2 days in Houston is perfect if you want to have a great time in the city. So if you're going to spend 48 hours in Houston, you'll have a wonderful trip!
Houston is a large city in the United States. It's in the state of Texas. Traveling to Houston is great because the city has a lot to offer.
For example, the architecture in Houston is great. And you can find nice districts in the city, such as the Museum District. Besides that, you can do many great things in the city.
For example, you can find Market Square Park in the city and there's a beautiful sculpture garden. It's also amazing to shop at the Galleria and the Houston Museum of Natural Science is great!
All these activities, and more, are in this itinerary. So your 48 hours in Houston will be incredible!
I also included great places for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this 2 days in Houston itinerary.
First, I'll give you some tips. After that, the itinerary begins. I also give information about how to get to Houston and how to move around in the city.
Table of Contents
Travel Tips for Spending 2 days in Houston
To make your 2 days in Houston even better, here are some tips!
I recommend using public transport when you need to travel large distances in the city.
Public transport is very cheap, so it is a great way to get everywhere!
Also, Houston is amazing during all seasons. In summer, it's very warm, so that makes it a great summer destination. But if you prefer colder weather, you can travel during the other seasons! The city is very pretty in winter as well. So that's also a great time for spending 48 hours in Houston.
Itinerary for 2 Days in Houston
Let's start with this itinerary for 2 days in Houston. You are going to see a lot of great things in the city of Houston during this time. And you'll have a great time for sure!
Day 1: Exploring the City Center and Seeing Art
On the first day, you are going to explore the city center of the city. Furthermore, in the afternoon there is some great art that you can see here! Let's start the first day of your 48 hours in Houston!
Breakfast at Flying Idlis
For one of the best breakfast restaurants in Downtown Houston go to Flying Idlis! This is the perfect place to start your 2 days in Houston!
This is a great place where you can have Indian breakfast!
The owner wanted there to be an Indian breakfast place in Houston, but there wasn't any. So, together with a friend, they opened this place.
Here you can have a delicious South Indian breakfast. It is a great place for idlis and dosas for breakfast.
Their goal is to create fresh authentic vegetarian food for a low price!
On the menu of this place, you can find a large variety of idlis and dosas that are very tasty! This makes it a great place for breakfast when you're 48 hours in Houston.
Besides that, the place also serves great coffee.
After breakfast, it is time to explore the city! So let's go!
Walk Through Downtown Houston
Downtown Houston is the perfect place to visit when you're 2 days in Houston.
Downtown Houston is where you find most of the city's activity!
One of the things that stands out in Downtown Houston is the large number of skyscrapers.
These skyscrapers are wonderful to see as they have great architecture. You can wander around in this part of the city and see all these buildings. Seeing the skyscrapers is great if you're 48 hours in Houston.
Furthermore, there are many shops in Downtown Houston. So if you want to shop in the city, this is a great place for that! Although, tomorrow you are going to visit another great place for shopping.
Besides that, you find lots of hotels in the city center of Houston.
Also, there are thousands of restaurants in Downtown Houston. These serve delicious food from lots of cuisines from all around the world. In the city, you find over 70 different cuisines. If you follow this itinerary for 48 hours in Houston, you're also going to have dinner in Downtown Houston.
There are many bars in this part of the city of Houston as well. This makes it a place with great nightlife!
Downtown Houston is also a great place for entertainment. You find here a lot of places where you can go to performances.
For example, you find here the Houston Grand Opera. This makes it a great place to visit when you have time left at the end of the day!
Moreover, there are great green spaces in Downtown Houston. And you are going to visit these if you use this itinerary for 2 days in Houston.
Visit Market Square Park
One of the best parks in Downtown Houston is Market Square Park. If you follow this 2 days in Houston itinerary, it's now time to go there!
This is a great place with beautiful nature, which makes it a very relaxing place to visit. You can go here for a relaxing stroll while enjoying the trees and plants!
Besides that, there is more to do at Market Square Park.
For example, you can go for a picnic here, which is a great activity!
Furthermore, in the past, there were several city halls and market houses at the park. You can still see the remains of this when you are here, which is very interesting!
Also, there is a memorial that honors Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas. This person was a passenger of United Flight 93.
Besides that, many events take place at the market! These events are great to attend when you are 48 hours in Houston. If there is an event in the evening while you visit, I recommend going here! For example, there are movie nights!
Also, if you have a dog, this park is a great place to visit. There is a dog run that has fences around it. That way, your dog can play, while you can watch your dog from behind the fence!
Furthermore, there are beautiful mosaic fountains and benches. These make the park look very beautiful!
And there are sculptures in the park that are great to see! For example, you can see the sculpture Points of View here.
Relax at Discovery Green
Another beautiful park in Downtown Houston is Discovery Green.
This is a public park with lots of beautiful trees! These trees are lovely to see. Furthermore, there is a lake in the park. So it is a great place for doing a relaxing wall when you spend 2 days in Houston.
Also, there are lots of other things to do and see in the park.
There is a place where public performances take place. These are always free and available for anyone! And there are many other events as well.
For example, there are concerts, movies, and competitions. These events are very fun to visit when you are in the city of Houston.
Besides that, you can hang out in the grass, which is also great to do when you are in the city of Houston!
Furthermore, there is a playground. This makes this a great place if you are visiting Houston as a family!
And the park is also great to visit when you are coming with your dog. That's because there are 2 dog runs where your dog can play!
Discovery Green is also home to a lot of public art. These artworks are great to see as well! There are several sculptures at the park. One of these is one by Jean Dubuffet.
Lunch at Leaf & Grain
Now it is time for lunch. There are several options for lunch on the first day of your 2 days in Houston.
In Downtown Houston, you have many options for this that are great. Whatever you like, you definitely find it here in the city center! There are so many lunch restaurants.
One of the best places for lunch in Downtown Houston is Leaf & Grain. I'd definitely recommend going here during your 48 hours in Houston.
This is a restaurant that focuses on creating food that is very tasty, while at the same time is very healthy!
They say you don't have to compromise. You can have food that is delicious and healthy! And you can find that food at their place. With this, they want to make it easier to have healthy food.
They always use fresh ingredients and they make everything themselves.
On their menu, you can find all kinds of bowls and salads that are all very delicious. Also, you can make your own bowls by selecting the ingredients you want.
One of the best dishes on their menu is the MFH Veggie Boost salad. This salad has all kinds of vegetable in it that are very delicious. Another great dish is The Oasis. This is a salad that includes falafel!
See the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
After lunch, it is time to see some of the city's art. This is one of the best things to do when you're 2 days in Houston.
For one of the best museums in Houston, go to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
This is one of the best museums in the city. Moreover, it is one of the largest museums in the country, which is awesome! You definitely have to see the museum if you're 48 hours in Houston!
You find here a permanent collection with objects from a period of 6000 years. Furthermore, there are artworks from all over the world. Thus, there is a large variety of objects at the museum!
In total, you find here about 70,000 artworks on display.
For example, you find here paintings from the French Impressionism genre. Furthermore, you find here American sculptures and paintings. And there is a large collection of photography. But there's much more than this!
These objects are in several galleries at the museum. Examples of galleries in the museum are as follows. There is a gallery that focuses on art from Asia and the Islamic world.
Furthermore, there is a gallery with old paintings from Europe and the US.
And there is a gallery that focuses on modern art, which includes impressionism.
Some of the artists whose works are on display here are Botticelli and Renoir.
What's great about this museum as well is that there are lots of changing exhibitions. These are there for several months and focus on specific art. This means that there is always something new to see here! So it's also a great thing to do for your 2 days in Houston if you visited the museum already another time.
Walk Through the Lilie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden
After visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, you should definitely see more art! For this, I recommend going to the Lilie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden. From the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston it is easy to get to the sculpture garden!
This is a sculpture that you can find at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. It's definitely a must-see when you're 48 hours in Houston.
You find here 25 sculptures from the museum in an outdoor setting!
These sculptures are from very famous artists, such as Henri Matisse and Rodin!
These sculptures are great to see during your 2 days in Houston.
Also, there are sculptures that artists made for the garden. And you can also see here artwork by artists from the state of Texas, which is great as well!
It is great that you can go here for a relaxing stroll while seeing interesting and beautiful art!
Also, I love that there is both beautiful nature and art here. This combination makes this the perfect place for a relaxing and interesting time!
Dinner at Lucille's
After walking through the sculpture garden, you most likely want something for dinner!
You are in luck because there are great restaurants close to the sculpture garden.
One of the best restaurants here is Lucille's! This is a restaurant that you can find in the museum district of the city of Houston!
At Lucille's, you can get dishes from Southern cuisine. But there are also flavors from all around the world, which is great! I'm sure you'll love having dinner here during your 48 hours in Houston.
On the menu, you find a variety of dishes. Each of these dishes is very tasty! They have great entrees, and they also have good salads and soups.
Besides that, if you are looking for a place with cocktails, this is the place to go! That's because they have a large variety of cocktails on the menu. Of these, some are seasonal.
Day 2: Seeing Nature, Shopping, and Visiting a Museum on the Second Day of Your 2 Days in Houston
The second day in Houston is about seeing some of the beautiful gardens of the city. Furthermore, you are going to shop today and you'll see a wonderful museum!
Breakfast at Kaffeine Coffee Cafe
It's the second day of your 2 days in Houston. Let's start the day again with breakfast.
A great place for this is Kaffeine Coffee Cafe. This is close to the places of this itinerary where you are going next!
At this place, you can get a good cup of coffee, which is always a great way to start your day!
Besides that, this place has good teas if that's what you like more!
Also, this place is great for food during breakfast. They have breakfast sandwiches, croissants, and more.
Furthermore, the interior of the place is great and adds to your experience!
And the service of this place is phenomenal as well!
In short, it is a great place for breakfast to start your day and I recommend going here!
See the Houston Museum of Natural Science
When you are 48 hours in Houston you should definitely go to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This is a natural history museum with an interesting collection!
This museum is one of the most popular museums in the country.
You find here a great permanent collection with lots of interesting artifacts!
The museum divides its collection over several exhibits.
One of these exhibits is the Cullen Hall of Gems & Minerals. Here you can see all kinds of rare gemstones and minerals.
Another great exhibition is the Morian Hall of Paleontology. Here you can see 60 large skeletons of dinosaurs. These are incredible to see and look very impressive!
Furthermore, the Farish Hall of Texas Wildlife is very interesting as well! You find here animals and wildlife from the state of Texas.
Also, you should definitely see the Hall of Ancient Egypt. Here you can see artifacts from Egyptian temples. And there are mummies from Ancient Egypt as well, which is very impressive!
Also, there are many changing exhibitions that are very interesting! And there are events and workshops at the museum, which is awesome!
Walk Through the McGovern Centennial Gardens
After seeing the Houston Museum of Natural Science on this second day of your 2 days in Houston, go see nature!
A great place for this is the McGovern Centennial Gardens. Here you can find several gardens in Hermann Park.
These gardens are great to wander around. There is a lot of great nature. There are trees, plants, flowers, and more!
You can visit the gardens every day of the week from 9 AM to 7 PM. But this time can differ based on the season.
There is a large variety of gardens at the McGovern Centennial Gardens. You find these around a lawn in the middle called Centennial Green.
Each garden has a different type of plant, which is great! This makes it amazing to visit it when you're 48 hours in Houston.
For example, there is a rose garden. Here you can find a large variety of roses.
These roses are very pretty and make walking around here a pleasant experience.
Also, there are benches at the rose garden, which allow you to sit and watch the roses!
Another one of the gardens here is the Arid Garden. In this garden, you can see all kinds of plants that don't need a lot of water or maintenance to survive.
See the Japanese Garden
There are so many gardens in Houston, now it is time to go to another beautiful garden at Hermann Park! It's a great place to see when you're 2 days in Houston!
From the McGovern Centennial Gardens, you can walk here in minutes!
The Japanese Garden is a garden that is completely in the Japanese style. The landscape designer Ken Nakajima from Tokyo designed the garden.
There are all kinds of plants from Japan here, which is great to see! You find here Japanese Maples, redbuds, cherry trees, and many more. It's beautiful to see it all when you're 48 hours in Houston.
Furthermore, there are many footpaths in the park. This makes the place very suitable for a relaxing walk!
Also, there is a pond at the Japanese Garden that has a prominent place. This pond is beautiful to see. And what's great as well is that there are Koi in the pond.
Now that you saw these gardens in the morning, it is time to get some lunch!
Lunch at Barnaby's Cafe
Barnaby's Cafe is a great place for lunch in the city of Houston. Going to this place during your 48 hours in Houston is great.
You find this place in the Museum District of Houston as well!
This is a great place with a large variety of food, which makes it great for lunch!
That's because this place likely serves something that you like.
For example, they have all kinds of salads. These range from classic salads, to more unique salads. For example, there is a salad with falafel.
Also, this is a good place if you want to have a burger.
They have many types of burgers with a large variety of toppings.
What's great is that they also have plant-based burgers. In fact, they have 6 different types of this. One of these is the Impossible Burger, which is very tasty!
Also, this place serves great sandwiches. Each sandwich comes with pickles and chips!
Besides that, you can get homemade lasagna at this place in Houston.
Or if burritos are more what you want to have, you can have that too here!
Furthermore, this place serves all kinds of sweets. They have carrot cake, chocolate cake, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies, and more!
So, this is a great place for lunch during your 2 days in Houston!
Shop at The Galleria
If you like shopping when you are 48 hours in Houston, you'll like the next activity!
A great place for shopping in Houston is The Galleria.
This is a shopping mall that you can find in the Uptown District of Houston. This is a bit further from the last activity, but it is easy to get there!
The Galleria is the largest shopping mall in Texas, so you can shop a lot here! Furthermore, it is also one of the largest shopping malls in the United State.
Some of the largest shops here are Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. But there are so many shops! In fact, there are more than 400 stores.
Also, there are two hotels in the shopping mall, which is awesome!
Furthermore, you find many restaurants at the shopping mall. This is great if you get hungry while you are shopping!
See the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park
After shopping at The Galleria, you should visit Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park.
To get from The Galleria to Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park, you only have to walk a few minutes. Thus, it is very easy to go here!
At this park, you find a spectacular structure, a waterwall.
This is a great place where you can see water come down both the inner and the outer walls.
This is a fantastic sight to see!
Besides that, the park itself is also a very beautiful place to be at. It's amazing to go to the park when you're 48 hours in Houston.
You find here lots of oak trees that surround the waterwall. This makes it a very relaxing place to visit!
What's great about this place as well is that you can see the skyscraper of the city from here.
Dinner at Soulfood Vegan
If you follow this 2 days in Houston itinerary, it's time for dinner!
You can have dinner at the shopping mall, as there are lots of restaurants there. There is definitely something for your liking!
But you can also go back to Downtown Houston, which is what I recommend!
A great place for dinner there is Soulfood Vegan.
At this place, you can have healthy soul food that is very delicious.
One of their best dishes is the Cajun Beyond Burger. This is a vegan burger with a very tasty BBQ sauce, lettuce, organic tomato, and a wheat bun.
Another great thing on the menu of this place is the Cajun Spaghetti. This is a pasta dish with tomato sauce, veggie protein, a veggie sauce, peppers, spices, and herbs! It is very delicious to have this meal here!
Furthermore, the Mushroom Poboy is great as well. This dish consists of mushrooms on bread together with spinach leaves and more!
Also, you can have great vegan desserts here. These are delicious!
Getting to Houston
You can get to Houston in various ways. It is possible to get to the city by airplane, bus, train, or car.
Airplane
The most convenient way to travel to the city of Houston from a place that is far away is by airplane. So this is a great option for your 48 hours in Houston.
What's great is that Houston has an international airport. The name of this airport is the George Busch Intercontinental Airport.
This airport makes it possible to reach the city of Texas from many places in the US. But, there are also direct flights from other countries. For example, you can get here from New Zealand, Canada, United Kingdom, and more!
You can reach Downtown Houston from the airport in about 25 minutes if you go by car. The distance from the airport is about 20 miles (or 32 kilometers)!
Another way to reach the city center is by public transport. There is a bus that takes about 45 minutes to reach the city center!
Furthermore, you can get to the city center by taxi. This is a quick way to travel, but it is also the most expensive option!
Bus
You can reach the city of Houston by bus from several places in the state and outside of it.
A good company for these bus rides is Greyhound. They have cheap prices for the routes they offer! So this can be a great way to go to the city if you're on a budget.
Train
When traveling by train you can reach places that are quite far away!
There are good connections with cities within the state.
Car
Another way to reach the city of Houston is by car.
This is a great option, as it is often a fast way to reach the city!
Where to Stay in Houston for 2 Days
There are many places where you can stay in Houston. There are good hotels in many areas of the city.
One of the best places to stay during your 2 days in Houston is Downtown Houston.
That's because you find most of the activity here. There are lots of shops, restaurants, and more venues here. This makes your trip very pleasant and convenient!
Also, you have a lot of hotels to choose from if you decide to stay in Downtown Houston.
Besides that, some of the stops of this itinerary are in Downtown Houston. Thus it is very convenient if you are staying near these places. That way you won't lose a lot of time traveling to the spots in this itinerary!
Another good place to stay in Houston is at the Museum District.
This is the place where you find a lot of the city's museums. Furthermore, there are several parks here as well.
This makes it a great place to stay!
And because this itinerary covers some of these spots, staying here is convenient as well.
That way you can get to the things of this itinerary in a quick way without losing a lot of time!
Moreover, it is a very pleasant experience if you can walk to the places of this itinerary. This makes the beginning of your day much more pleasant!
Another place where you can stay is at The Galleria. This is a shopping mall that I cover in this itinerary.
If you love shopping, I recommend staying in a hotel near this place. That way you can make most of your time at the shopping mall! And you can even go there more times during your 48 hours in Houston!
No matter where you are staying, you'll have a great time!
Getting Around in Houston
There are various ways to move around when you're 48 hours in Houston.
One of the best ways to move around is on foot.
Many of the sights that I include in this itinerary are within walking distance of each other. That means that you can walk between places in a few minutes.
This has another benefit as well for your 2 days in Houston. Along the way, you can better see many parts of the city, which is great! You may discover a shop that you wouldn't have otherwise!
Another way to move around in the city of Houston is by public transport. Houston has a great public transportation network!
And what's great is that public transport in Houston is very affordable. You can get a day pass for the tram and bus for only $3 dollars per day!
There is a tram system in the city that connects various parts of the city.
For example, you can take a tram from Downtown Houston to the Museum District. This is a route that you will do if you follow this itinerary.
Another part of the public transport system of Houston is the bus system. There are many bus services in the city of Houston.
The bus is often a great way to get around if you need to go to a more specific place. That's because the buses stop at a lot of stops.
Another way to get around during your 48 hours in Houston is by taxi.
You find taxis everywhere in the city and they are a very convenient way to move around.
Also, if you want to get a taxi for a trip within Downtown Houston, you pay $6 only. This is a flat fee!
Save this post to Pinterest if you like it!
Blog comments (0)