Live music in Austin, the Alamo in San Antonio and brisket smoked low and slow for hours. Texas is big on skies, distances and portions.
Choose your San Antonio family meal around where you are and whether the children want to play. La Gloria at the Pearl pairs Mexican food with riverside tables, while The Cove, Two Bros. BBQ Market and La Hacienda de Los Barrios have restaurant play facilities. Cheesy Jane’s suits a sit-down burger-and-shake meal in a classic […]
Natural Bridge Caverns earns the drive from San Antonio if you want to see large underground chambers and limestone formations rather than add another city sightseeing stop. The Discovery Tour takes you into the Hall of the Mountain King, with the Castle of the White Giants among its sights, and the natural limestone bridge gives […]
Fiesta San Antonio offers very different ways to take part in the city’s spring celebrations: boats on the San Antonio River, a daytime street parade, illuminated floats after dark, and food and live music at Historic Market Square. Choose your parade before arranging your stay. The Texas Cavaliers River Parade suits a riverside evening, Battle […]
You normally pay hotel occupancy tax on a taxable room in San Antonio, with state, city and county charges added to the room price. The local components depend on whether the property is within San Antonio city limits and Bexar County, not simply whether its address says “San Antonio”. Qualifying uninterrupted long stays and eligible […]
For a same-day visit to Main Plaza, choose a San Antonio park-and-ride site on the side of town you approach from: Crossroads from the north-west, Randolph from the north-east or Stone Oak from the north. You leave the car outside downtown and pay separately for the VIA bus journey. St Mary’s Street Garage is the […]
Choose Austin Zoo for a smaller outing centred on rescued animals, or San Antonio Zoo for a longer visit through varied themed habitats. Your existing city base matters too: a zoo that fits the rest of your trip can be a better choice than crossing between cities for one attraction. For families, the entry-cost comparison […]
San Antonio’s Mexican and Tejano bakery traditions make a sweet snack an everyday choice, not just an after-dinner course. You can pick up a bread to eat with coffee, choose a filled pastry or cool down with shaved ice. Choose by the texture and flavour you enjoy, with pan de muerto offering a seasonal connection […]
From San Antonio International Airport (SAT), VIA buses offer the lowest-cost route to downtown, while taxis, Uber or Lyft and prebooked cars make luggage easier to manage. The central arrival point used here is the River Walk at Houston Street. In this guide Bus, taxi, app-based ride or private transfer VIA buses: Route 5 and […]
The Texas Eagle suits you if the overnight train journey is part of the trip, rather than time you need to save. Amtrak takes you from Chicago Union Station to San Antonio without changing trains, with a reclining coach seat or a private roomette for the night. Your final destination here is Alamo Plaza, reached […]
A romantic dinner in San Antonio can mean a table beside the river, an upstairs steakhouse or a lively evening at Pearl. Boudro’s suits a riverside dinner with a shared tableside starter, while the other choices put more emphasis on the chef, formal service, a smaller room or French comfort food. Choose the setting you […]
A Reuben near the River Walk, pork tacos on the northern edge of downtown or a curry-and-brisket bowl around St. Mary’s can each make a San Antonio lunch worth stopping for. Choose the dish that fits your appetite and the area you are already exploring. Schilo’s, Carnitas Don Raúl and Curry Boys BBQ cover those […]
The Mermaid Cafe is the first place to consider if you prioritise a declared gluten-free kitchen in San Antonio. Its quiche and cinnamon rolls make it a café-meal choice, while Viva Vegeria’s flautas and Vegan Avenue’s chilaquiles offer two plant-based alternatives with different preparation questions. These are three places to assess for a meal, not […]
Hamilton Pool Preserve brings together a collapsed limestone grotto, a natural pool and Hamilton Creek’s waterfall, with a short walk through the canyon rather than a long hike. Add Mercer Street’s historic storefronts and lunch in Dripping Springs, and this is a half-day sightseeing trip from Austin by car, returning to the same central starting […]
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is the closest airport to central Austin for scheduled commercial passenger flights. It is the straightforward choice for an Austin visit, with a short road transfer and a direct downtown bus connection. San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is a realistic alternative when its airfare or flight itinerary makes the longer ground […]
Austin’s dance floors offer very different nights: Barbarella’s mixed DJ parties, Mala Fama’s Latin clubbing, Elysium’s alternative sounds, Cheer Up Charlies’ queer-oriented events and The White Horse’s country partner dancing. Choose by the music you want to dance to, rather than treating every Sixth Street venue as the same kind of club. In this guide […]
A rooftop drink in Austin can put Lady Bird Lake, downtown towers or a hotel pool beside your table. Choose the setting for the occasion, not simply the height of the bar. Nido suits Texas wine and a meal overlooking the water, while P6 makes the lake part of a terrace-drinks visit. Azul and Zanzibar […]
Austin evenings need not revolve around a drink or a music venue. The Boardwalk at Lady Bird Lake offers skyline views at dusk, while The Color Inside turns sunset into an encounter with light and sky. For an indoor evening, choose comedy at Esther’s Follies, a film at AFS Cinema or cooperative puzzles at The […]
Rain in Austin can be a reason to spend longer inside the Texas State Capitol, explore a museum collection or settle down with a book. These six alternatives range from central cultural sights to hands-on play in Mueller and a film with food at South Lamar. Choose the activity you want, rather than trying to […]
The Zilker Holiday Tree, communal carols at the Texas Capitol and Ballet Austin’s The Nutcracker offer three different ways to spend Christmas-season evenings in Austin. Visit before Christmas for the fullest choice of celebrations, then give Christmas Eve and Christmas Day their own plans: the tree display, time outdoors and a reserved meal rather than […]
The overnight Texas Eagle journey suits travellers who want to travel overland and can spare the time. Choosing a reclining seat or a private room makes a substantial difference to both comfort and cost. Austin City Hall is the central endpoint here, with a walk or a short car ride completing the rail journey. In […]
Austin’s museum choices range from Ellsworth Kelly’s building-sized artwork at the Blanton Museum of Art to prehistoric specimens on the University of Texas campus. Choose by the collection you want to spend time with, rather than trying to fit every museum into one day. These five favour art, historical objects and natural-history specimens, with Laguna […]
Choose your Houston-to-Austin bus by its stops as well as its fare. FlixBus/Greyhound, RedCoach and Vonlane use different boarding points in Houston and different arrivals in Austin, so a cheaper ticket can leave you with a less convenient local connection. Houston City Hall is a useful central starting point for comparing the approaches. In Austin, […]
Austin gives you quite different ways to spend a spare morning or evening: explore the Texas Capitol’s rotunda, swim at Barton Springs Pool or listen to a band at the Continental Club. Choose by what you want to do, not by how many sights you can fit in. These seven picks move from architecture and […]
A coffee break in Austin can mean a vanilla latte in Patika’s downtown office lobby or a single-origin pour-over at Proud Mary on South Lamar. Choose the stop for the drink and the kind of break you want, rather than crossing town for an overall winner. These five cafés give you distinct reasons to stop, […]
Choose your San Antonio family meal around where you are and whether the children want to play. La Gloria at the Pearl pairs Mexican food with riverside tables, while The Cove, Two Bros. BBQ Market and La Hacienda de Los Barrios have restaurant play facilities. Cheesy Jane’s suits a sit-down burger-and-shake meal in a classic […]
Natural Bridge Caverns earns the drive from San Antonio if you want to see large underground chambers and limestone formations rather than add another city sightseeing stop. The Discovery Tour takes you into the Hall of the Mountain King, with the Castle of the White Giants among its sights, and the natural limestone bridge gives […]
Fiesta San Antonio offers very different ways to take part in the city’s spring celebrations: boats on the San Antonio River, a daytime street parade, illuminated floats after dark, and food and live music at Historic Market Square. Choose your parade before arranging your stay. The Texas Cavaliers River Parade suits a riverside evening, Battle […]
You normally pay hotel occupancy tax on a taxable room in San Antonio, with state, city and county charges added to the room price. The local components depend on whether the property is within San Antonio city limits and Bexar County, not simply whether its address says “San Antonio”. Qualifying uninterrupted long stays and eligible […]
Hamilton Pool Preserve brings together a collapsed limestone grotto, a natural pool and Hamilton Creek’s waterfall, with a short walk through the canyon rather than a long hike. Add Mercer Street’s historic storefronts and lunch in Dripping Springs, and this is a half-day sightseeing trip from Austin by car, returning to the same central starting […]
For a same-day visit to Main Plaza, choose a San Antonio park-and-ride site on the side of town you approach from: Crossroads from the north-west, Randolph from the north-east or Stone Oak from the north. You leave the car outside downtown and pay separately for the VIA bus journey. St Mary’s Street Garage is the […]
Choose Austin Zoo for a smaller outing centred on rescued animals, or San Antonio Zoo for a longer visit through varied themed habitats. Your existing city base matters too: a zoo that fits the rest of your trip can be a better choice than crossing between cities for one attraction. For families, the entry-cost comparison […]
San Antonio’s Mexican and Tejano bakery traditions make a sweet snack an everyday choice, not just an after-dinner course. You can pick up a bread to eat with coffee, choose a filled pastry or cool down with shaved ice. Choose by the texture and flavour you enjoy, with pan de muerto offering a seasonal connection […]
Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) is the closest airport to central Austin for scheduled commercial passenger flights. It is the straightforward choice for an Austin visit, with a short road transfer and a direct downtown bus connection. San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is a realistic alternative when its airfare or flight itinerary makes the longer ground […]
From San Antonio International Airport (SAT), VIA buses offer the lowest-cost route to downtown, while taxis, Uber or Lyft and prebooked cars make luggage easier to manage. The central arrival point used here is the River Walk at Houston Street. In this guide Bus, taxi, app-based ride or private transfer VIA buses: Route 5 and […]
