Texas
San Antonio is the oldest big city in Texas and still the most Texan in spirit: a place founded in 1718 around a Spanish mission whose battered limestone church became the Alamo, ringed by four more missions that together form the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in the state, and threaded through by a sunken, cypress-shaded river that a Depression-era architect turned into the most famous urban waterway in America.
This guide books the city properly — free timed entry to the Alamo Church while the new museum rises around it, a bike day down the Mission Trail, the River Walk on foot and by GO RIO barge, the Pearl brewery district and Market Square for the food, the Saga light show on San Fernando Cathedral — then sends you underground at Natural Bridge Caverns, up the Tower of the Americas, and out to SeaWorld and Six Flags Fiesta Texas when the kids are in charge. Then it matches you to the right hotel, from the Menger beside the Alamo to Hotel Emma in the old brewhouse at Pearl, because in a city this hot and this walkable along the water, where you sleep decides how much of it you see on foot.
The Alamo
The 1836 shrine of Texas liberty, smaller and more moving than people expect — free entry to the old mission church with a timed ticket, plus the Phil Collins artifact collection and a living-history camp. Expect construction around the plaza while the new museum rises.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Four eighteenth-century Spanish missions strung along the river south of downtown — still-active parish churches, stone walls, a working aqueduct and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas. Free, peaceful and best explored by bike on the Mission Trail.
San Antonio River Walk
A sunken, cypress-shaded river path one story below downtown — cafe tables, arched stone bridges, mariachis and barges in the busy loop, then quiet art-lined reaches north to Pearl and south to the missions. Free, open around the clock, and the city's living room.
Natural Bridge Caverns
The largest show caverns in Texas, discovered by four college students in 1960 — an hour-long guided walk 180 feet underground past soda straws, flowstone and giant stalagmites, in 70-degree air that feels like a gift on a summer day.
The 1836 shrine of Texas liberty, smaller and more moving than people expect — free entry to the old mission church with a timed ticket, plus the Phil Collins artifact collection and a living-history camp. Expect construction around the plaza while the new museum rises.
Four eighteenth-century Spanish missions strung along the river south of downtown — still-active parish churches, stone walls, a working aqueduct and the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas. Free, peaceful and best explored by bike on the Mission Trail.
A sunken, cypress-shaded river path one story below downtown — cafe tables, arched stone bridges, mariachis and barges in the busy loop, then quiet art-lined reaches north to Pearl and south to the missions. Free, open around the clock, and the city's living room.
The 35-minute electric-barge tour of the River Walk with a live guide narrating in English and Spanish — the easiest first-day orientation in the city, gliding under stone bridges past La Villita, the Arneson River Theatre and the hotel gardens.
The old Pearl brewery reborn as the best food neighborhood in Texas — a Saturday farmers market of producers from within 150 miles, a Sunday makers market, Pullman Market, Hotel Emma and riverside lawns at the top of the Museum Reach.
Three city blocks of papel picado, Mexican crafts, leather, music and Tex-Mex on the west side of downtown — over a hundred local businesses, weekend dancing and some of the most festive people-watching in Texas. Free to wander.
A 24-minute free light show projected across the facade of San Fernando Cathedral on Main Plaza, telling San Antonio's story from the first peoples to the present. Runs Tuesday through Sunday evenings — bring a folding chair or find a bench.
The 750-foot HemisFair 1968 tower with an observation deck, a 4D theater ride and the revolving Chart House restaurant — the only place to see the whole city, the Hill Country horizon and the River Walk below in one sweep.
The largest park in the SeaWorld chain — orcas, belugas, dolphins and penguins plus serious coasters like the Texas Stingray wooden coaster and the new Barracuda Strike. A full day on the far west side, with seasonal Christmas nights from mid-November.
A thrill park built into the walls of an old limestone quarry, with the Iron Rattler diving off the cliff face, Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger beyond vertical and a calendar of Fright Fest, Oktoberfest and Holiday in the Park. The best roller coasters in Texas.
A century-old zoo in Brackenridge Park with more than 750 species, the new two-acre Congo Falls gorilla habitat, the Africa Live hippos, a little train and the oldest kiddie park in America. The best half-day for families close to downtown.
The largest show caverns in Texas, discovered by four college students in 1960 — an hour-long guided walk 180 feet underground past soda straws, flowstone and giant stalagmites, in 70-degree air that feels like a gift on a summer day.
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
Pearl / Museum Reach
The 1894 Pearl brewhouse reimagined by Roman and Williams as the most atmospheric hotel in Texas — iron machinery in the lobby, a 3,700-volume library, a rooftop pool and the best food district in the city outside the door.
Check rates →Alamo Plaza / Downtown
Open since 1859 right beside the Alamo — a Victorian lobby, a bar modeled on the House of Lords pub where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders, the biggest outdoor pool downtown and more ghost stories than any hotel in Texas.
Check rates →Travis Park / Downtown
The city's first grand hotel, opened in 1909 on Travis Park — a gilded Peacock Alley lobby, chandeliers, a rooftop infinity pool with cabanas and elegant rooms a short walk from the Alamo and the River Walk.
Check rates →River Walk / Downtown
A Spanish colonial-style hacienda on the quietest bend of the downtown River Walk, built around a historic 1850s school — courtyard pools, river-view balconies and access to the Forbes Four-Star Mokara Spa.
Check rates →River Walk / Convention Center
An all-suite AAA Four-Diamond hotel on the River Walk — 265 refreshed suites with separate living areas, a spa, a pool and a river-level restaurant. Room to spread out, steps from the convention center and La Villita.
Check rates →River Walk / Main Plaza
The best-value River Walk stay, in the restored Alamo National Bank tower — a 40-foot stained-glass lobby, free hot breakfast, a free evening Kickback with food and drinks, and a heated rooftop pool on the 22nd floor.
Check rates →North Side / Hill Country
A 600-acre Hill Country resort with a nine-acre water park, a 1,100-foot lazy river, two TPC championship golf courses and the Lantana Spa — the family and golf base for a San Antonio trip that also includes SeaWorld and Six Flags.
Check rates →Far West Side / Near SeaWorld
San Antonio's classic family resort, freshly transformed: 300 acres of Hill Country ranchland near SeaWorld with a new 2.2-acre swimming lagoon and white-sand beaches, a five-acre water park and lazy river, a spa, golf bays and new four-bedroom villas.
Check rates →River Walk / Downtown
An intimate Forbes Four-Star Omni hotel of about a hundred rooms in a former saddle factory on the River Walk, with a celebrated full-service spa, freshly redesigned rooms with freestanding tubs and a bath butler: the River Walk's most restful luxury stay.
Check rates →River Walk / Museum Reach
A sleek design-led luxury hotel on the quieter Museum Reach of the River Walk, beside the Tobin Center, with the Landrace restaurant, the rooftop Moon's Daughters bar, a pool deck with cabanas and a free house car for nearby trips.
Check rates →River Walk / Downtown
A stylish 213-room boutique hotel on the downtown River Walk, with river-view balconies, a courtyard with waterfalls, Dorrego's restaurant and direct elevator access down to the river: a romantic mid-to-upscale choice.
Check rates →Alamo Plaza
A 1920s Gothic Revival tower right on Alamo Plaza, with gargoyles on the facade, Alamo views from the ORO restaurant, pet-friendly rooms and DoubleTree comfort: the historic mid-range pick for walking to everything.
Check rates →Alamo Plaza
A 1909 lodge-hotel steps from the Alamo, now owned by the State of Texas, with 138 restored rooms and suites, an outdoor pool and a historic feel at a friendlier price than the grand hotels nearby.
Check rates →Downtown / Main Plaza
A dependable budget pick on the west side of downtown near Main Plaza, with free hot breakfast, an outdoor pool, connecting rooms and a pet-friendly policy: the easy way to stay central without paying River Walk premiums.
Check rates →River Walk / Downtown
A bright, modern boutique hotel on the downtown River Walk at St. Mary's Street, with the Domingo restaurant, dog-friendly rooms and an easy walk to the Alamo: a comfortable mid-range stay with local flavor.
Check rates →The essentials for a first visit — how the Alamo works now, how to use the River Walk, where the missions fit, what to book, how to get around and how to beat the heat.
A three-day itinerary that sequences the heat, the timed tickets and the evenings right — the Alamo and the river, the Mission Trail by bike, Pearl and the Museum Reach, and an optional fourth day underground or at the parks.
Choosing a base in San Antonio — the walk-everywhere historic core, the River Walk hotels, the Pearl district and the Hill Country resorts — with this guide's seven hotels matched to trip types.
How to eat well in a UNESCO City of Gastronomy — the Tex-Mex canon, breakfast taco culture, puffy tacos, the chili queens' legacy, Market Square, Pearl and how to avoid the tourist traps on the river.
A season-by-season guide to San Antonio — spring and Fiesta, the long hot summer, autumn festivals, the River Walk holiday lights and mild winters — with event dates and booking advice.
A deep guide to the five missions that make up the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas — the history, each mission's highlights, and how to ride, drive or walk the trail.
