San Antonio Weekend Trip Itinerary 

San Antonio is a vibrant walkable city in Texas USA, where it’s easy to explore the highlights in just a couple of days. Make the most of your weekend trip to San Antonio with this San Antonio itinerary including the iconic River Walk, historic Missions and trendy neighbourhoods. Start planning your San Antonio weekend trip today!  

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Where To Stay in San Antonio

Riverwalk Vista Hotel

Central San Antonio is quite compact, making it easy to walk around the main tourist sites. I recommend staying at or near the River Walk, the vibrant central river area which is both very pretty and within walking reach of many restaurants and San Antonio attractions.

I stayed at the Riverwalk Vista, which offered good value just a few steps away from the River Walk. Riverwalk Vista is an older style boutique hotel that is beautifully renovated and full of character. The rooms are comfortable and spacious, the self-serve breakfast is simple and tasty and the staff are friendly and helpful. The Riverwalk Vista doesn’t have a pool on site, but you can access a pool at a nearby sister hotel.

If you want a more upscale modern hotel with all the amenities (pool, gym, day spa), then check out the lovely Westin Riverwalk. The Westin is slap-bang on the Riverwalk, with riverfront views from the hotel and from many of the rooms.

Insider Tip: The Riverwalk hotels can be a little noisy at night, as the area is bustling with restaurants and bars. Ask for a quiet room or take your ear plugs!

Book Riverwalk Vista: Booking.com | HotelsCombined

Book Westin Riverwalk: Booking.com | HotelsCombined

Itinerary for 2 Days in San Antonio

If you only have 2 days in San Antonio, then you’re in luck as San Antonio is a surprisingly compact and walkable city. This San Antonio itinerary focuses on the famous San Antonio River Walk area on Saturday and the historic San Antonio Missions on Sunday, with some trendy neighbourhoods thrown in each day. With this, you’ll have visited all the best things to do in San Antonio in just a short weekend!

Friday Night: San Antonio River Walk

If you arrive in San Antonio on Friday evening, get your first taste of the vibrant San Antonio River Walk with a riverfront dinner.

The San Antonio River Walk is actually around 15 miles / 24km of paths lining the river, although the most famous section is the 2.5 miles / 4km rectangular promenade stretch in central San Antonio. Here, you’ll find a narrow canal-like river with walking paths on both sides one level below the street, lined with great restaurants and bars which are typically open to quite late at night.

You simply cannot visit Texas without sampling delicious Mexican cuisine and Texan BBQ. For Mexican, Casa Rio is a popular riverfront choice with its iconic colorful umbrellas, and is in fact the oldest restaurant on the River Walk. For Texan BBQ, you can’t go past Country Line, although you’ll find many more Texas BBQ restaurants further afield from the Riverwalk.

Can’t decide on a cuisine? Check out Boudros, the Texan bistro where you can choose between steak, seafood and even delicious guacamole made freshly at your table. For romantic fine dining, try Fig Tree Restaurant with tiered-seating overlooking the river.

If you’re not too tired after dinner, stroll back to your hotel via the Alamo to get your first glimpse of the historic attraction lit up against the night sky.

Saturday: San Antonio Walking Tour

Morning – Visit the San Antonio Alamo

After breakfast at your hotel, start your weekend in San Antonio at the Alamo, a must visit attraction in San Antonio. The Alamo is an 18th century Spanish Mission which was the site of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, one of the most significant battles in the quest for Texan independence. The Battle of the Alamo led to Texas eventually winning independence from Mexico, before later joining the USA in 1945.

Aim to visit the Alamo in the morning before the crowds arrive, shortly after the 9am opening. The Alamo is a short 300m / 0.2 mile walk from the eastern side of the River Walk. Entry is free (woohoo!), but I highly recommend joining a guided tour to bring the Alamo’s history and ruins to life. Guided tours cost US$15, start hourly on the half hour from 9:30am and run for around one hour. Book online at least 24 hours in advance, or rock up in person and see if any tickets are available.

The Alamo tour is not just about the Alamo buildings and the Battle of the Alamo, but is also about the entire history of Texas and San Antonio. Very educational indeed! The tour guides are clearly passionate about history, and do a fantastic job of setting the scene and bringing the battle to life in vivid detail.

The Alamo tour focuses on the history of Texas, the Battle of the Alamo, and the iconic Alamo church, so leave another 30 minutes or so to explore the rest of the Alamo grounds and museum, longer if you’re a history buff.

If you’re on a budget, skip the Alamo tour and watch the 17 minute on-site film for the history or read the information boards.

Lunch – Main Plaza and Market Street

Next up on your San Antonio weekend itinerary, walk down the north side of the River Walk along the river to the Main Plaza. Here, you’ll find the beautiful San Fernando Cathedral in front of you and the rather pretty Bexar County Courthouse to your left.

After the Main Plaza, continue west on Dolorosa St past the regal City Hall building. Around a block up the road, you’ll see Historic Market Square (or Produce Row), a colourful outdoor Mexican street market (photo above). Market Square is filled with shops and restaurants and comes alive with live entertainment on the weekend.

Not surprisingly, there’s some great Mexican restaurants in Market Square, but you can’t go past Mi Tierra, a local institution which serves classic Tex-Mex fare. Mi Tierra has a lively atmosphere, and is so jam packed with brightly coloured and eclectic Mexican decor that it almost hurts the eyes. The lines at Mi Tierra can be rather long, but you can grab a buzzer and relax with a cold margarita or cerveza while you wait for your table.

Afternoon – San Antonio River Walk 

A San Antonio weekend trip wouldn’t be complete without walking and river cruising around the famous San Antonio River Walk!

From Mi Tierra, walk the few blocks back to the River Walk and walk around the southern side of the River Walk. There’s plenty of cute cafes to people watch at and shops to browse, plus some interesting historic information.

Once your legs get tired, find a GO RIO Cruises ticket booth and purchase a ticket for the river boat cruise. The river cruise runs from 9am to 10pm daily, and tickets are $13.50 for adults or $7.50 for kids.

For this, you’ll get a 35 minute river cruise around the River Walk, narrated by the driver with tidbits about San Antonio’s history, culture and the buildings that line the River Walk. The River Walk is equally pretty at night time, so you may wish to save your river cruise for after dark when the river is sparkling with lights, or even take one of the dinner cruises.

Evening – Pearl Brewery

On Saturday evening, venture away from the Riverwalk area and have dinner and drinks at the Pearl Brewery in Pearl, located around 2.5km /1.6 miles from the River Walk.

The Pearl Brewery is a historic brewery which has been transformed in recent years into a trendy dining, shopping and events complex. Think part hipster-industrial-warehouse style and part family-friendly-entertainment area. The Pearl Brewery has plenty of food options to suit all palates and budgets, from cafes to restaurants to wine bars and even a food hall, all set around a big lawn.

I enjoyed a rather leisurely meal at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, which serves delicious food and interesting cocktails. Park up on the outdoor terrace which is perfect for people watching, or lounge on the indoor couches if the weather is not in your favour.

Sunday: San Antonio Neighbourhoods & Missions

Morning – King William Historic District

The King William Historic District south of the city is home to majestic 19th century Victorian style-mansions and hip cafes and bars.

Visiting the King William area was probably the most surprising highlight of my weekend in San Antonio. I’m an absolute sucker for grand old architecture (especially coming from the relatively new country of NZ!) and San Antonio did not disappoint.

The King William District is around 1 mile / 1.6km south of the River Walk, and is close to the Mission Trail that you’ll be exploring in the afternoon. The streets and houses are easy to visit by car, bike or even on foot. If you plan to cycle the nearby Mission Trail in the afternoon, grab a bike and explore King William first.

The most spectacular King William houses are concentrated down King William St itself, including the rather gothic looking beauty in the photo above. Next, duck south of Pereida St and wind up and down Crofton Ave, E Gunther St, Wickes St and Adams St. Plan your King William tour using this helpful interactive map with information on the history of the houses.

Allow 1-2 hours to explore the King William houses, longer if you are walking or plan to have breakfast in the district.

Afternoon – San Antonio Mission Trail  

Mission San Jose

San Antonio Missions

The San Antonio Missions are five historic Spanish Missions (churches) in San Antonio: the Alamo, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.

The San Antonio Mission Trail is around 10 miles of trail that connects all five Missions. You can visit the missions by car, bus from the Alamo which stops at all the Missions, biking, or walking (albeit a long walk!).

While it’s worth visiting all four missions, if you’re short on time (or leg power!) then the most impressive are the first two Missions. The first Mission – Mission Concepcion – is the best preserved Mission and has a gorgeous towering stone church. The second Mission – Mission San Jose – is the most picturesque Mission (at least in my view!).

Mission Trails Biking Path and Bike Hire

If you like cycling, I highly recommend hiring a bike to explore the Mission Trails, as the trail is just as much of an attraction as the Missions themselves. The hiking and walking path follows the pretty San Antonio River and connects the Missions, is very well signposted and easy to navigate, is mostly flat with only small inclines, and includes plenty of historic information along the way.

Your best options for bike hire are either renting a bike from Blue Star Bike Shop or using the San Antonio BCycle Bike Share which has docking stations at all the Missions.

I opted to hire a bike from Blue Star, and picked up a very comfortable town cruiser from the helpful staff for $20 for a half day. The Mission Trail is around 10 miles long one way (slightly less if you start from Blue Star instead of the River Walk), so if you want to save your legs then you may prefer to use the BCycle Bike Share. That way, you can return the bike to any BCycle docking point rather than needing to cycle all the way back to the start.

Once you have a bike, simply find your way to the San Antonio river (right near the Blue Star bike shop) and follow the signs to the Missions.

Late Lunch (or Early Dinner?!) – Blue Star Arts Complex

If you have time before departing San Antonio, follow your Mission Trails bike tour with a well-deserved late lunch at the Blue Star Arts Complex, which is also the drop off point for Blue Star bike hire. Great options for a bite and bevie here include the Blue Star Brewing Company and Halcyon.

I hope you enjoy your weekend in San Antonio Texas as much as I did!

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