Around thirty-two million people visit San Antonio, Texas each year, and for good reason! It’s a beautiful city, set along a river, and surrounded by the spectacular Texan landscape; it’s also known for its contemporary art and foodie scenes, and is historically significant — this is the home of The Alamo, the now World Heritage listed fort whose siege marked a turning point in the struggle for Texan independence from Mexico. San Antonio’s accommodation is as varied as the reasons you may want to visit, and its neighbourhoods. This guide to some of the most popular San Antonio areas for visitors is designed to help you find the perfect neighbourhood, and accommodation for your stay.

Guide to the Neighbourhoods of San Antonio

Map of San Antonio Neighbourho

The neighbourhood around The Alamo is one of the oldest parts of San Antonio, known for its low rise colonial architecture and tree-lined streets. It’s close to the Downtown area, where you'll find the River Walk, a pedestrianised zone that runs along both sides of the San Antonio River for more than a mile. These neighbourhoods are where you’ll find the majority of San Antonio’s museums and galleries. If you’d like to get out into the stunning landscape around the city consider staying in Northwest San Antonio, which is close to the Government Canyon State Natural Area, or the Northeast, which is close to McAllister Park. Families may want to stay close to the Sea Life Centre, the DoSeum, the Witte Museum, and/ or Brackenbridge Park.

• Where to Stay in San Antonio for Historic Sites: Downtown; River Walk; Southtown & King William; Eastside
• Where to Stay in San Antonio for a City Break: Downtown; River Walk; Pearl
• Where to Stay in San Antonio for Families: Southtown & King William, Northwest; Pearl; Downtown
• Where to Stay in San Antonio for an Outdoorsy Break: Northeast
• Where to Stay in San Antonio for Couples: River Walk; Pearl; Southtown & King William
• Where to Stay in San Antonio for Fun: River Walk

Downtown

San Antonio’s Downtown neighbourhood is the central hub of the city, where you’ll find many of the main sights, plenty of accommodation options, and some fantastic places to eat and drink. River Walk is arguably the most charming part of the area: a charming stretch of the San Antonio River lined with lovely places to stay, and eat and drink. However, as well as being the most charming, it’s also one of the more expensive neighbourhoods. Downtown is close to several important museums and art galleries, and San Antonio’s theatre district. It also hosts several of San Antonio’s largest markets. If you’re looking for Downtown’s best shopping look in Rivercenter or Market Square, or try the La Villita Historic Arts Village. There’s plenty of activities for kids here too, check out Hemisfair, the Brisco Western Art Museum, Tower of the Americas, and Sea Life.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: central; lively; plenty of varied accommodation; great food and drink options; walkable
• Cons: busy
• Ideal for: first time visitors; city breaks, families; sightseeing

Discover our hotel recommendations in Downtown San Antonio

River Walk

Image by desmarsol from Pixaba

As well as being the most popular attraction in San Antonio, the River Walk is a small neighbourhood that runs along the river in the centre of San Antonio’s Downtow,. lined with bars and restaurants, and plenty of greenery. The River Walk neighbourhood has a number of theatres, several museums, the local art gallery, and a specialist kids’ museum called the DoSeum. Come the evening, the River Walk area is a natural gathering place, with a fantastic collection of places to eat and drink — and enjoy the views.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: river views; atmospheric; lots of sights to see; great food and drink scene; plenty of accommodation options
• Cons: busy; popular; can be expensive
• Ideal for: first-time-visitors; city breaks; sightseeing; romantics; foodies; night owls

Discover our River Walk hotel recommendations

Southtown & King William

By Tony Kent - San Antonio his

King William is an historic, grand, German, Victorian era neighbourhood, retaining its architecture and charm in amongst the creative and arty community of Southtown. The Southtown district has also spread to include the neighbourhoods of Collins Garden, Lavaca, Lone Star and Roosevelt. This area neighbours Downtown, and sits beside the San Antonio River. Beyond the river, Southtown has plenty of parks and green space, as well as community art projects, and plenty of public art. It also has a number of galleries and studios. And it’s a great place for sculpture, jewellery making, and boutique shopping. The monthly night market and street festival is a fantastic event for unique art finds and performances, and there are lots of open studios and galleries. The food and drink scene is lively and colourful too: a collection of independent bars, cafes, coffee shops, restaurants and micro-distilleries.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: arty; historic; interesting architecture; central; colourful foodie scene
• Cons: arty; can be expensive
• Ideal for: meeting the artist; art lovers; city breaks; couples; families; foodies

Discover our recommended hotels in Southtown and King William

Pearl District

By Nan Palmero from San Antoni

The Pearl neighbourhood is just north of San Antonio’s centre, an old industrial area which has been gradually gentrifying, but has never left its roots in crafting and making. Once a place of stone masons and barrel builders, now you’ll find carefully crafted ales and cheeses at the Pullman Market, as well as handmade jewellery, leather goods, accessories and stationery. Pearl has some more formal sights too, a riverside amphitheatre, a botanical gardens, the historic old Pearl Brewery — which the whole neighbourhood was founded around — and a number of museums along a part of the River Walk called Museum Reach (this runs for 1.3 miles, and, as well as museums, offers strollers the chance to see some unique public art). St. Mary’s Strip is this neighbourhood’s food and entertainment district, and it’s a lively spot come the evening. Proximity to the Witte Museum, San Antonio Zoo and Brackenridge Park make this a popular neighbourhood for families.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: central; varied food and accommodation options; sights to see; riverside; great independent shopping
• Cons: can be busy
• Ideal for: independent shoppers; families; romantics; couples; night owls; party people; sightseeing

Northwest

By TheConduqtor - Own work, CC

The Northwest neighbourhood is west of Downtown. This is a great base for visiting families, with sights like Sea World and the dinosaur footprints of the Government Canyon State Natural Area. The Northwest neighbourhood also has a roller coaster and a great arcade! As far as the look and atmosphere of this neighbourhood go, expect plenty of green space, and long, oak-lined streets of generously proportioned homes, guesthouses and B&Bs.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: green and leafy; great kids’ attractions; golf club
• Cons: off-centre; suburban
• Ideal for: families; romantics

Northeast

By MorgansWonderlandTexas - Ow

Like the Northwest neighbourhood, the Northeast is a great place for families to look for accommodation in San Antonio. This is a large area, encompassing Comanche Lookout Park (a 96 acre park in one of San Antonio’s highest spots), 1000 acre McAllister Park and a golf course. Northeast also has Morgan’s Wonderland family fun park, and is home to the Texan Transport Museum. Bracken Village is the place to come for some shopping — both locals and visitors are drawn here. There are plenty of places to eat and drink, with lots of family-friendly picks.

Pros and Cons

• Pros: outdoorsy; great family activities; golf course
• Cons: off-centre; limited accommodation;
• Ideal for: families; outdoorsy folks; golfers