A sunny morning on a Galveston beach, with a pier in the distance
Where to stay

Where to stay in Galveston

Galveston is 27 miles long, so where you sleep decides what you can walk to. Downtown suits a cruise or a weekend in town, the Seawall puts the beach across the road, and the West End is for beach houses and quiet sand.

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Compare the areas
Checked October 29, 20265 areas15 hotels checked

Galveston beach · Photo: Thomas Park / Unsplash · Credits

The short answer

Choose the area first, then the hotel

  1. Downtown and the Strand2 hotels checkedBeachDrive to the beachThe StrandYou're in itBest forA weekend in town, a cruise
  2. Seawall, east end5 hotels checkedBeachAcross the roadThe StrandA few minutes' driveBest forBeach days with kids
  3. Seawall, mid-island5 hotels checkedBeachAcross the roadThe Strand3.7 mi, 5–10 min driveBest forA resort with a pool
  4. Moody Gardens and 89th Street2 hotels checkedBeachDrive, or 0.1 mi from Comfort SuitesThe Strand6 mi, 12 min driveBest forMoody Gardens, Schlitterbahn
  5. West End1 hotel checkedBeachRight on the sandThe Strand9 mi, 15 min driveBest forA week with a kitchen

Distances come from OpenStreetMap routing, and drive times assume no traffic.

Know what you're after? Best hotels by trip type · Cheap hotels · Beachfront hotels · Cruise port hotels · Hotels near UTMB · Dog-friendly hotels · Near the convention center

A block of 19th-century commercial buildings in the Strand Historic District
The Strand, downtown Galveston · Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Area 1 of 5

Downtown and the Strand

BeachDrive to the beachThe StrandYou're in it
  • Good for A weekend in town, the night before a cruise, Mardi Gras
  • Skip if You want to walk to the sand

Here the Victorian blocks of the Strand, the harbor with the Elissa and the harbor tour, the railroad museum and the cruise terminals are all a short walk apart.

Street parking downtown costs $2.25 an hour from 9 am to 6 pm, so ask what your hotel charges for its own lot. The Pleasure Pier is about 1.6 miles away, roughly 35 minutes on foot.

If you come without a car, stay here. You can walk to most sights, though in winter the rail trolley only runs on weekends.

The Strand guide Cruise port hotels Without a car

2 hotels in this area

The Hotel Galvez on Seawall Boulevard, framed by palm trees
Grand Galvez, Seawall Boulevard · Photo: Black3series / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Area 2 of 5

Seawall, east end

BeachAcross the roadThe StrandA few minutes' drive
  • Good for Beach days with kids, the Pleasure Pier, a short drive downtown
  • Skip if You want quiet, or a hotel right on the sand

From Stewart Beach at the end of Broadway, past the Pleasure Pier at 25th Street, to around 37th Street, the hotels face the Gulf from the inland side of Seawall Boulevard. Cross the road and walk down to the sand.

The Grand Galvez, open since 1911, is on this stretch, and so is Hotel Lucine, a boutique hotel that opened in 2023. Downtown is a few minutes' drive north.

To stay right on the sand at this end of the island, go past Stewart Beach. The condo buildings on East Beach Drive are on the beach itself, but they're rentals, not hotels. Our vacation rentals guide covers East Beach.

Beachfront hotels Stewart Beach East Beach rentals

5 hotels in this area

The Seawall and beach looking southwest toward the 1900 Storm Memorial
Seawall, mid-island · Photo: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Area 3 of 5

Seawall, mid-island

BeachAcross the roadThe Strand3.7 mi, 5–10 min drive
  • Good for A resort stay with a pool, free breakfast at the 59th Street hotels
  • Skip if You want to walk to restaurants downtown

Heading west along the Seawall, the hotels get bigger. The Holiday Inn Resort, The San Luis and the Hilton stand side by side, and Beachfront Palms and the Hyatt Select are near 59th Street. From the Hilton you drive about 3.7 miles to the Strand and 2.3 miles to the Pleasure Pier, roughly 5 to 10 minutes.

The big Saturday Mardi Gras parades start here at 57th Street and roll east. Rooms on this stretch go early in late January and February.

Beachfront hotels Mardi Gras 2027

5 hotels in this area

The three Moody Gardens pyramids beside Offatts Bayou
Moody Gardens, Galveston · Photo: Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Area 4 of 5

Moody Gardens and 89th Street

BeachDrive, or 0.1 mi from Comfort SuitesThe Strand6 mi, 12 min drive
  • Good for Families who came for Moody Gardens or Schlitterbahn
  • Skip if You want to walk downtown, or to the beach from the Moody Gardens Hotel

The Moody Gardens Hotel is next to the Rainforest and Aquarium Pyramids on Offatts Bayou, away from the Gulf. Schlitterbahn is close by on Gene Lucas Boulevard. The budget Comfort Suites on 89th Street is nearer the Gulf, about 0.1 mile on foot from the Seawall. The Strand is about 6 miles away, 12 minutes by car.

Schlitterbahn closes in the off-season, so outside summer you'd stay here mainly for Moody Gardens.

Things to do

2 hotels in this area

Wide sky over the beach at Galveston Island State Park
Galveston Island State Park, West End · Photo: Yinan Chen / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Area 5 of 5

West End

BeachRight on the sandThe Strand9 mi, 15 min drive
  • Good for A week with a kitchen, quiet beaches, families with a car
  • Skip if You have no car, or you want nightlife

Where the Seawall ends, the island turns into beach houses, condos and open sand, with the pocket parks and Galveston Island State Park. Most places to stay are vacation rentals, and the Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort sits right on the sand.

Restaurants and shops are spread out, so you'll drive for most things. From the Holiday Inn Club Vacations it's about 9 miles to the Strand and 7.7 miles to the Pleasure Pier, roughly 15 minutes by car. Places further west are further still.

Vacation rentals West End pocket parks

1 hotel in this area