How to Spend Your Weekend in Austin, Texas: A 3 Day Itinerary

Austin, TX is such a hot spot these days, and for good reason! There is so much to do, see, and eat while you are here. My husband and I have lived here for almost two years, so I figured it is time to draft up an itinerary of our ideal weekend spent in this fabulous city.

Now, I know that everyone has different ideas of what is considered a fun way to spend your time. So, take this itinerary as an inspirational model to create your own. The goal of this itinerary is to show you some restaurants and activities located in a similar area so you don’t have to drive all over the place. You can certainly swap out restaurants, activities, and more to make it your own.

Since we love to eat, this will feature some of our favorite restaurants and some cool activities sprinkled in. We are pretty low key, so you won’t find many party centric recommendations here.

Day #1: Friday

For your first day in Austin, I thought it was important to introduce some places and activities that represent Austin through and through! From a tasty breakfast, a hike with a beautiful view, to some nightlife out on the town, you will experience all of the goodness that this great city has to offer – and it’s just day one!

Breakfast: Bird Bird Biscuit

To start off your long weekend, you have to begin with the best breakfast you’ll ever have! My husband and I had Bird Bird Biscuit on our first visit to Austin and it has remained one of our favorite restaurants of all time.

Typically we order the Bird Bird Bacon, the Queen Beak, Biscuits and Gravy, and some Dough Doughs, if we have a sweet tooth. You really can’t go wrong with whatever you order. Bird Bird Biscuit has the best biscuits and they are so worth the hype.

Activity: Mount Bonnell

Now that you have enjoyed the best breakfast of your life, it’s time to get your body moving with a nice and easy hike. After all, it’s not really a visit to Austin without a visit to Mount Bonnell.

If you’re not a big hiker, don’t worry! It’s only a 30 minute hike that has a great view of the city, Lake Austin, and beautiful hill country at the top. Take your time, enjoy the sites, and snap a picture for the ‘gram.

Activity: Mozart’s Coffee & House Browsing in West Lake Hills

After a quick hike it’s time for some coffee and a pastry, if you’re feeling it. Mozart’s has a beautiful view, great coffee, and delicious pastries. It’s the perfect resting spot after some physical activity.

Enjoy your coffee on the patio before hopping in your car and driving through the nearby West Lake Hills neighborhood. It is filled swoon worthy, multi-million dollar mansions. We all like to browse Zillow for home inspiration, but this is a neighborhood you should browse in real life.

Lunch: Blue Dahlia Bistro

All of that home browsing has to have made you hungry, so pop into Blue Dahlia Bistro for a well deserved lunch. The restaurant boasts a cheery “European vibe & a menu of French-inspired cuisine.”

Since I am a sucker for breakfast foods, I always order from the all-day breakfast portion of the menu. But, feel free to order a salad or one of their delicious open-faced sandwiches. You won’t be disappointed either way!

Activity: Wonderspaces

This activity is a quick drive up to North Austin, but is definitely worth the drive! Wonderspaces is an interactive art museum and a great activity for couples or bigger groups. You can snap plenty of unique photos for Instagram with some of the art features.

Dinner: Torchy’s Tacos

Torchy’s is the perfect low-key dinner before a night out on the town! An Austin original, Torchy’s has a large selection of unique tacos and tasty drinks. Make sure you try the Hillbilly Queso and Wrangler breakfast taco.

For a more complete look at restaurant options, we have 30 of our favorites in our best Austin restaurants list. And for more low-key food and taco options, check out our guide to the best food trucks in Austin.

Activity: Rainey Street or 6th Street

If you like to go out in the evenings, 6th Street or Rainey Street is where you want to be! Both are iconic Austin hotspots where locals and visitors flock to. Each spot has a different vibe, so choose accordingly.

6th Street is where you can find all the bars and partiers, for sure. It tends to attract the younger crowd who likes to party hard. You can find loud music, inexpensive drinks, and dancing in abundance on this street.

Rainey Street also has a lot of bars, but they are historic homes that have been converted into trendy bars. You’ll find an older crowd, some live music, and all the food trucks your heart desires.

Day #2: Saturday in North Austin

On day 2 of your weekend, you have to try some of the great options that North Austin has to offer. While a lot of the most popular Austin restaurants and activities are in South Austin, I think you will find some fun and unique options up North too.

Breakfast: Round Rock Donuts

Listen, I know that this will be a little bit out of your way, but you HAVE to make the time for these donuts! They are world famous for a reason. Generally, my husband and I are not really into super hyped up things, but we both agree that this donut shop is worth the hype.

While Round Rock Donuts does have an extensive menu, I would say don’t waste your time with fancy options. Just order a dozen glazed donuts and you will have your mind blown. Yes, you will want the full dozen so you can snack on them later.

I love that Round Rock Donuts always serves fresh donuts ALL day. No need to wait for a “hot and ready sign” to avoid old donuts. They will hook you up with warm donuts at every hour!

Activity: Top Golf

Take all of your energy from eating the world’s best donuts and go for a few rounds of golf at Top Golf. It’s a great activity to get you moving and share with friends.

Lunch: The Culinary Dropout

This is one of my husband and I’s favorite restaurants here in Austin. We often make the trek to the Domain in North Austin, specifically for lunch at the Culinary Dropout. We always start with an appetizer of pierogis, followed by a chopped chicken salad for me and a turkey pastrami sandwich for my husband.

The atmosphere is great, the food is delicious, and the proximity to shopping can’t be beat! Every now and then I will get the rotating flavor of Austin Eastciders on draft or some rosé while we enjoy the patio.

Activity: Shopping & Snacks

The Domain has about every store for shopping that you could ever want! I love to shop online, but getting out into real stores every now and then is nice.

My favorite stores to shop at in the Domain are Free People, Artizia, Athleta, Sephora, Lululemon, Restoration Hardware, and CB2. It’s also so cool to see some of my favorite brands in person, like the Away store or the Peloton store. Both are brands that I love and I like getting to stop in every once in a while to see if there’s any new goodies that I’d like.

While there is plenty of shopping to do, don’t forget to stop for an afternoon treat at one of the many sweet shops sprinkled throughout the Domain! Personally, I love to get sweets from Jeni’s Ice Cream or the Sprinkles Donut ATM.

Dinner: Perry’s Steakhouse

End your day at the Domain with a nice steak dinner. While Perry’s is not an Austin exclusive restaurant, it is a great option for a ‘fancier’ dinner, if you’re in the mood for it. Perry’s also has a location downtown.

If a steak dinner is not your vibe, there are plenty of other options like Velvet Taco, Yard House, Shake Shack and more. And if you’re feeling up to it, there are several bars for some evening fun after your dinner.

Day #3: Sunday on South Congress

A visit to Austin is not complete without a stop at South Congress strip. It is one of the most iconic spots in Austin and worth all of the hype. It has shops, restaurants, bars, and all the Instagram worthy backdrops you could wish for!

Brunch: South Congress Cafe

The best thing about the weekends is that you can get BRUNCH! In my opinion, brunch should be served every day of the week. Until then, I will spend my weekends at South Congress Cafe getting the eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise sauce.

Mason and I went to brunch here on our first trip to Austin and it has remained one of my favorite brunch spots since we moved here. It’s located in a great spot for visitors, has delicious food, and a cool atmosphere. What more could you want from a brunch spot?

Activity: Zilker Park

A visit to Austin is not complete without a visit to Zilker Park! It’s a great place to get an amazing view of downtown Austin, get a nice walk in, or go for a swim in the Barton Springs Pool. It’s a go-to spot for outdoor activities for many locals. Fun fact: the Austin City Limits Music Festival is hosted here, as well as, many other concerts.

Activity: Jo’s Coffee Shop

Jo’s Coffee shop has the famous “I Love You So Much” mural that you have seen all over Instagram. So, be sure to stop there for a picture and some coffee.

Dinner: El Alma

Make sure you get a reservation, because this restaurant stays booked up! El Alma has great food, fabulous margaritas, and a fun atmosphere. It’s in the heart of one of the most popular areas of Austin, so you know it’s a great place to hangout.

There is obviously plenty of things to do in Austin, but I know it can be overwhelming when trying to decide where to start. I hope you found something in this post that helps you plan your trip here. No matter what you end up doing, you can’t go wrong!

If you’re wanting a bigger list of food recommendations, check out our post of our favorite restaurants in Austin. Let us know if you found any of our recommendations helpful in the comments down below!