Temple, Texas: Distance to Austin, Medical Travel & Airport Access on the I-35 Corridor
Temple sits in the middle of the I-35 corridor between Austin and the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and it gets searched for reasons most travel sites never address. The biggest one is medical travel: Temple is one of Baylor Scott & White Health's three flagship academic medical center cities, alongside Dallas and Fort Worth. This guide answers the distance questions first, then covers the medical-travel logistics, the airport choices, and the Waco add-on just 36 miles north. Start with the Austin to Temple route guide for the corridor itself.
The Quick Answer: How Far Is Temple from Austin?
Austin and Temple are about 68 miles apart on I-35, typically a drive of about one hour and 15 minutes in normal conditions. That matches our dedicated Temple–Austin distance page, and it makes Temple an easy same-day trip from Austin — close enough for a morning medical appointment or an afternoon at the Railroad & Heritage Museum downtown, far enough that an overnight is often smarter when treatment schedules run long.
The Full Distance Picture
| From Temple to… | Miles | Typical drive time |
|---|---|---|
| Austin (downtown) | 68 miles | about 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Austin airport (AUS) | 80 miles | about 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Waco | 36 miles | about 42 minutes |
| DFW Airport | 146 miles | about 2 hours 40 minutes |
The DFW figure is the one that trips up online calculators — published estimates for Temple to DFW range from about two hours 13 minutes to two hours 41 minutes because they measure from different endpoints and use different routes. Our figure reflects the I-35 corridor through Waco and Dallas to the airport itself, so expect closer to two hours and 40 minutes when you actually have a flight to catch. For the Dallas side of the corridor, see our Temple to Dallas guide, and for the reverse direction our Temple to Austin guide covers the southbound trip.
Medical Travel: The Reason Most People Come to Temple
Baylor Scott & White Medical Center–Temple is a Level I trauma center and was ranked among the top hospitals in Texas in recent U.S. News reporting; the institution marked 125 years in Temple in 2022. McLane Children's Hospital, the pediatric campus, sits on the same grounds — which is why families from Austin, Waco, and the smaller towns along I-35 make this drive repeatedly, sometimes weekly, for appointments and treatments.
That pattern changes what "airport access" means here. A patient flying in for care does not want a rental-car counter and a highway interchange on treatment day; family caregivers driving down from Austin do not want to navigate an unfamiliar campus at seven in the morning. A scheduled door-to-door pickup — airport curb to hospital entrance, or front door to the McLane Children's campus — removes the hardest part of the trip. Travelers flying in through Austin can start with our Austin airport shuttle service page, and those connecting through the north should compare the DFW shuttle service.
Which airport for Temple?
Austin–Bergstrom (AUS) is the closer airport at about 80 miles, while DFW offers many more nonstops at about 146 miles. For medical itineraries the trade-off usually comes down to flight schedule and ground-connection reliability: the shorter AUS drive is easier to protect on a tight appointment day.
Planning the Drive on I-35
I-35 through Temple carries a mix of commuter, freight, and college traffic, and the pattern is predictable. Northbound morning lanes build as Waco-bound and Dallas-bound traffic funnels through, while southbound afternoons thicken toward Austin — especially on Fridays before a home football weekend in either city. Construction zones along the corridor shift from season to season, so check conditions the day you travel rather than trusting a mapping estimate saved from last month. For medical appointments, the practical rule is to build in 20 to 30 minutes of margin and treat the trip as an hour and a half from Austin's northern suburbs rather than the pure downtown-to-downtown figure — the extra cushion costs little and protects a schedule that cannot simply move to tomorrow.
Waco Is 36 Minutes North
Waco sits 36 miles up I-35 — about a 42-minute drive — which turns Temple into a practical base for Central Texas trips. The Magnolia Silos, Baylor University, and the Dr Pepper Museum draw weekend visitors, and our Dr Pepper Museum guide covers that stop in detail. Waco travelers planning bigger trips use the same corridor: cruise departures from the Gulf make the Waco to Galveston route a busy family lane, and it runs straight past Temple.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far is Temple from Austin?
About 68 miles on I-35, typically a one-hour-and-15-minute drive in normal traffic.
How far is Temple from DFW Airport?
About 146 miles to the airport itself — plan on roughly two hours and 40 minutes rather than the shorter estimates some calculators show.
How far is Waco from Temple?
About 36 miles north on I-35, roughly a 42-minute drive.
Is Baylor Scott & White in Temple a major hospital?
Yes — it is one of the system's flagship academic medical centers, a Level I trauma center ranked among the top hospitals in Texas, with the McLane Children's pediatric campus on the same grounds.
Is Temple easy to reach from Austin for a day trip?
Yes — 68 miles on a single interstate makes it one of the easier day trips in Central Texas, though weekend football and festival traffic can add 20 minutes or more each way.
What is there to do in Temple between appointments?
The Railroad & Heritage Museum downtown is the town's best-known stop, and the restaurants around downtown fill out a lunch break; for a longer window, Waco's attractions sit 42 minutes north on I-35.
What is the closest airport to Temple?
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport at about 80 miles, though many travelers connect through DFW for its larger route network.
