Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
IATA Code: AUSLocation: The airport is situated eight miles (13km) from downtown Austin.
Time: GMT -6 (GMT -5 from March to November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 512 530 2242.
Transfer to the city: A Super Shuttle minibus taxi service operates from the airport, and several local taxi companies are represented. Public bus services run by Capital Metro serve the airport on a regular daily schedule. Bus journeys to downtown Austin take about 45 minutes; taxis take about 20 minutes.
Taxis: Three taxi companies service Austin-Bergstrom airport, and can be contacted on the following numbers: Yellow Cab (512) 452-9999; Austin Cab (512) 478-2222; Lone Star Cab (512) 836-4900. A trip from the airport to the CBD should take about 20 minutes, and cost around $25.
Car rental: Car rental companies include Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and Thrifty.
Facilities: Postal services are available at the airport, and there are several ATMs in the terminal. Shops include newsagents and a gift shop, and there are numerous restaurants and bars to choose from. The Business and Technology Center in the East concourse offers foreign currency exchange, standard airline trip insurance and Internet access.
Parking: The Airport Parking Garage, located directly across from the terminal, charges a flat rate of $20 per day.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.abia.org
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Austin
Capital of Texas, the city of Austin lies almost in the centre of the state, a big city with a small town feel, young population, casual lifestyle and reputation as a Mecca for live music shows.
Home of the University of Texas campus, Austin life is closely entwined with the energy and enthusiasm of its students, but this city that has been a state capital since 1838 does not ignore its history. Young people are drawn here too by the array of live concerts that are held frequently around the shores of Town Lake. Most famous of these events is the annual South by Southwest music festival-conference held each March. Visitors wanting to tune in to Austin's live musical repertoire, which spans everything from blues and country to reggae, simply have to drift down the famous Sixth Street strip of pubs and clubs any night of the week.
Austin's laid-back attitude lends itself to the great outdoors, and the city has miles of hiking and biking trails linking parks, preserves and greenbelts adding to the ambience of its leafy streets.
