The Best of San Antonio, Texas in 24 Hours (2024)

San Antonio is a fun city to visit in Texas, even if you have limited time. The River Walk and the Alamo are the highlights, but there are a few more great places to explore.

If you have just one day in San Antonio, you have just enough time to tour the best spots in the city. Here are five places to visit during your visit to San Antonio.

The Alamo

The Alamo is famous for being the site of the battle between Mexican forces and Texas defenders in 1836. It was a brutal battle that the Texians lost. The Texians, under the command of James Bowie and William B. Travis, were greatly outnumbered, but still managed to inflict serious casualties on the Mexicans before losing the battle. This is also the site of Davy Crockett’s famous last stand.

Many first-time visitors are surprised to learn how small the Alamo is. The church, which is the main building of the Alamo, seems dwarfed in the city center of San Antonio, with high rise buildings rising up all around it.

This is the most popular spot to visit in San Antonio, and some sources say that the Alamo is the most popular tourist site in Texas.

It’s best to visit the Alamo early in the day or right before closing hours to avoid the crowds.

Website: Get hours on the official website.

San Antonio Mission Trail

San Antonio is home to five missions. These missions were Spanish communities that were dedicated to converting the native people to Catholicism. Dating back to the 17^th century, these missions became the foundation of the city of San Antonio.

The most popular mission is the Alamo. There are four more missions, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada, located just south of the San Antonio city center. These four missions make up the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

There are multiple ways you can tour the missions:

By Bike: The Mission Hike and Bike Trail links the four missions in the Historical Park. You can use one of the city bikes to get between the Missions. It is a 16 mile round trip journey from Mission Concepcion to Mission Espada and back. Click here for a map of the trail that you can download. Biking the Mission Trail will take at least a half a day.

By Bus: Viva bus is a public bus system that you can use to tour the Mission Trail. Hop on and off as often as you like. Learn more here.

By Bus and Bike: If 16 miles is too far to bike, consider taking the bus one way and renting a bike for the return journey (or vice versa).

By Car: This is the quickest, most convenient way to tour the Mission Trail. Each Mission has plenty of parking. With your own car, you can tour the entire trail in just 2 hours.

If you only have time to visit one mission, the best one is Mission San Jose.

Mission San Jose

The River Walk

The River Walk is a beautiful, fun spot to visit in downtown San Antonio. A lazy river winds it’s way through the heart of the city, flanked by hotels and restaurants. I loved the River Walk, and it was so much better than I expected it to be.

You can take a 35 minute boat tour of the River Walk, in which your guide will teach you the history of the area. Most people on these boats looked hot and bored, so we chose to walk the River Walk instead. It takes about a half an hour to 45 minutes to walk the entire River Walk, without allowing time for stops.

Recommended Restaurants:

Here are three spots we tried that we recommend for dinner.

Boudro’s on the Riverwalk. For some of the best Tex-Mex in town, visit Boudro’s. The guacamole is so good that we came back a second time. It’s a small place and it can get loud in the restaurant during dinnertime, but the quality of food can’t be beat.

Zocca Cuisine d’Italia. Located in the quieter section of the River Walk, this is a great place for Italian food.

Ostra at Mokara Hotel. This is an upscale restaurant with a gourmet menu. Reservations are highly recommended for dinner.

San Fernando de Bexar Cathedral

This cathedral is a landmark of San Antonio. It’s a short walk from the River Walk and one of the oldest cathedrals in the United States.

Historic Market Square

Located within walking distance of the River Walk, this is the largest Mexican market outside of Mexico. Many people rave about the food at Mi Terra Café and Bakery.

Planning Your Time

With half a day, visit the Alamo and have lunch or dinner at the River Walk.

Here is a sample itinerary for one day in San Antonio:

Breakfast at Mi Terra Café and Bakery
Walk 10 minutes to visit the San Fernando Cathedral.
Spend the day touring the Mission Trail, either by car, bus, or bike.
Visit the Alamo in the late afternoon, after most of the crowds have left.
Have dinner and drinks on the River Walk.

If you have any questions about how to spend your time in San Antonio, let us know in the comment section below.

More Information for Your Trip to Texas

AUSTIN: Learn about the Best Things to Do in Austin and where to eat in our Austin Restaurant Guide.

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK: Get started with our article Best Things to Do in Big Bend for great things to do in the park. We also have a 3 Day Big Bend Itinerary, plus information about the best hikes in Big Bend including how to hike to Emory Peak, how to hike to Ernst Tinaja (one of the best underrated experiences in the park), and things to do in nearby Big Bend Ranch State Park.

GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS: Read our article Best Things to Do in Guadalupe Mountains National Park for a full list of things to do, plus important information and helpful tips to plan your visit here.

TRAVEL INSPIRATION: Here are 30 great travel books and a list of the best travel movies to feed your wanderlust.

Are you planning a trip in the United States? Read all of our articles about the USA in our United States Travel Guide.

13 Best Things to Do in Austin, Texas
Big Bend Ranch State Park: Things to Do with Limited Time
How to Hike the Ernst Tinaja Trail in Big Bend National Park
Best of Big Bend: 10 Great Things to Do in Big Bend National Park