Things to do in San Antonio
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit San Antonio
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, highs in the 70s to low 80s, patios and river evenings at their best.
Worst heat, highs routinely 95 to 102 plus humidity. Plan mornings, water and air conditioning.
Mild winter, thin crowds and low prices outside rodeo and holidays, with lovely river holiday lights.
What's on
- Fiesta San Antonio mid-to-late April, about 10 days
Citywide festival with Battle of Flowers, Flambeau night parade and NIOSA in La Villita.
- San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo February, two-plus weeks
Major local rodeo with concerts, livestock and carnival that fills hotels.
- Gruene Music & Wine Festival mid-October
Music and wine festival in Gruene, a top fall day trip from the city.
- Día de los Muertos / Muertos Fest late October to early November
Muertos Fest at Hemisfair, river parades, altars and marigolds across Market Square.
- River Walk holiday lights late November through early January
Holiday lights along the River Walk, genuinely lovely in the mild winter season.
Best things to do in San Antonio
San Antonio River Walk
Walk the full river, not just the downtown loop, for art, wildlife and the Pearl at the north end.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Four Spanish missions and a UNESCO site, with San Jose as the showpiece and still active churches.
The Alamo
Essential Texas history in the surviving church and Long Barrack, best with timed entry and context.
Pearl District
Former brewery turned food and social hub with markets, lawns and the Culinary Institute campus.
San Antonio Museum of Art
Strongest on Latin American art, plus antiquities and Asian collections in a former brewery.
McNay Art Museum
Texas first modern art museum in a Spanish Colonial mansion where the grounds are half the pleasure.
Brackenridge Park
Nearly 350 acres of huge old trees and picnic ground that locals treat as a central green escape.
Japanese Tea Garden
Free sunken quarry gardens with koi ponds, stone bridges and a waterfall, best early in the day.
Where to stay in San Antonio
Pearl District / Museum Reach
food-led trips, couples, repeat visitors
Best restaurants, best hotel and weekend markets, quieter at night than the downtown loop.
Downtown / River Walk Loop
first-timers, no-car trips, conferences
Walk to the Alamo, cathedral, Market Square and boats, but most tourist dense and pricey parking.
King William / Southtown
character, couples, arts weekends
Historic mansions, small inns and independent restaurants, walkable to the river and Blue Star.
Alamo Heights / Broadway corridor
trips with a car, museums, longer stays
Calm affluent base near the McNay, Witte, Brackenridge and the Zoo, with neighbourhood dining.
La Cantera / Northwest + Hill Country resorts
resort, golf and theme-park trips only
Excellent destination resorts that strand sightseeing visitors in traffic if used as the whole base.
Think twice about
- Pecan Valley, East Terrell Hills, Arena District east of I-37, Villa de San Antonio, Westwood Village and far Southeast / Southwest motel strips
Highest crime listings, no walkability or dining scene, and a drive to everything. Cheap for a reason.
- Highway-strip motels on I-35, I-10 and Loop 410
Soulless and unwalkable car traps, except the airport area for a flight night only.
- Far East Side as an uninformed rental base
Visit in daylight with a destination, but blind rentals vary sharply street by street and go dark at night.
- Far South Side as an uninformed rental base
Visit the missions and bakeries by day, but first timers lack local knowledge to judge blocks at night.
Best restaurants in San Antonio
Mixtli
One star progressive Mexican tasting menu that rebuilds around a region of Mexico every 45 days.
2M Smokehouse
Barbecue pilgrimage for brisket and serrano Oaxaca sausage, lunch only in practice and sells out.
Cured
Charcuterie led Pearl restaurant with house cured boards, strong brunch and a living room happy hour.
The Jerk Shack
Jamaican jerk chicken, oxtails and plantains in portions that outrank most expensive meals here.
Cullum's Attaboy
Great-value French American bungalow famous for a wagyu burger with hollandaise and demi glace.
Clementine
Seasonal chef run neighbourhood fine dining ranked second in the city, with a beloved patio.
Leche de Tigre
Peruvian cevicheria and pisco bar whose bright citrus heat is perfect after smoke and masa.
Garcia's Mexican Food
Family run fixture best for brisket tacos and unfussy real neighbourhood Tex Mex breakfast and lunch.
Outdoor things to do in San Antonio
Brackenridge Park Golf Course
1916 Tillinghast municipal course and first Texas Open host, the best value serious round in town.
La Cantera Golf Club
Hill Country resort golf with elevation, views and the Palmer and Resort courses as a splurge round.
TPC San Antonio
Two tour grade courses at the JW Marriott, best treated as a stay and play resort decision.
Canyon Springs Golf Club
Hill Country public course with limestone waterfalls and native grasses below resort pricing.
Natural Bridge Caverns
Texas largest commercial cavern and the best hot day excursion, cool underground chambers.
Mission Reach Trail
Traffic free trail to ride or paddle between downtown and all four missions through restored river ecology.
Government Canyon State Natural Area
12000 acres and 40 miles of aquifer country trails, with dinosaur tracks when conditions allow.
Friedrich Wilderness Park
Hilly shaded Hill Country trails in the city, no bikes and few dogs so it stays quiet and wildlife rich.
Best hotels in San Antonio
Hotel Emma
Nineteenth century brewhouse hotel with library, tavern and rooftop pool, widely the city best hotel.
Thompson San Antonio - Riverwalk
Contemporary luxury with large rooms and a strong rooftop on a quieter stretch of river.
Mokara Hotel & Spa
Downtown loop luxury with the city best downtown spa and a calm adults focused atmosphere.
Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
Quieter boutique feeling upscale hotel on a calm river bend, often best value in luxury tier.
Signia by Hilton La Cantera Resort & Spa
Resort for golf and adult calm with destination pools and spa, 25 minutes from downtown.
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa
Family resort with lazy river, water park and TPC golf, best as a resort base not sightseeing base.
Hotel Contessa
All suite art forward hotel on the calmer west bend of the loop, good for downtown families.
Omni La Mansión del Río
Historic hacienda style River Walk hotel with more character than the tower hotels at similar price.
Is San Antonio expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $90 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $190 a person |
| Splurge | $420 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- The Alamo: a few days ahead
- Frost Bank Center: weeks ahead
- Majestic Theatre: weeks ahead
- Tobin Center for the Performing Arts: weeks ahead
- Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio: weeks ahead
- Brackenridge Park Golf Course: a few days ahead
- La Cantera Golf Club: a few days ahead
- TPC San Antonio: weeks ahead
- Reserve free timed Alamo church entry, especially weekends, spring break and Fiesta.
- Mixtli, Isidore, Nicosi, Petit Coquin, Clementine chefs table and Bliss need weeks ahead.
- Enchanted Rock day passes, Fiesta and Rodeo hotel rooms sell out, book as soon as dates are fixed.
Is San Antonio safe?
- Stay on populated river paths at night and leave nothing visible in a parked car anywhere downtown.
- Heat from May to September is a medical risk, carry water and move outdoor exercise before 10am.
- No swimming in the River Walk, and never drive through flooded low crossings.
San Antonio travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Eating a full dinner on the River Walk loop by default, apart from the named exceptions.
- Making the Alamo your only mission, and Alamo Plaza novelty attractions.
- Tower of the Americas restaurant, and midday summer sightseeing without shade and water breaks.
Getting around San Antonio: public transport and more
- Base on the river corridor to walk, use GO RIO boats, VIA transit, bikes and rideshare without a car.
- You need a car or rideshare budget for barbecue, Jerk Shack, golf, tubing, caverns and day trips.
- Downtown parking runs 30 to 50 dollars a night, and SAT airport is about 15 minutes from downtown off peak.
Who San Antonio suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make San Antonio your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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