Explore San Antonio’s unique place in Western history on a half-day morning coach tour. Pass by dozens of historic sites and modern attractions while learning about the city’s rich confluence of cultures and the events that shaped it. See Alamo Plaza and historic hotels, learn about bluesman Robert Johnson’s local recording sessions, and see where residents get their cultural fix at the Tobin Performing Arts Center and Briscoe Western Art Museum. Discover even more and complete your grand city overview on an optional afternoon tour.

Half-day morning coach tour of San Antonio's historic sites and modern attractions
Learn about the city's 300-year-old history and the pivotal events that shaped its culture
Hear the stories behind historic saloons, hotels and plazas
Hotel pickup and drop-off included

What's Included

Hotel pick-up and drop-off (downtown hotels only) starting at 8:30 AM
Professional guide
Air-conditioned vehicle

Guide Gratuities (optional)
Lunch

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

09:00 AM

Pickup details

We pick up from downtown area hotels starting 15 - 30 mins prior to the start of the tour. If you do not see your hotel listed or if you are staying at an Airbnb, contact local operator at least 48 hours before your scheduled tour or immediately after booking if within 48 hours of tour time. The closest pickup location will be provided.

What To Expect

La Villita Historic Arts Village

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hemisfair Park (Pass By)

St. Paul Square (Pass By)

St. Joseph Parish (Pass By)

The Alamo (Pass By)

East Houston Street (Pass By)

San Fernando De Bexar Cathedral (Pass By)

Plaza De Armas (Pass By)

San Pedro Creek (Pass By)

UTSA Southwest Campus (Pass By)

San Francesco Di Paola Catholic Church (Pass By)

Historic Market Square

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Please note the contact info you provide to Viator is what we will use to contact you, if needed. Should you wish to provide an alternative phone number or email to reach you at while traveling, please do so when booking.
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Reviews

5.0

53 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 53 reviews

An amazing and informative tour, looking forward to having him as a guide again🙌🏽

Vilma_T, Nov 2022

Our guide Alex giving us a background of San Antonio and Al Villita was very interesting and eye opening of the city, he was an amazing guide💯

San Antonio Tour

Mary_E, Oct 2022

All very informative and our guide was delightful It was nice having a small group. San Antonio is awesome and this tour made the trip more enjoyable

Amazing!

AnaPaola_R, Oct 2022

The tour started on time, excellent tourist guide! Love the story of each building at downtown... excellent experience!

Great value, book it now 👍😊

Rhonda_B, Jun 2022

Our tour was more than I had hoped for, Alex was great! He sent a text early that morning about our pick up location, I was a little nervous about making the connection but it went well, good communication. Alex shared so many historical facts, so many things that I had no idea. He also took the time to take photos of us with our phones and our group, as well as the other group that was with us. The tour was definitely worth the price. Just a little fun fact, Alex may very well have saved our life. He made a point to show us the San Antonio Library, not something you expect to see when touring downtown San Antonio. Well, the next day my friends and I went back downtown to experience the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk was also fabulous, we rode the boats and learned more about San Antonio history. While on the boat the Esquire bar and grill was pointed out to us and we thought that would be a great place to have lunch. After lunch we realized we were not sure where we parked our car! We mapped it on our phones and started walking. An hour later, in 100° weather, we walked by the Esquire again! We were so lost. We struck out again to look for the car. Hot and tired and needing a bathroom there was the San Antonio public library!!! We went in, took a break and cooled off. A young man there helped us with our GPS and got us back on the right track and finally to our car. I’m not sure what we would have done had we not realize that was the library a place where we could cool off and rest. Good job Alex 👍

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Your feedback is appreciated. Please come visit us again soon!

Tour review

Sue_R, Jun 2022

Really wonderful tour of San Antonio. Guide was like a professional historian. I learned so much about the city and about Texas history.

Response from Host, Aug 2022

Thank you so much for your feedback, we appreciate it! We’re glad you had a good experience with us and that you loved your tour. Visit us again any time.

Must do whether the the first or fifth trip to the city

Christine_D, Apr 2022

Our guide was very informative. Really enjoyed the tour, I have been to San Antonio and the river walk multiple times but really learned so much on the tour. So much more history to the city than I ever knew. Gave me a new appreciation for the city. Thank you.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

We are so glad you had a great tour and found it informative; thanks for taking your time to write a review; all of our guides are very knowledgeable and fun and strive to give each and every guest a memorable and meaningful experience; please come back and see us soon and try our San Antonio Grand Historic Tour Half-day PM (its totally different from the AM), our San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour or our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

Great 2hours trip experience!

Andrzej_S, Dec 2021

Great 2 hours SA experience! However, the information that it is a "half-day" tour is an exaggeration, not even 3,5h as advertised but 2hours!

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a great review. We appreciate your feedback and strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience through San Antonio.

San Antonio

Judy_P, Dec 2021

A great way to see/learn City highlights and get a feel for city layout and begin to know your way around

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Judy, thank you so much for taking your time to write such a great review. We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience through San Antonio. Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us again soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

A Positive and A Negative Experience

Patricia_S, Dec 2021

A Positive- Our tour guide Alex was knowledgeable and very friendly. We recommend him. A Negative- Our tour started at 9am in La Viletta which is The Village. There are many interesting artistic shops here however other than the handmade soap store, the other stores open at 10 am and we were brought there at 9 am. Why spend about an hour in an area that is predominantly the closed? Viatour needs to change this day tour to an afternoon tour. A Negative. This is not a 4 hour tour. The tour went from 9 am to 11 am after which Alex brought us to a Mexican restaurant where he waited with us for 1/2 hour before we could get in. We were told that after lunch on our own, we could walk around the shops, of which there were many. The shops were of the type that could best be described as “tacky”, cheap” and low value… now imagine tie after row after row of these places. Fir Alex’s part he gave us a choice of staying there until he picked us up- or dropping us off at the Alamo, where we had purchased our own Alamo tickets for 1pm. When you do not know the area at all, making a choice like this is difficult at best because as tourists we were not really able to compare which would have been the better option. So- we remained where he left us and simply waited until he picked us up. We would say this- Alex is knowledgeable, this should be an afternoon tour, and this is NOT a 4 hour tour. At $130 fir 2 people plus a tip we gave a $30- this trio has low value for the money. On a positive note the church was beautiful- please see pictures.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Patricia, thank you so much for taking your time to write such a great review. We appreciate your feedback. We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience through San Antonio. Please come back and see us again soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

Great tour!

Janice_H, Oct 2021

Informative & interesting! Alex was a wonderful tour guide. Made us want to plan another trip to San Antonio to see & do more than we had time for this trip.

Fun tour

Barbara_M, Aug 2021

Domingo was knowledgeable and kept everyone engaged. Learned a lot about San Antonio and surrounding areas.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Barbara, thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review! We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience for each and every guest through the Downtown Reach.. Domingo, and all our guides, are indeed some of the best around! Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us again soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

Outstanding in all

Cezarina_G, Aug 2021

Absolutely amazing tour, very informative and pleasant. Alex Gonzales was delightful and very friendly creating a memorable experience even on a rainy day. Loved it.

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review. We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience for each and every guest. Alex, and all our guides, are indeed some of the best around! Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

Awesome!

Carlos_O, Jul 2021

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable of the history of the city. Many little details which we would not have noticed were pointed out by our guide which made our tour more interesting

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Carlos, thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review. We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience for every guest. Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

Terrific Tour

Carole_B, Jul 2021

Alex was informative, helpful and had a great sense of humor. Very knowledgeable about the city - historically and currently. Highly recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Aug 2021

Carole, thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review. We strive to provide an amazing and memorable experience. Alex, and our other guides, are indeed some of the best around! Thank you so much for recommending our sightseeing tour. Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour.

Great experience

Jenny, May 2021

It was excellent. Domingo is a great and knowledgeable guide. We enjoyed the tour very much. My 10 year old had a great time

Response from Host, May 2021

Jenny: Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review. We strive to provide each and every guest with a fun, informative, meaningful and memorable experience. We are so happy when our guests include their children on our tours, we hope to provide educational and memorable experiences that can be remembered fondly for years. Our guides strive to personalize each tour; they are the Best in Texas, and we are not just bragging!! Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour or our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour!

Great tour

Conrad_B, Apr 2021

San Fernando Cathederal and the amphitheater. Anthony did a great job. Nice tour. We were the only ones on the tour. Very personalized.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Conrad: Ashley: Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a great review. We strive to provide each and every guest with a fun, informative, meaningful and memorable experience. Our guides strive to personalize each tour; and Anthony is a very knowledgeable and experienced guide.. Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour!

Thumbs up

Kristin_N, Mar 2021

We learned so much about San Antonio and our guide was so knowledgeable about everything we asked. I would highly recommend it to anyone!

Response from Host, Mar 2021

Kristin: Thank you so much for taking your time to write such a positive review! We strive to provide each and every guest with a fun, informative, meaningful and memorable experience. Our guides strive to personalize each tour; they are the Best in Texas, and we are not just bragging!! Your review truly made our day! Please come back and see us soon, we think you would also enjoy our Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour or our San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour.

Half Day Tour

Theresa_A, Dec 2020

The tour was great. Very insightful. Domingo showed us some great sites. He is an excellent narrator. This tour is a great easy to see San Antonio to get ideas of what you would like to see. The Market shopping and food was a great stop.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Thank you for taking your time to write such a positive review. Domingo and all of our guides are the Best in Texas, and we aren't just bragging! Come back and visit with us soon I think you would also like our 5-star Texas Hill Country & LBJ Ranch Tour.

San Antonio Hidden Gem

Greg_S, Jan 2020

This tour provided a great overview of San Antonio. The San Pedro Springs Park is a hidden gem and the lunch was fantastic.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thank you for taking your time to write a review. Our Grand Historic City Tour is carefully curated to give you a great overview of the culture, architecture and history of San Antonio and provide you insights that you will not get anywhere else. We also strive to make each tour a fun and meaningful experience. Please come back and see us soon and try our 5 star Texas Hill Country and LBJ Ranch Tour or our San Antonio Missions UNESCO World Heritage Site Tour!

Historic City Tour

BarbaraP1488, Nov 2019

Tour was informing. Alex, our guide was knowledgeable and informative. Enjoyed our lunch at the Mexican restaurant. We had very nice people in our group.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

We agree Alex is incredible! we are very glad that you enjoyed your group and your tour and thanks for taking the time to write such a nice review.