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How to get Around

Or

There's not a straight street in San Antonio

From the Airport to Downtown  SATrans, the local airport shuttle company, can take you anywhere.  The fare from the airport to downtown is $14 a person.  If you are two or more a cab may be cheaper, they will charge you $11 for an airport to downtown trip. (Prices slightly cheaper if you buy a round trip ticket.)

Leave it to the government to put together a pretty worthless web site, but just for those really rare occurrences when someone might want a phone number for lost luggage, etc., here is the San Antonio Airport link.  On the left navigation panel there are some links to things of dubious value.

Bus 
 Via, the local bus company, maintains a streetcar system of buses that encircles downtown.  Print out the route and keep it.  Cost $1.10 a ride (exact change only), however VIA offers a $4.00 daily pass good for all their buses.  Passes are available at VIA Information Center downtown (260 E. Houston) and at some museums.  For popular destinations bus route 7 will probably get you there.  Except for the McNay Art Museum which will require you to take route 14.

Via has a pretty good trip planner on their web site which you can use to plan which bus to take and when to get from point A to point B. But just recently Via has added their bus routes to Google.  So now you can go to Google Maps and when entering your directions select "By public transit" and it will highlight your route and give you the buses you need to take.  The details here are better than the Via web site but the Via web site I think gives you better bus schedule info.  Your choice, but it really helps just to see where the places are on a map even if you don't intend to even take the bus.

Cabs  There are a multiple number of cab companies in town, so as not to make it too difficult I selected Yellow Cab (210-222-2222) just in case you need to make arrangements for a scheduled trip, like returning from Estela's Restaurant.  

Tour Bus  If you want to visit some of the missions other than the Alamo you might try a Gray Line bus tour.  A simple solution to getting around to them.  But note at this writing the tour goes to the Alamo, San Fernando Cathedral (both downtown and not requiring a bus to get to), Mission Conception and Mission San Jose.  San Fernando Cathedral is not a 'Mission' though billed here as one.  Besides convenience of travel the real benefit here is getting to Mission Conception as I give elsewhere in this site local bus directions to Mission San Jose which is the only 'must see' mission besides the Alamo.  I took this trip years ago and enjoyed it.

Rental Cars  If you are going to rent a car you may want to consider first taking a cab or airport shuttle to your hotel and renting a car from a downtown location.  There is an extra 10% airport tax you will pay on cars rented from the airport (we love gouging you poor suckers).  So why pay this when you can avoid it.  Car rental agencies that have a location downtown are: Advantage (450 3rd St.), Avis (506 Bonham), Enterprise (920 Broadway) and Hertz (Marriot Rivercenter Hotel)

 

SATrans
210-281-9900

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