San Antonio Transportation

Planning a Trip

Phone or fill out an online form on the website of the Texas Department of Tourism (tel. 800/8888-TEX; www.traveltex.com) to receive the Texas State Travel Guide, a glossy book full of information about the state, along with a statewide accommodations booklet and map. The Travel Guide is a good companion when driving through the state. Most of the small towns that you're apt to pass through are described briefly, with some amusing, sometimes intriguing, local color for each.

The Texas Travel Information Center has a toll-free number (tel. 800/452-9292) to call for the latest on road conditions, special events, and general attractions in the areas you're interested in visiting. Traveler counselors will even advise you on the quickest or most scenic route to your intended destination. Texas Monthly magazine, another good source of information, can be accessed at www.texasmonthly.com.

In planning your trip, you might want to consult some maps. Of course, the online interactive maps at MapQuest (www.mapquest.com) or Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) will work for this, and, if you want an actual map of the city to have in hand when you get to town, you can order them online from Rand McNally (www.randmcnally.com), which offers a good variety of maps of San Antonio, Austin, and the region.

San Antonio -- For a useful pretrip information packet, including a visitors' guide and map, lodging guide, detailed calendar of events, arts brochure, and SAVE San Antonio booklet with discount coupons for a number of hotels and attractions, call tel. 800/252-6609. You can also get pretrip information, without discount coupons, online at the San Antonio Convention and Visitor's Bureau website, www.sanantoniovisit.com.

Getting There

By Plane

The San Antonio International Airport (airport code SAT; tel. 210/207-3411; www.ci.sat.tx.us/aviation) is 7 miles north of downtown. It is compact, well marked, and has two terminals. Among its various amenities are a postal center, ATM, foreign-currency exchange, game room, and well-stocked gift shops. Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty all have rental car desks at both of the airport terminals.

Immigration & Customs Clearance -- International visitors arriving by air, no matter what the port of entry, should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, and clearing Customs and Immigration can take as long as 2 hours.

Getting into Town from the Airport -- Loop 410 and U.S. 281 south intersect just outside the airport. If you're renting a car here, it should take about 15 to 20 minutes to drive downtown via U.S. 281 south.

Most of the hotels within a radius of a mile or two offer free shuttle service to and from the airport (be sure to check when you make your reservation). If you're staying downtown, you'll most likely have to pay your own way.

VIA Metropolitan Transit's bus no. 5 is the cheapest ($1.10) way to get downtown. The trip should take from 40 to 50 minutes. You need exact change.

SATRANS (tel. 800/868-7707 or 210/281-9900; www.saairportshuttle.com), with a booth outside each of the terminals, offers shared van service from the airport to the downtown hotels for $18 per person one-way, $32 round-trip. Prices to other destinations vary; call or check the website for specifics. Vans run from about 7am until 1am; phone 24 hours in advance for van pickup from your hotel.

There's a taxi queue in front of each terminal. Airport taxis will cost about $30 for downtown destinations.

By Car

If you're visiting from abroad and plan to rent a car in the United States, keep in mind that foreign driver's licenses are usually recognized in the U.S., but you should get an international one if your home license is not in English.

If you plan to rent a car in the United States, you probably won't need the services of an additional automobile organization. If you're planning to buy or borrow a car, automobile-association membership is recommended. AAA (American Automobile Association; tel. 800/222-4357; www.aaa.com) is the country's largest auto club and supplies its members with maps, insurance, and, most important, emergency road service. The cost of joining runs from $71 to $124 for singles and from $97 to $178 for two members, but if you're a member of a foreign auto club with reciprocal arrangements, you can enjoy free AAA service in America.

San Antonio is fed by four interstates (I-35, I-10, I-37, and I-410), three U.S. highways (U.S. 281, U.S. 90, and U.S. 87), four state highways (Tex. 16, Tex. 211, Tex. 151, and Tex. 1604), and several Farm-to-Market (FM) roads. In San Antonio, I-410 and Highway 1604, which circle the city, are referred to as Loop 410 and Loop 1604. All freeways lead into the central business district; U.S. 281 and Loop 410 are closest to the airport.

San Antonio is 975 miles from Atlanta; 1,979 miles from Boston; 1,187 miles from Chicago; 1,342 miles from Los Angeles; 1,360 miles from Miami; 527 miles from New Orleans; 1,781 miles from New York; 1,724 miles from San Francisco; and 2,149 miles from Seattle. The distance to Dallas is 282 miles, to Houston 199 miles, and to Austin 80 miles.

The most cost-effective, convenient, and comfortable way to travel around the United States is by car. The interstate highway system connects cities and towns all over the country; in addition to these high-speed, limited-access roadways, there's an extensive network of federal, state, and local highways and roads. The Texas state highway system is one of the best in the U.S., as it is funded with oil revenues.

By Train

Amtrak provides service three times a week, going east to Orlando (via Houston, Lafayette, and New Orleans), and west to Los Angeles (via El Paso and Tucson). Trains leave from the depot at 350 Hoefden St. (tel. 210/223-3226). There is also daily service between San Antonio and Chicago via Austin, Dallas, Forth Worth, Little Rock, and St. Louis. Call tel. 800/USA-RAIL, or log on to www.amtrak.com for current fares, schedules, and reservations.