Travel guide · United States
Houston travel guide
NASA's Mission Control, a world-class Museum District and the most varied food in Texas
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Katie Haugland Brown, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and one of its most diverse, which shows above all in its food: Viet-Cajun crawfish, Tex-Mex, Gulf seafood, Texas barbecue and the long strip-mall restaurant rows of Chinatown and the Mahatma Gandhi District. The Museum District packs the Museum of Fine Arts, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the free Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel within a short walk of Hermann Park, while Space Center Houston, NASA's visitor centre with the historic Apollo Mission Control, lies about 40 km south-east. The city is spread out and car-oriented, but the METRORail Red Line links downtown, the museums and the medical centre. Plan 3 days for a first visit; the best months are March–April and October–November.
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- Best time to visit
- March–April and October–November
- Ideal stay
- 3 days
- Main airports
- IAH, HOU
- Mid-range daily budget
- $190–$330 per person (estimate)
- Known for
- NASA and Space Center Houston, Museum District, Viet-Cajun crawfish and Tex-Mex
Why visit Houston
- Space Center Houston includes a tram tour of NASA's Johnson Space Center, with the restored Apollo-era Mission Control and a full Saturn V rocket.
- The Museum District has around 20 museums, several of them free, including the Menil Collection, the Rothko Chapel and the MFAH's Cullen Sculpture Garden.
- Houston's food is among the most varied in the US, from Viet-Cajun crawfish and pho on Bellaire Boulevard to brisket, kolaches and Tex-Mex.
- Buffalo Bayou Park and Hermann Park give the city long green corridors, with a bat colony emerging at dusk under the Waugh Drive Bridge.
- Galveston's beaches and Victorian Strand and Kemah's boardwalk are an hour or less away.
Top things to do
The six sights most first-time visitors build a trip around. See all 17 things to do.
Museum · Clear Lake
Space Center Houston
The official visitor centre of NASA's Johnson Space Center has astronaut gear, moon rocks and a shuttle replica mounted on the original Boeing 747 carrier aircraft.
- Time needed
- Half a day to a full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Museum District
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
One of the largest art museums in the country spreads across three gallery buildings, including a Mies van der Rohe wing and the 2020 Kinder Building for modern and contemporary art.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Iconic
Museum · Museum District
Houston Museum of Natural Science
The Morian Hall of Paleontology poses dinosaur skeletons in dramatic action scenes, and the hall of gems and minerals is one of the finest anywhere.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Museum · Montrose
Menil Collection
Dominique and John de Menil's collection of Surrealist, modern, ancient and Byzantine art is shown free in a calm, naturally lit Renzo Piano building set among grey bungalows and lawns.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · Montrose
Rothko Chapel
A non-denominational octagonal chapel holding 14 dark canvases painted by Mark Rothko for the space, opened in 1971.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Park · Museum District
Hermann Park
Houston's central park has a Japanese garden, McGovern Lake with pedal boats, a miniature train, the McGovern Centennial Gardens and Miller Outdoor Theatre, which stages free concerts, plays and dance from spring to autumn.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Where to stay
Downtown is the easiest base for a first visit. Compare all 7 areas.
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families and budget
Downtown
Skyscrapers, Discovery Green, the theatre district and ballpark
$$$ · Best for families, culture, first-timers and quiet stays
Museum District
Museums, Hermann Park, the zoo and live oak-lined boulevards
$$$ · Best for food lovers, nightlife, culture and solo travellers
Montrose
Bungalows, the Menil campus, cocktail bars and Houston's LGBTQ+ heart
$$$ · Best for couples, food lovers and quiet stays
The Heights
Victorian cottages, 19th Street shops and a bike trail on an old railway
What to eat
- Viet-Cajun crawfish — Houston's Vietnamese community added garlic butter, lemongrass and chili to the Louisiana crawfish boil.
- Fajitas — Grilled marinated skirt steak brought sizzling with onions, flour tortillas, guacamole and pico de gallo.
- Smoked brisket — Texas barbecue's centrepiece: beef brisket smoked for hours over oak, sliced to order and sold by the half-pound with sausage, ribs and sides such as beans and potato salad.
- Kolaches — Czech-Texan pastries of soft, slightly sweet dough filled with fruit or cream cheese, or wrapped around sausage and jalapeño.
- Pho and banh mi — Houston has one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the US, and steaming bowls of beef pho and crusty banh mi sandwiches filled with pâté, pork and pickled vegetables are cheap staples.
- Dim sum — Weekend dim sum with carts or order sheets of har gow, siu mai, char siu bao and egg tarts is a big family outing in Houston's Chinese community.
When to go
The best times to visit Houston are October to November and February to April, when temperatures are comfortable and humidity is lower. March brings the rodeo and spring crawfish; November is often the most pleasant month for walking. Summer is hot, humid and stormy, and hurricane risk peaks from mid-August to late September.
| Season | Months | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | March–May | Warm and green, with the rodeo, azaleas, wildflowers and crawfish; storms become more frequent in May. |
| Summer | June–August | Hot, humid and stormy; best spent in museums, Space Center Houston and air-conditioned malls. |
| Autumn | September–November | September is hot and at peak hurricane risk; October and November are pleasant and dry. |
| Winter | December–February | Mild with occasional cold fronts and rare freezes; good value and comfortable for sightseeing. |
Getting there and around
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), the main international airport, is about 37 km north of downtown, 35–50 minutes by car. William P. Hobby (HOU), about 15 km south-east, handles mostly domestic and some Latin American flights and is 20–30 minutes by car. METRO buses link both airports with downtown for a low fare but take around an hour.
Houston covers a huge area and is designed around cars and freeways. METRORail and buses work well along the Main Street corridor from downtown through Midtown and the Museum District to the medical centre, but most visitors combine light rail with ride-hailing or a rental car.
Plan your days
Two days covers Space Center Houston and a full day in the Museum District and Hermann Park. A third day adds Buffalo Bayou, the Heights and a food crawl in Chinatown; with four or five days, add Galveston or Brazos Bend State Park.
Practical information
- Currency
- USD
- Language
- English, Spanish and Vietnamese
- Plugs
- Type A and B sockets, 120 V, 60 Hz
- Tap water
- Tap water is safe to drink.
- Emergency number
- 911 (police, fire, ambulance)
- Tipping
- Tip 18–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, $1–$2 per drink at a counter, 15–20% for taxis and ride-hailing, and a few dollars per bag for hotel porters.
Heat and humidity are the main hazards most of the year. Heavy rain floods streets and underpasses quickly, so never drive into standing water, and follow official advice during hurricane season. Car break-ins are common; leave nothing visible in parked cars.
Flights to Houston
Questions travellers ask
+How many days do you need in Houston?
Two days covers Space Center Houston and a full day in the Museum District and Hermann Park. A third day adds Buffalo Bayou, the Heights and a food crawl in Chinatown; with four or five days, add Galveston or Brazos Bend State Park. How to split your days.
+When is the best time to visit Houston?
The best times to visit Houston are October to November and February to April, when temperatures are comfortable and humidity is lower. March brings the rodeo and spring crawfish; November is often the most pleasant month for walking. Summer is hot, humid and stormy, and hurricane risk peaks from mid-August to late September.
+What is Houston known for?
NASA and Space Center Houston, Museum District, Viet-Cajun crawfish, Tex-Mex, Rodeo, Energy industry and Texas Medical Center. Space Center Houston includes a tram tour of NASA's Johnson Space Center, with the restored Apollo-era Mission Control and a full Saturn V rocket.
+Is Houston expensive?
Houston is moderately priced for international visitors: a mid-range trip costs roughly $190–$330 per person per day before flights (AMZBooking estimate). Costs and money-saving tips.
+Do you need a car in Houston?
Yes for most trips: Space Center Houston, Galveston, Chinatown and many restaurants are hard to reach without one. A short museum-focused stay can work with METRORail and ride-hailing.