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The Downtown Houston skyline above the trees of Buffalo Bayou Park, with the bayou, a footpath and a road bridge in the foreground

Where to stay in Houston

Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Houston

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About Houston

Houston has two airports: Bush Intercontinental, about 23 miles (37 km) north of Downtown, and Hobby, about 7 miles (11 km) from the centre. Rooms in the city carry 17% in hotel taxes, and Galveston, on the Gulf Coast, is a separate city with its own.

United States. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Main airport
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), about 23 miles (37 km) north of Downtown Houston. Source
Second airport
William P. Hobby (HOU), about 7 miles (11 km) from the city centre. Source
Hotel tax
17% in the City of Houston: 6% state, 7% city, 2% Harris County and 2% Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. Source
Long stays
A guest who occupies a room for at least 30 consecutive days is a permanent resident, exempt from state and local hotel tax. Any interruption voids the exemption. Source
Short-term rentals, Houston
Since 1 January 2026, a rental of less than 30 consecutive days needs a City certificate of registration. Listings must show its number and the maximum occupancy. Source
Street parking
ParkHouston meters are paid by app or at the pay station, within a posted limit of 2 to 10 hours, and are not enforced on official City holidays. Source
Downtown tow-away hours
Several downtown blocks become tow-away mobility lanes from 7 to 9 am and 4 to 6 pm. Red-bagged meters are for permit holders only. Source
Galveston hotel tax
The state's 6% plus Galveston's own 9%, charged on the nightly rate and on fees such as cleaning. Source
Galveston rentals
Every short-term rental unit has a Galveston Vacation Rental (GVR) number, which must appear in all its listings. Source
Galveston Seawall parking
USD 2 an hour with a two-hour minimum, up to USD 16 a day, from 10 am to 6 pm every day, paid by PayByPhone. Tickets are mailed to the registered owner. Source
Entry
UK and 24 of 27 EU citizens (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania): up to 90 days without a visa, with an ESTA at USD 40.27 approved before travel. No extension. Source
Hurricane season
1 June to 30 November, with its peak on 10 September, according to the National Hurricane Center. Source
Emergency number
911 Source

Areas of Houston

The Downtown Houston skyline above the trees of Buffalo Bayou Park, with the bayou, a footpath and a road bridge in the foreground
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Downtown

Houston's central business district and the largest in Texas, ringed by I-10, I-45 and I-69, with the original townsite on Buffalo Bayou and a Theater District of 13,000 seats around the Alley Theatre, Jones Hall and the Wortham Theater Center. It suits business trips and evenings at the theatre.

Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
about 37 km
Hobby (HOU)
about 19 km

Car and parking

ParkHouston meters are paid by app or at the pay station, within a posted limit of 2 to 10 hours, and are not enforced on official City holidays. Several downtown blocks become tow-away mobility lanes from 7 to 9 am and 4 to 6 pm, and red-bagged meters are for permit holders only.

The columned front of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, at the end of a lawn lined with live oaks
Photo: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum District

A walkable district of 21 museums and cultural centres next to Hermann Park, 11 of them free at all times, with the Texas Medical Center immediately to the south. It suits museum days and visits to the medical center.

Downtown
about 5 km
Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
about 38 km
Hobby (HOU)
about 21 km

Car and parking

No official source on museum or hospital parking was found; ask the hotel about its garage. Where streets are metered, the ParkHouston limits posted on each pay station apply.

Office towers and a multi-storey car park in Houston's Uptown District, with Williams Tower rising on the right
Photographed in 2013. Photo: Agsftw, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Uptown (Galleria)

The Galleria area, a business district about 10 km west of Downtown along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road and the 17th-largest in the United States by office space. It suits business trips and shopping.

Downtown
about 12 km
Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
about 44 km
Hobby (HOU)
about 30 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Uptown was found; ask the hotel what its garage charges. Street meters, where posted, follow the ParkHouston rules and limits.

A blue two-storey wooden house with white columns and a porch swing behind an iron fence on Heights Boulevard, Houston
Photographed in 2017. Photo: 25or6to4, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Houston Heights

The Heights, a community in northwest-central Houston with wooden houses on Heights Boulevard, about 8 km from Downtown by road. It suits a stay in a rental house or apartment.

Downtown
about 8 km
Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
about 34 km
Hobby (HOU)
about 27 km

Car and parking

A short-term rental here must hold a City certificate of registration, and its listing shows the number and the maximum occupancy. Ask the host about off-street parking before booking.

Cars parked along Seawall Boulevard in Galveston, with the seawall walkway, the beach and the Pleasure Pier in the distance
Photo: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Galveston

A separate resort city and port on Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast, behind a seawall more than 16 km long built after the hurricane of 1900. It suits a beach stay with the car.

Hobby (HOU)
about 66 km
Downtown Houston
about 80 km
Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
about 117 km

Car and parking

Seawall Boulevard parking costs USD 2 an hour with a two-hour minimum, up to USD 16 a day, from 10 am to 6 pm every day by PayByPhone, and tickets are mailed to the registered owner. Stretches on the north side between 12th and 19th, 33rd and 39th, 53rd and 61st, and 85th and 91st streets are free.

Guides

Questions

How much hotel tax is charged in Houston?

17% in the City of Houston: 6% for Texas, 7% for the city, 2% for Harris County and 2% for the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. In Galveston it is the state's 6% plus the city's 9%.

Which Houston airport is closer to Downtown?

Hobby, about 19 km (12 miles) from Downtown by road. Bush Intercontinental is about 37 km (23 miles) north.

Do short-term rentals in Houston need a registration number?

Yes. Since 1 January 2026 each one needs a City certificate of registration, and every listing must show its number and the maximum occupancy. From 1 January 2027 the City will ask platforms to remove listings without one.

What do UK and EU visitors need to enter the US?

Citizens of the UK and 24 of the 27 EU countries (not Bulgaria, Cyprus or Romania) need an approved ESTA before flying, USD 40.27, for stays of up to 90 days that cannot be extended.