Visiting Austin for a Game?

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) sits approximately 7-8 miles southeast of downtown, making it one of the more conveniently located major airports in the country. A rideshare or taxi to downtown or the UT/West Campus area runs roughly $25-$35 and takes 15-25 minutes depending on traffic. Budget travelers can take Capital Metro Route 20, which runs directly from the airport terminal to downtown for around $1.25-$2 and takes approximately 35 minutes.

Austin's public transit system, operated by Capital Metro (CapMetro), covers the city with buses, MetroRapid routes, and a 32-mile MetroRail line, but coverage outside the downtown and UT corridor is limited, so a rental car or frequent ridesharing is recommended if you plan to visit multiple venues across the city. Uber and Lyft are widely available throughout Austin and are generally the most practical option for getting to and from games at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and Moody Center. For Q2 Stadium, CapMetro's Red Line rail now offers a direct connection via McKalla Station, which opened in 2024 right next to the stadium — a convenient and affordable alternative to rideshare on match days. CapMetro's daily fare cap is $2.50 for local bus service (applied automatically via the Umo app or tap-to-pay), making it a great value if you're staying in the downtown or West Campus area for a weekend sports trip.

The West Campus and Hyde Park neighborhoods put you within easy walking or biking distance of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and Moody Center, and are ideal for Longhorns fans; expect to pay $150-$250/night for a standard hotel on non-game weekends, with prices spiking significantly on home football Saturdays. Downtown Austin (around 6th Street and Rainey Street) is the best all-around base for visiting fans, with the widest range of hotels from budget chains around $120/night to upscale options above $300/night, and easy rideshare access to all three venues. For Austin FC matches at Q2 Stadium in North Austin, staying near the Domain district keeps you close to the action without the downtown parking headaches. Book well in advance for big Longhorns home games, as rooms across the entire city fill up fast.

Austin punches well above its weight for a city its size, offering college football at one of the sport's most storied programs, top-flight MLS soccer at Q2 Stadium, and major concerts and sporting events at Moody Center all within the same city. The Longhorns fan base is among the most passionate in college football, and the atmosphere on game day around the Forty Acres and Sixth Street is an experience unto itself, especially for rivalry games against Texas A&M or Oklahoma. Austin FC, founded in 2021, has quickly built one of the loudest and most energetic supporter cultures in MLS, with the supporter section known as La Murga de Austin bringing brass-band energy to every home match. The city's vibrant bar and live music scene on Sixth Street and Rainey Street means there is always a strong pregame and postgame environment regardless of which sport you're attending.