The Best Day Trip From Austin: How To Visit San Antonio Texas

There’s no denying that the best day trip from Austin is to visit San Antonio Texas.

San Antonio is about an hour and a half drive from Austin. There are a few stops along the way to break up the drive. And, once you’re in San Antonio, there’s even more history, Mexican culture, and jaw-dropping sights to discover!

This is everything you need to know about going on a day trip from Austin to San Antonio Texas.

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How To Get From Austin To San Antonio

The best way to go on a day trip from Austin to San Antonio is to rent a car and drive. It’s pretty easy drive, and as I said, there are a few stops you might want to check out along the way.

If you’d rather not drive, there is a bus you can take. It will be a lot cheaper than renting a car, but you are more limited by the departure schedule. You can see the bus times here.

There is also a train from Austin to San Antonio, but it doesn’t leave very often. You’d have to stay the night in San Antonio if you take the train from Austin. You can see the train schedule operated by Amtrak here.

Renting A Car In Austin For A Day Trip To San Antonio

We rented our car at the airport in Dallas from Enterprise, but if you need to rent your car in Austin there’s no shortage of options.

We like using Enterprise Rent a Car because we have yet to have any issues with them. Plus, if you join Enterprise Plus, they’ll give you discounts on your car rental.

There are a few Enterprises around Austin: two downtown and one at the Austin Airport. Click here to see rates.

As always, with renting a car for a day trip, ask if you can drop the car off after closing. Otherwise you may have to park it overnight at your hotel and bring it back the following morning (which will likely mean paying for parking for the night!).

Parking In San Antonio Texas

Of course, because you’re driving to San Antonio, you’re going to need a place to park once you arrive.

There are quite a few paid parking lots in San Antonio. We ended up parking in the first lot we saw, which was about a 10 minute walk to the Alamo. But, there were a few closer lots if you’d prefer less of a walk.

They all seemed to follow the same system of pay by phone. If you’re traveling from outside the country, I would make sure to have a data plan so you can pay for parking. You’ll need to know your license plate and have a credit card.

San Antonio is a very walkable city, so once you’ve parked you won’t have to move the car. There are a few exceptions of course.

There are some activities just outside the city centre that you’ll want to drive to if you’re interested in them (you can always stop by these on your way back to Austin). Everything else is reachable by foot once you’re in the city centre.

Where To Stop On The Austin To San Antonio Drive

As I said, the Austin to San Antonio drive is about an hour and a half. But, there are a few places you can stop if you want to break up the drive a bit.

Gruene Dance Hall

Gruene (pronounced Green with a Texan accent) is a small historical town halfway between Austin and San Antonio. It’s definitely worth checking out.

We stopped here on our drive back to Austin to visit the oldest dance hall in Texas (Gruene Dance Hall). The town itself was also a pretty happening place with live music and dancing.

If you can make it here a bit earlier, you can also eat dinner and go antique souvenir shopping (for some Texas souvenir ideas, click here).

P.S. If you want an even easier day trip from Austin, Gruene makes a great destination!

Bussey’s Flea Market

If you’re driving down on the weekend, you can also stop by Bussey’s Flea Market for some unique souvenirs if you’re interested.

Natural Bridge Caverns

Go 180 feet below the earth to see intricate natural caverns.

It’s a bit out of the way on the Austin to San Antonio drive (adding about 20 minutes), but it is one of the top things to do in Texas.

Find out more here.

Worlds Largest Cowboy Boots

I mean, you are in Texas after all! You have to stop to see the worlds largest cowboy boots. Funnily enough, these are at the entrance to a regular suburban shopping mall…

This is a quick stop, so you can park in the mall parking lot and cross the street (carefully) to see the boots up close.

Finally, You Have To Stop At A San Antonio Sign

There are actually two San Antonio signs. I think we found a really random one before even getting into San Antonio.

The Welcome to San Antonio sign is in the middle of nowhere (at a candy store!), but it’s not too far out of the way and right off the highway. You can park right in front for a quick photo op!

Or, there’s one closer to the city centre, right off the River Walk called the Greetings from San Antonio Mural.

Top San Antonio Texas Things To Do

There’s the perfect amount of things to do in San Antonio for a day trip from Austin.

Visit The Alamo

The Alamo is one of the top San Antonio Texas things to do. You can’t come here and not go on a tour of the Alamo, I mean, this is where it all went down in Texas history, the infamous battle at the Alamo between the Mexicans and Texas revolutionaries.

Tickets to the Alamo are actually free, but you still need a timed ticket to go inside. You can reserve your tickets here.

I recommend getting the audio guide for the Alamo. It will give you all the history and bring you to the main spots inside this historic site. Alternatively, you can go on a guided tour instead, but it is more expensive.

Expect the Alamo to be busy whenever you visit. We went midweek during low season, and it was filled with school kids! I imagine on the weekend, if it’s not school kids, there are just more people!

So I don’t know if there is ever a prime time to visit the Alamo in San Antonio Texas. Even at night I bet it’s filled with ghosts… p.s. there are ghost walking tours of San Antonio… check them out on Viator here. 

Walk On The San Antonio River Walk

The River Walk San Antonio is another not-to-be-missed thing to do.

The San Antonio River Walk was all really set up for HemisFair’ 68 (the 1968 World Fair). There was always river going through San Antonio, but it was only for the fair that they built it up with the walkway and all these restaurants you see today.

It’s such a lovely walk, which takes you through all San Antonio if you wanted it to. The main thing to do on the River Walk is to stop for a bite to eat!

You have to choose a restaurant with a patio of course! Try to skip any of the main restaurant chains and try something new! I recommend Domingo Restaurant, in the Canopy Hotel by Hilton.

You also want to make a point to walk along the river to La Valita Historical Village…

La Villita Historical Village

Although La Villita looks like a bunch of tourist shops today, it’s still worth checking out. This is very much a historical district of San Antonio Texas that dates back to the 1800s.

They have signs set up throughout the village to read about the individual buildings, there’s also a small history museum that also offers free walking tours at 2:00 P.M. from Tuesday to Saturday.

Or you can just head here to do some souvenir shopping!

Walk Along Houston Street

East Houston Street in San Antonio Texas is my favourite street, and turns out, it’s pretty historical too! It’s worth walking around to get a glimpse of unique architecture from the 19th and 20th centuries in Texas.

There are 8 information signs set up along the street as well that will take you on a tour of the architecture and the changes of Houston St over the years.

Points Of Interest Along Houston Street

La Panaderia is a Mexican style coffee shop that was actually featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for it’s almond croissant. But, if you hadn’t had a chance to visit Voodoo Doughnut yet in Austin, you may need to stop there as well!

This is also where you’ll find Buckhorn Saloon for a very unique experience. It’s a restaurant but also a two for one museum (but really they just force you to pay for two museums…). See tickets here.

They have the Texas Ranger museum and the Buckhorn’s exotic animal collection (which is taxidermy animals)… the staff seemed pretty shocked that I wasn’t interested in the taxidermy collection… so I advise not going near this restaurant if you’re a bit squeamish of stuffed dead animals!

Historic Market Square: El Mercado Market

Welcome to Mexico! El Mercado is the the largest Mexican market in the nation, and it really feels like you’ve been transported to Mexico.

If you want some Mexican souvenirs, this is the place to go. They have an indoor market (which reminded me of a flea market) and an outdoor plaza with restaurants and more shops. We stopped at the Snack Bar (Mi Tierra Cafe) for some sweet bread and Mexican coffee.

P.S. This is probably the furthest place you’ll walk to all day, but don’t worry there are things to do in San Antonio along the way!

San Antonio Texas Things To Do In If You Have More Time

There are a few other smaller attractions that you might want to check out of you have more time on your day trip to San Antonio from Austin.

Admire The Texas County Courthouse

We ended up here simply because we saw this jaw dropping red building in the distance. Turns out, it was the Bexar County Courthouse, and has been ever since it was built in 1896.

This land was actually home to the first Canary Island settlers in Texas though.

So, the Bexar County Courthouse is also a Heritage Centre. They have a free museum set up for you to learn more about the history. Find out more here.

Spanish Governor’s Palace

This is a quick stop on the way to (or way back from) El Mercado. It’s a short museum showcasing a Presidio from 1722.

A Presidio is a Spanish fortified base to protect a priest (at the Alamo in this case) and the new families that settled here. The Spanish Governor’s Palace, as it’s known today, was the home and office of the Captain of the Presidio.

The museum showcases how the building went through many changes over the years, from Presidio to commercial merchant buildings (including a pawn shop, saloon, and clothing store).

Find out more here.

Pop By O. Henry’s House

O. Henry (not the chocolate bar) is actually a famous short story author who lived in Texas.

We had no idea about him before we visited his house in Austin. So only naturally, we also had to visit it in San Antonio too.

You’re supposed to be able to go inside, but it looked very much closed (and on the brink of falling a part) when we were there. But it isn’t out of the way back to the River Walk from El Mercado.

Casa Navarro State Historic Site

Another historic house you can visit on a day trip to San Antonio is the Casa Navarro State Historic Site.

This is another example of 1850s architecture in Texas. This was the home to José Antonio Navarro, one of two native-born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Find out more here.

Hemisfair Park – Tower Of The Americas

Hemisfair is a park in San Antonio that was used for the World Fair.

Today it houses the Tower of the Americas, which has an observation deck and restaurant.

The observation deck gives you a 360 degree view of San Antonio and the surroundings. Your ticket also includes an exhibit about the Six Flag of Texas (not the theme park!), and a 4D Theatre ride.

You can also enjoy lunch or dinner at the revolving restaurant.

Once you’re here, you should also stop for a photo op at the Alas de México (Wings of Mexico).

Things To Do Outside The San Antonio City Centre!

There are a few more things to do in San Antonio Texas that are just outside the city centre. You’ll want a car to get to these as they’re a bit too far to go on foot.

I would recommend heading here after your day in San Antonio on your way back to Austin.

The Grotto

If you’re interested in a very different part of the San Antonio River walk, head to the Grotto. These are intense looking cave tunnels along the river.

Pearl Brewery

Pearl Brewery might not look like much today – a very bougie hotel, restaurants, and some shops – but it was once the site of the largest brewery in Texas.

It was a brewery from 1883 until 2001, surviving prohibition and the Great Depression! Although it had many names over the years (including the San Antonio Brewing Company), Pearl brewery was just one of the many that lasted for about 30 years.

A brewery was brought back to this space only in 2015: Southerleigh Brewery – I wouldn’t exactly recommend the beer or the food… But I would recommend taking a walk in the hotel side – it’s an awesome renovated hotel that pays homage to the brewery.

Plus, the area is still pretty neat. With local shops (great for finding that perfect Texas souvenir!), and on the weekends they have a farmers market.

You can also try Food Hall At Bottling Department instead. It’s more a food court style, so everyone can pick what they want (it also seemed less upscale)!

You can read more about the development and history of Pearl brewery here.

Japanese Tea Gardens Or San Antonio Botanical Gardens

We didn’t get a chance to visit either of these gardens but they both look beautiful!

The Japanese Tea Gardens are actually from 1901, and they feature a koi pond and waterfall. Sometimes they even hold events in the park as well, check to see if there’s any when you’re visiting here.

The San Antonio Botanical Gardens also has trails to walk through to admire the different plant species, with an indoor conservatory as well.

Don’t Forget To Stop At Gruene Dance Hall On Your Way Back

Don’t forget on the drive back to Austin, you’ll want to stop in Gruene to check out the night time live music scene!

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Last update on 2024-05-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API