Dallas to San Antonio drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Dallas to San Antonio drive are Waco, Austin and San Marcos. By car, the distance from Dallas to San Antonio is 285 miles, with a 4h7m driving time.
Planning a Dallas to San Antonio road trip
The Dallas to San Antonio drive takes you from the hub of north Texas to arguably the state’s most historic city.
Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.
But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.
Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.
Top Dallas accommodation choices include the plush Hyatt Regency downtown and the charismatically luxurious Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek.
How to do the JFK sites in Dallas
The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.
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.
Dallas to San Antonio distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Dallas to San Antonio is 285 miles. As long as the traffic is kind, that makes for a driving time of around four hours and seven minutes.
The Dallas to San Antonio drive is almost entirely along the I-35.
The best three stops to add to a Dallas to San Antonio road trip itinerary are Waco, Austin and San Marcos.
Things to do on the Dallas 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 Dallas 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.
Dallas 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.
- Choose from more attractions with the guide to the Austin to San Marcos drive.
More Dallas road trips
Abilene TX to Dallas | Dallas to Albuquerque | Dallas to Amarillo | Dallas to Aspen | Dallas to Austin | Dallas to Atlanta | Dallas to Baltimore | Dallas to Baton Rouge | Dallas to Beaumont TX | Dallas to Buffalo | Cincinnati to Dallas | Dallas to Cleveland | Dallas to Colorado Springs | Dallas to Columbus | Conroe TX to Dallas | Dallas to Denver | Dallas to Detroit | Dallas to El Paso | Dallas to Fort Lauderdale | Dallas to Fredericksburg | Dallas to Galveston | Dallas to Hot Springs | Dallas to Houston | Huntsville TX to Dallas | Dallas to Jackson MS | Katy TX to Dallas | Dallas to Knoxville.
Dallas to Lafayette LA | Dallas to Lake Charles | Little Rock to Dallas | Louisville to Dallas | Dallas to Lubbock TX | Dallas to Memphis | Midland to Dallas | Minneapolis to Dallas | Dallas to Nashville | Dallas to New Braunfels | Dallas to New Orleans | Dallas to New York City | Odessa TX to Dallas | Oklahoma City to Dallas | Dallas to Omaha.
Dallas to Philadelphia | Dallas to Phoenix | Dallas to Pittsburgh | Dallas to Salt Lake City | San Angelo to Dallas | Dallas to San Marcos | Dallas to Santa Fe | Shreveport to Dallas | Dallas to St Louis | Dallas to Tampa | Texarkana to Dallas | Dallas to Tucson | Dallas to Washington DC | Weatherford TX to Dallas | Wichita to Dallas.
More San Antonio road trips
Abilene to San Antonio | Albuquerque to San Antonio | Amarillo to San Antonio | Arlington to San Antonio | Austin to San Antonio | San Antonio to Baton Rouge | Chicago to San Antonio | Colorado Springs to San Antonio | Denver to San Antonio | San Antonio to El Paso | Fort Worth to San Antonio | San Antonio to Galveston | Houston to San Antonio | Katy TX to San Antonio | Las Cruces to San Antonio | Memphis to San Antonio | Nashville to San Antonio | New Orleans to San Antonio | Oklahoma City to San Antonio | Phoenix to San Antonio | San Antonio to Salt Lake City | Tulsa to San Antonio.