Getting to Galveston

Driving
From the north, come down IH 45. You'll get congestion around Conroe regardless, but you can catch the Hardy toll road just past the Rayford/Sawdust exit in the Woodlands, which will give you 23 miles of easy traffic down to loop 610 where you head South and connect with IH 45 just past the Ship Channel bridge. You'll miss down town that way, and there are only two toll stops.

If you are coming in from the North Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock areas short route is, come in HWY 290 during off hours. Take the Sam Houston toll way West around to IH 45 South of Houston. It will have 4 toll stations at $1.25 a piece, but it moves.

South Austin Cruisers take HWY 71 down through La Grange and join IH 10 at Columbus.  Again for less traffic, take the Sam Houston Toll way south to IH 45 and down to Galveston. 

San Antonio and West of Austin, use the same route, IH 10 to the Sam Houston Toll way south to IH 45 and down to Galveston.

Anyone coming in from the East on IH 10 might consider missing Houston altogether by taking HWY 124 South at Winnie Tx to HWY 87 at High Island then West down the Bolivar Peninsula and catch the ferry to Galveston. In December, there will be little to no traffic and it's a scenic drive along the beach. The ferries run every 20 minutes and are the best free entertainment around.

Alternatives to this are HWY 146 at Baytown down through the Galveston Bay communities to Galveston; there will be a number of lights.  Or further in, IH 10 joins the Sam Houston Toll Way or even further to Loop 610, both lead to IH 45 South.

From Hobby Airport, come out of the airport and take a right on Airport Blvd. When you get to IH 45, go south. You'll have some congestion around Clear Lake just past Beltway 8, but it isn't too bad.

From Intercontinental Airport, take Will Clayton Blvd. out of the airport to Highway 59.
Take Highway 59 south towards Houston. Take the I-45 Galveston exit (just past Minute Maid Park)

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Flying in to Houston Hobby or Intercontinental Airport

"I flew into Hobby and then took the shuttle van that Galveston Limo offers. We set it up ahead of time and I think it was something like $50 for the roundtrip per person. They were standing right out front when we got off the ship and it was very convenient...they dropped us off at whatever hotel we were staying in when we arrived....the trip took about 45 minutes." Linda

"What a lot of people do is rent from Enterprise or Hertz, do a drop off in Galveston, and pick up another for the return to the airport." Gene (see driving from the airports above)

"As I see it, there are 3 ways to get to Galveston. The rental car way that Gene mentioned, the Houston Limo(shuttle van) that Linda mentioned and the limousine way. The rental car will cost about $80 + gas each way including the drop off fee. Of course, that's based on availability & the type of car rented. The shuttle van is now $60pp round trip from Hobby to the cruise terminal. To be honest, I've heard good & bad stories about the shuttle, mostly good. They allow 2 bags plus a carry-on per person, additional bags are $20. Sometimes it waits on other parties besides your own before it leaves the airport. Same thing in Galveston. It all depends.

The limo, of course, is way higher. With taxes & tip included it's about $400 round trip. Hey, what do you expect for personal service...and a free bottle of champagne & free soft drinks? Think of it this way though. Here's an example based on 6 people. 6 X $60 if using the shuttle = $360 + tip. A $400 limo divided by 6 is $66.67. As you can see based on a group of 6....limo & shuttle are about the same price." Tom

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For those last minute items:

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