Texas smoked brisket, served by the pound on butcher paper, is a genuine pilgrimage food, with queues forming early at the most celebrated joints. Beyond eating and music, Austin is an outdoors city — swimming in the cold spring-fed Barton Springs Pool, paddleboarding on Lady Bird Lake, hiking the greenbelt — and a quirky one, summed up by the 'Keep Austin Weird' slogan and the 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that pour from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset from spring to autumn. The State Capitol and the LBJ Presidential Library add the civic layer.

Travel Types

Music & Food Cities

Austin's live music and central-Texas barbecue, and Houston's globe-spanning, top-tier dining.

History & Missions

The Alamo and San Antonio's UNESCO Spanish missions, the River Walk and Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

Cowboy Culture

The Fort Worth Stockyards' longhorn drives, dance halls and the working-ranch heritage of West Texas.

Hill Country & Wine

Fredericksburg's wineries, spring bluebonnets, swimming holes and Enchanted Rock west of Austin.

Desert & Coast

Big Bend's canyons and dark skies, Marfa's art scene, and the Gulf beaches of Galveston and Padre Island.

Frequently asked questions

Drive — Texas is vast, and the distances between regions are long (Houston to Big Bend is a full day on the road). For trips spanning several cities, combine a rental car with short internal flights between the main metros. Within Austin, San Antonio and downtown areas you can walk and use rideshare, but a car unlocks the Hill Country, the coast and the parks.

Spring (March to May) is ideal — wildflowers in the Hill Country, mild temperatures and festival season. Autumn is also excellent. Summers are long and very hot, especially inland and in the cities; if you visit then, plan for early mornings, swimming holes and air-conditioning. Big Bend and West Texas are best in spring and autumn, as summer desert heat is extreme.

Central Texas, around Austin and the small towns nearby (Lockhart, Taylor), is the heartland of brisket-style barbecue. Expect to queue early at the most famous joints — many sell out by early afternoon and close. Order brisket by the pound with sausage and a couple of sides; it's served on butcher paper, no plate required.

Cities in Texas

2 cities with detailed travel information

DallasHouston