Austin to San Antonio drive: Best stops, distance & time
The best road trip stops on the Austin to San Antonio drive are Five Mile Dam Park, San Marcos and New Braunfels. The distance from Austin to San Antonio by car is 80 miles, with a 1h25m driving time.
Planning an Austin to San Antonio road trip itinerary
The Austin to San Antonio drive connects the capital of Texas to arguably the state’s most historic city.
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.
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.
Austin to San Antonio distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Austin to San Antonio is 80 miles. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and 25 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-35.
The best stops to add to an Austin to San Antonio road trip itinerary are Five Mile Dam Park, San Marcos and New Braunfels.
Austin to San Antonio drive: Five Mile Dam Park
On the Blanco River in Blanco Vista TX, Five Mile Dam Park is a solid picnic spot, with plenty of picnic tables to choose from. On a hot day, many visitors like to go swimming in the Blanco River here, although swimming alone is discouraged. You’ll also find a few easy-going walking trails here – none that you’ll need hiking boots for, however.
Best stops between Austin and San Antonio: San Marcos
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.
Austin to San Antonio road trip attractions: New Braunfels
The heart of New Braunfels is the Gruene Historic District – you can explore on an e-bike tour or visit the shops, heritage buildings and live music venues under your own steam.
Otherwise, most of the fun tends to be water-based. Tubing down the Comal River is the archetypal New Braunfels experience, while the Schlitterbahn Waterpark has a great mix of fast slides and splash zones.
Landa Park, meanwhile, has a natural spring, golf course, arboretum and paddleboats.
Very highly rated New Braunfels accommodation options include the Gruene River Hotel & Retreat plus the budget-friendly Canyon Lake Cabins.
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