Houston Travel Guide
Where to Stay in Houston
Downtown, the Museum District, Montrose, the Heights, the Galleria or near NASA — how to choose the right Houston base for your trip, with our hotel picks in each area.
In a city as large as Houston, where you stay matters more than almost anywhere else in America. Pick the right neighborhood and you can walk to museums, ride the train to the rodeo and reach dinner in minutes; pick the wrong one and you will spend your trip in traffic. The good news is that each of Houston's main hotel areas has a clear personality, so matching it to your plans is straightforward.
Downtown: best for events, sports and first-timers without a car. Downtown Houston has been transformed in recent years, with Discovery Green, a revived restaurant and bar scene, the Theater District and two major sports venues: Daikin Park for the Astros and the Toyota Center for the Rockets. The George R. Brown Convention Center anchors the east side, and the METRORail runs south to the Museum District and NRG Park. Downtown is quiet on some weekend evenings away from events, and parking is expensive, but it is a practical, central base.
Our picks: the Marriott Marquis Houston, famous for its rooftop lazy river shaped like Texas and connected to the convention center, is the downtown choice for families and sports fans. The C. Baldwin, Curio Collection by Hilton, is a stylish, better-value option with bright rooms, an excellent Italian restaurant and a free house car for short trips, though it has no pool.
Museum District: best for culture and families. The Museum District, wrapped around Hermann Park, puts you within walking distance or a short train ride of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Natural Science museum, the Children's Museum and the zoo. It is leafy, relatively calm and close to the Texas Medical Center, Rice University and NRG Park.
Our pick: Hotel ZaZa Museum District, a glamorous, theatrical boutique hotel with themed Concept Suites, a lively pool scene, the Monarch restaurant and a spa, with the MFAH a minute away. It is ideal for couples and art lovers, and handy for the rodeo.
Montrose: best for art lovers and food. Montrose is Houston's bohemian heart, a walkable mix of bungalows, galleries, bars and some of the city's best restaurants, and home to the Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel. It sits between the Museum District and Buffalo Bayou Park, so it is central for most sightseeing.
Our pick: Hotel Saint Augustine, a serene, 71-room courtyard hotel directly across from the Menil, with a guest-only circular pool and Perseid, a restaurant from chef Aaron Bludorn. It is the most peaceful stay in the city.
The Heights: best for character and value. The Heights is a historic neighborhood of Victorian bungalows, vintage shops, coffee bars, breweries and restaurants, with a hike-and-bike trail running through it. It feels like a small town within the city, and it is a short drive from downtown.
Our pick: Heights House Hotel, a former roadside motel turned playful boutique hotel, with big rooms around a courtyard pool and a bar that hosts live performances. Choose a quiet-side room if you want to sleep early.
Galleria and Uptown: best for shopping and luxury. Uptown, around the Galleria, is a glossy district of office towers, luxury shopping and upscale restaurants. It has the city's grandest hotels but heavy traffic, and you will need a car or rideshare for nearly all sightseeing.
Our pick: The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, the most decorated hotel in the city, with Forbes Five-Star rooms and spa, seven restaurants and bars and a pool with cabanas, steps from the Galleria. It is the place for an anniversary or a splurge.
Clear Lake and NASA: best for space fans and the coast. If Space Center Houston, Kemah and Galveston are your priorities, staying in the Clear Lake area saves long drives. Downtown is about forty minutes or more away, so this works best as a base for the coastal part of a trip.
Our pick: the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake, a practical lakeside hotel about a mile from Space Center Houston, with a pool, a restaurant and inexpensive parking.
How to choose. First-timers without a car: downtown or the Museum District, near the METRORail. Art lovers and food lovers: Montrose. Families: the Museum District or a downtown hotel with a pool. Shoppers and luxury seekers: the Galleria. Space fans: split your stay between Clear Lake and the city. Whatever you choose, book early for March, when the rodeo fills hotels across the city, and check the convention calendar if you are staying downtown.
Budget tips. Hotel prices in Houston swing widely with events. Rates jump during the rodeo in March, major conventions downtown, big concerts and Texans home games, and fall on many summer weekdays and quieter winter weeks. Weekend rates downtown are often lower than weekday rates, because business travel drops. Always factor in parking, which can add significantly to a downtown or Galleria stay, and resort or amenity fees at some properties. Hotels with free or cheap parking, such as those in the Clear Lake area, can be better value than the room rate suggests.
Getting around from each base. From downtown and the Museum District, the METRORail Red Line links the two areas and continues to NRG Park, so you can manage without a car for much of the trip. From Montrose and the Heights, rideshares are quick and inexpensive for short hops. From the Galleria, plan on a car or rideshare for nearly everything. From Clear Lake, you will need a car for the city, but NASA, Kemah and Galveston are close.