Short answer: do you need a car when you visit Austin? No. If you enjoy walking and you plan to catch 3 or 4 ride shares for the long distances (like to/from the airport), you can enjoy a great trip to Austin with no car.
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Downtown Austin, Texas is an extremely walkable city.The streets are well-maintained and lined with trees, while many sidewalks and bike lanes have been added in recent years to make getting around even easier.
Rental cars can be convenient if you plan to travel outside the downtown area, but traffic congestion will be significant and parking can be difficult to find. Visit the Getting Around page for alternatives.
Austin's downtown, especially the tourist areas on 6th Street are safe as far as cities go. The west side is safer than the east, with Old Enfield, Rollingwood, and Hyde Park being Austin's safest neighborhoods. Standard precautions apply at night, as they do in any city.
There are several bus services available at the airport, including Capital Metro, Greyhound, and Megabus. Capital Metro offers several bus lines that run from the airport to downtown Austin, including Route 20, Route 100, and Route 350.