Fredericksburg
The most developed lodging market in the region and the one that books furthest ahead. Boutique properties, a large stock of historic guesthouses, and a handful of full-service hotels.
Two blocks off Main Street
Hoffman Haus
Restored historic cottages set around gardens, with breakfast delivered to your door. The most-loved property in town and the first to sell out.
Downtown
The Albert Hotel
A newer full-service hotel at a scale and finish Fredericksburg had not previously had, with restaurants and a pool in the middle of town.
Gillespie County Airport
Hangar Hotel
A 1940s airfield-themed hotel next to the runway, with a period officers' club bar. Sounds like a gimmick, works completely.
Two blocks from Main
Inn on Barons Creek
Full service, a pool, a spa, and the most reliable availability of the walkable options.
Throughout town
Guesthouses and Sunday houses
Hundreds of restored cottages and farmhouses rented out privately. For a group of four to ten this is almost always better value than hotel rooms.
Dripping Springs and Driftwood
Thin on conventional hotels and heavy on wedding venues and ranch rentals. Most visitors base in Austin, which is thirty-five to forty-five minutes away.
Dripping Springs
Camp Lucy
The closest thing the area has to a resort — rooms across historic and purpose-built buildings, extensive grounds, a pool, and Tillie's restaurant on site. Book early; weddings take large blocks.
Around Dripping Springs and Driftwood
Ranch cabins and casitas
Individually owned cottages on acreage, with firepits and dark skies. The best option for a group that wants space, and the trade is driving to every meal.
Wimberley and the Blanco River
A better lodging town than its size suggests, with inns, cottages, and river-side rentals around a walkable square. Blue Hole and Jacob's Well are right there, and the Driftwood wineries are twenty minutes away. A good base for a slower Hill Country weekend.
The Highland Lakes
Northwest of Austin along the Colorado River chain — Lake Travis, Lake Marble Falls, Lake LBJ, Lake Buchanan. Lake houses, marina resorts, and a few substantial properties around Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay. The pick if your weekend is about water rather than wine.
The river towns: New Braunfels, Gruene and the Guadalupe
Cabins, cottages, and a couple of historic hotels around Gruene, plus a large resort market in New Braunfels driven by the rivers and the water parks. Best in summer, when tubing the Guadalupe and the Comal is the point.
The western Hill Country: Bandera, Utopia and the Frio
Dude ranches, river cabins, and genuine remoteness. Bandera calls itself the Cowboy Capital of the World and has the working guest ranches to back it up. The Frio River around Concan and Garner State Park is a Texas summer institution, with cabins that book a year ahead for peak weeks.
Austin Wine Car
Staying anywhere in the Hill Country?
We pick up from Fredericksburg, Dripping Springs, Wimberley, Driftwood, and anywhere in Austin. Three wineries, door to door.
Not ready to book?
Choosing by what your trip is about
| If the trip is about… | Stay in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Wine | Fredericksburg | The densest cluster of wineries in Texas, and walkable at night |
| Wine, with better food | Austin | Forty to ninety minutes out, and the best restaurants in the region |
| Swimming holes | Wimberley or Dripping Springs | Blue Hole, Jacob's Well, and Hamilton Pool nearby |
| Lakes and boats | Marble Falls or Lake Travis | The Highland Lakes chain |
| Rivers and tubing | New Braunfels or Concan | The Guadalupe, the Comal, and the Frio |
| Getting genuinely away | Bandera, Utopia, or a ranch stay | Remote, dark skies, and no traffic |
| A group of eight or more | A guesthouse or ranch rental | Better value and a shared table |
Booking notes for the region
- Two-night minimums are standard on weekends almost everywhere in the Hill Country.
- April, October, Oktoberfest, and the Christmas season are the four windows that genuinely sell out in Fredericksburg.
- Summer weekends on the Frio and the Guadalupe book months ahead.
- Check the wedding calendar at venue properties — Camp Lucy and several Fredericksburg estates host large events.
- Confirm road access at rural properties. Long gravel drives are common and matter if a full-size vehicle is picking you up.
- Cell coverage is unreliable at many rural properties. Download maps before you arrive.