San Antonio

Texas's most charming city, with the Alamo and the Missions World Heritage Site, the River Walk and authentic Tex-Mex.

San Antonio lies in south-central Texas on the southern edge of the Texas Hill Country. It is the seventh-largest city in the US and one of the country's major cities with the strongest Hispanic culture. In 1718 the Spanish founded a mission and presidio along the San Antonio River, and the Battle of the Alamo during the 1836 Texas Revolution made the city a symbol of Texan identity. In 2015 the Alamo and four missions south of downtown were jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the only cultural World Heritage Site in the US located within a major city.

Downtown is walkable: the River Walk, below street level, links the Alamo, La Villita historic village, Hemisfair (home of the Tower of the Americas) and the King William Historic District; to the west are San Fernando Cathedral, the Spanish Governor's Palace and Market Square. About 3 km north along the river is the Pearl, a former brewery turned dining and shopping district, and the San Antonio Museum of Art; further north, around Brackenridge Park, are the zoo, the Japanese Tea Garden and the Witte Museum. To the south, the Mission Reach trail lets you cycle between the four missions. Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld are on the city's northwest outskirts, and Natural Bridge Caverns is about 35 km northeast.

Getting around: San Antonio International Airport is about 15 km from downtown, roughly 20 minutes by taxi; Austin is about 130 km away. Between downtown and the Pearl you can take the GO RIO river cruise or a bus; rent a bike-share or drive to the missions, and drive or take a taxi to the theme parks and caverns.

Allow 3–4 days: one day downtown and on the River Walk, one day for the missions and the Pearl, and one day for a theme park or the caverns. Summers are scorching, so schedule outdoor activities for morning and evening; hotels fill up during the April festival, so book ahead.

Top sights

• The Alamo – The site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a symbol of Texan independence and one of the San Antonio Missions, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• San Antonio River Walk – A shaded river-level walkway lined with restaurants and bars. A boat ride is the most relaxing way to see downtown.
• Mission San José – The “Queen of the Missions,” the best-preserved Spanish mission, with finely carved stone doors and a “rose window.”
• Mission Concepción – One of the oldest unrestored stone churches in the United States, with 18th-century painted murals still visible inside.
• Mission San Juan Capistrano – The most rural-feeling of the missions, with a small white chapel and bell wall, surrounded by restored farmland and orchards.
• Mission Espada – The southernmost mission. Nearby, the Espada Aqueduct is one of the oldest Spanish aqueducts still in use in the United States.
• Pearl District – A food and culture district converted from a century-old brewery, with a campus of the Culinary Institute of America, restaurants, bookstor…
• Spanish Governor's Palace – The 18th-century residence of the commander of a Spanish fort, and the only surviving Spanish colonial aristocratic residence in Texas.
• Historic Market Square – The largest Mexican market in the United States, with colorful flags, handicrafts, and a long-established Mexican restaurant open round the…
• San Fernando Cathedral – One of the oldest cathedrals still in use in the United States, with a projection show on its facade in the evening that tells the story of…
• Tower of the Americas – A 229-meter observation tower left over from the 1968 World's Fair. Its observation deck and revolving restaurant offer views over the whol…
• Hemisfair – An urban park on the former site of the 1968 World's Fair, with the Yanaguana Garden children's playground and fountains, plus restaurants…
• La Villita Historic Arts Village – One of the city's earliest neighborhoods, with stone cottages converted into galleries and craft studios, right beside the riverwalk.
• King William Historic District – A street of mansions built by wealthy German-American merchants in the 19th century, with Victorian and Greek Revival residences lining the…
• San Antonio Museum of Art – Converted from the castle-like brick buildings of an old brewery, with collections of Latin American folk art and ancient Mediterranean wor…
• McNay Art Museum – Texas's first modern art museum, housed in a Spanish Colonial Revival mansion with works by Van Gogh, Picasso and Hopper.
• Brackenridge Park – A large city park along the headwaters of the San Antonio River, home to the zoo, the Japanese Tea Garden and museums.
• San Antonio Zoo – A century-old zoo with more than 3,000 animals, notable for its African savanna and native Texas wildlife areas.
• Japanese Tea Garden – A sunken garden converted from a disused quarry, with stone bridges, a koi pond and an waterfall about 18 meters high. Free to enter.
• San Antonio Botanical Garden – A botanical garden showcasing plants from Texas's ecological regions, with distinctive glasshouses and wildflowers covering the ground in s…
• Witte Museum – A combined natural history and history museum for Texas, with dinosaur fossils, ancient rock art and exhibits on Texas wildlife and cowboy…
• Briscoe Western Art Museum – An American Western art museum beside the riverwalk, where cowboys, saddles and Western oil paintings tell the story of the frontier.
• Six Flags Fiesta Texas – A theme park built beneath the cliffs of a former quarry, known for its high-speed roller coasters and a Texas-style village.
• SeaWorld San Antonio – One of the largest SeaWorld parks in the world, combining marine animal shows, roller coasters and a water park.
• Natural Bridge Caverns – The largest commercially open solution cave in Texas, with a natural stone bridge at the entrance and a great chamber full of stalactites t…

Where to eat

• Mi Tierra Cafe & Panaderia – A historic Market Square landmark opened in 1941, adorned year-round with festive lights and combining a Tex-Mex restau…
• Mixtli – A Michelin-starred Mexican tasting menu restaurant with regularly rotating themes that tell the story of Mexican cuisin…
• Garcia's Mexican Food – A family-run Tex-Mex joint operating since 1962, Michelin-recommended and famous for its breakfast and brisket tacos.
• Reese Bros BBQ – A Texas BBQ joint opened by two brothers in 2022, Michelin-recommended, serving homemade flour tortillas and salsa inst…
• Henry's Puffy Tacos – A local family-owned institution serving hand-pressed corn masa puffy tacos since 1978, voted best by local readers in…

Itineraries

• Texas Triangle, Hill Country & Gulf Coast – Head south from Dallas through Fort Worth, Austin, the Hill Country, San Antonio, and Houston, ending in Galveston.