Arlington to San Antonio drive: Distance, time & best stops

The best road trip stops on the Arlington to San Antonio drive are Waco, Austin and San Marcos. By car, the distance from Arlington to San Antonio is 291 miles, with a 4h21m driving time.

Planning an Arlington to San Antonio road trip

The Arlington to San Antonio drive takes you from north Texas to arguably the state’s most historic city.

Arlington TX is best known as the home of AT&T Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys play their home games. When there’s not a game on, you can take a stadium tour.

Arlington is also home to Six Flags Over Texas, one of the top theme parks in the US, with a prodigious collection of thrill rides. For something slightly less hair-raising, you can visit the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame.

San Antonio’s most famous site is the Alamo, a fortified Spanish mission that played host to a critical battle in the Texas Revolution. It’s far from the only historic building in the city, though – the San Fernando Cathedral and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are both visually impressive. It’s worth taking a guided tour of the missions for better understanding.

Further attractions include San Antonio Zoo, the Sea Life aquarium, the magic show at the Magicians Agency Theater and the Hopscotch Immersive Art Experience.

Other San Antonio experiences worth considering are the haunted ghost bus tour, downtown food tours, hop-on hop-off buses and Segway tours.

Book ahead for San Antonio accommodation deals. But try the Hotel Emma for five star opulence and the Canopy by Hilton for youthful energy on the Riverwalk.

Arlington to San Antonio distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Arlington to San Antonio is 291 miles. As long as the traffic is kind, that makes for a driving time of around four hours and 21 minutes.

The Arlington to San Antonio drive is almost entirely along the I-35.

The best three stops to add to an Arlington to San Antonio road trip itinerary are Waco, Austin and San Marcos.

Things to do on the Arlington to San Antonio drive: Waco TX

To the west of the I-35, the Waco Mammoth National Monument is home to the biggest ice age Columbian mammoth fossil find anywhere in the world. The skeletons of 16 mammoths – a nursery herd – were found her in an archaeological dig that started in 1978.

Guided tours of the site take place every 30 minutes – just rock up and join the next departure.

The Brazos River runs through Waco, and the best way to see the city is on a morning or sunset boat tour. The cruises depart from next to McLane Stadium, and take in several city attractions, including Baylor University, the enormous Waco Suspension Bridge and Cameron Park. The latter is the best place in Waco for spotting the local wildlife.

Book your Waco boat tour, or search for other Waco experiences.

Best stops between Arlington and San Antonio: Austin, Texas

Austin is renowned for its live music scene, although it has plenty of more conventional attractions too. These include Austin Zoo, the Museum of Ice Cream and the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

Top Austin experiences include ebike tours taking in the city highlights, haunted pub crawl walks and segway tours.

You can also try highly-rated downtown food tours, half day wine shuttles in the Hill Country, brewery-hopping beer tours and sightseeing on a boat cruise.

For Austin hotel recommendations, try band crashpad chic meets rainbow bathrobes at the Hotel San Jose and the unashamed rock star swagger of the W.

Arlington to San Antonio road trip attractions: San Marcos TX

The San Marcos River is the unquestioned star of San Marcos TX. Ways to experience it include guided paddleboarding tours and kayaking at night with clear kayaks and glow lights.

The other major highlight of San Marcos is the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Based around a huge artesian spring, there’s a wetlands boardwalk here, but most come for diving, kayaking and the much-loved glass-bottom boat tours.

Good value San Marcos accommodation choices include the Hilton Garden Inn and Residence Inn by Marriott.