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Travel guide
San Antonio
3 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: March to May and October to November
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Welcome
San Antonio, in a few days
The most Mexican city in Texas, founded by the Spanish in 1718 around a river, is home to the Alamo, where a 13-day siege in 1836 became the state's founding myth, and four Franciscan missions listed as a World Heritage Site. Between them, a walkway follows the river under the cypresses for 24 km, lined with terraces where you eat Tex-Mex to the sound of mariachis.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Historic Market Square free · about 2 hThree blocks of Mexican market west of downtown known as El Mercado, with crafts, mariachis at weekends and Mi Tierra, a restaurant and bakery serving day and night since 1941.
- Afternoon · Alamo free · about 1 h 30The former Mission San Antonio de Valero, whose carved limestone church became the symbol of Texas after the 13-day siege of 1836, with the Long Barrack and a collection donated by Phil Collins.
- Late afternoon · River Walk free · 2 to 3 hA footpath one level below the streets along the San Antonio River, laid out from 1939 among cypresses and terraces, running some 24 km from the Pearl down to the missions.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€160 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · King William Historic District free · about 1 h 30Texas's first protected historic district, built by 19th-century German merchants along the river, with grand limestone and timber houses under pecan trees and the Steves Homestead open to visitors.
- Afternoon · San Antonio Museum of Art · about 2 hHoused in the former Lone Star brewery on the Museum Reach, with Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities, Asian art and a Latin American art centre spanning three thousand years.
- Late afternoon · Pearl free · 2 to 3 hThe former Pearl brewery turned into a brick and steel district of chef-led restaurants, a food hall, a cookery school and the Hotel Emma, with a farmers' market on Saturdays.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Drury Plaza Hotel Riverwalk ↗€160 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · San Antonio Missions free · half a dayFour 18th-century Franciscan missions south of the city, World Heritage listed with the Alamo, from Concepción and its original frescoes to Espada and its 1745 aqueduct still in use.
- Late afternoon · Natural Bridge Caverns · about 2 h including getting around the siteThe largest show caves in Texas, discovered in 1960 by four students, where the Discovery tour descends 54 metres underground through chambers of still-growing stalactites and stalagmites.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €150 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMarch to May and October to November
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/san-antonio
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.