Top Cheap or Free Things To Do in San Antonio
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Last updated on July 2, 2025
We were shocked at the number of cheap or free things to do in San Antonio. You can easily spend a ton of money here, but luckily you don’t have to break the bank to enjoy its cuisine, culture, and history.
We’ve visited Texas second largest city twice now taking in the colors, smells, culture, and vibe of this charming southwestern city. On our first trip, we were on a major budget and sought out all the free things to do in San Antonio. On the second trip, we were able to “splurge” a bit more, but still found many of the great things to do were free!
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Top free things to do in San Antonio
Some of the cheap or free things to do in San Antonio, TX on this list will have a small entry fee or cost. However, the fee is small compared to some of the other activities to do in San Antonio. You can also time your visit to certain days of the week or month to gain free entry like we did!
Now, let’s dive into the 5 fun cheap, or free things to do in San Antonio right now!
1. Visit the San Antonio Missions
One of the best free things to do in San Antonio is to visit the San Antonio Missions. The Alamo is San Antonio’s most popular and famous mission, but there are more around the city.
In total, there are five missions you can visit in San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Normally, a National Park requires a paid entry fee, but the five missions are completely free to visit!
🤗 We have an entire post all about visiting the Missions National Historical Park to read about here.
Mission San Jose is known as the “flagship” mission. It’s super well-preserved and gives visitors a good feel of what life here might have looked like. The missions were more than mere churches. Each was a fortified village, with its own church, farm, and ranch. The missions provided Natives a safe haven from drought and disease which was rampant at the time.
It offered an escape from violence and a refuge from the disease brought over by European explorers. The natives were openly welcomed to the mission as long as they converted to Catholicism. This meant leaving behind their traditions, practices, and beliefs.
While they are incredibly beautiful and an important part of America’s history. However, it has a dark side as much of our US history does. In the early 1700s Spanish Franciscans established five missions, Alamo included, along the San Antonio River.
2. Visit Historic Square Market
One of the next free things to do in San Antonio is visit the famous Historic Market Square. This market is the largest open-air Mexican market in the United States. The market has some resemblance to the markets we’ve come to love in Mexico, but overall, we felt it was very touristy.
The market was filled with cowboy hats, Mexican-style embroidered shirts, dresses, and shoes, woven Mexican rugs, hand-painted bowls, and ceramic dishes. There were lots of small tchotchke items like trinkets, magnets, and dream catchers. It wasn’t our favorite stop in San Antonio. Although, it is a great way to spend some time without having to spend money.
3. Visit the Alamo
A visit to the Alamo is a must when visiting San Antonio. This mission is located in the historic area of San Antonio near downtown. Its historical significance and attractive location in the city center means it’s one of San Antonio’s most popular attractions.
Admission to The Alamo is free, but reservations to tour the church are required. We recommend booking your tour well in advance as spots will fill up quickly. On our first trip, they were completely booked. On the second trip, we were able to get free tickets for entry into the mission church. The tickets are timed despite their free charge so we recommend booking in advance.
Several displays share historical information about the Alamo. Including the famous battle that ultimately gave Texas independence from Mexico in 1836. This is definitely one of the best free things to do in San Antonio.
🤓 Fun fact: The Alamo was much much bigger when the battle happened. When you’re standing outside of the front of the Church you’re actually in the middle of the original stone walls.
4. Stroll along the San Antonio Riverwalk
Other than the Alamo, San Antonio is most widely known for its river walk. Brightly colored umbrellas cover a historic stone path that winds throughout the city along the river. Restaurants, bars, and shops are scattered throughout. You could easily spend money at any of these establishments, but exploring the area is completely free.
If you’re interested in the history of the Riverwalk, you can take one of the boat tours. We opted for walking along the path admiring the beauty of the city from below.
5. Hang out at the Pearl
The Pearl is one of the newest and most popular spots in San Antonio. Operating as a mixed-used property it has apartments, shops, restaurants, a food court, an outdoor area, and a farmers market. It is a fantastic spot to visit in the city.
We went on Saturday specifically for the farmer’s market. Not having done much research on the Pearl as a whole, we were blown away by its size and diversity. There were a lot of vendors and a range of fresh produce, meat, cheeses, prepared food, and local brews (yum).
After grocery shopping, we spent the rest of the day walking around the shops, restaurants, and brewery making it one of the fun, free things to do in San Antonio. We could have easily spent a fortune here but you also don’t have to break the bank to enjoy it either.
6. Visit the McNay Modern Art Museum
Additionally, If you enjoy art a fun free activity to do is visiting the McNay Modern Art Museum. This museum normally requires an entry fee, but on the first Sunday of every month, entry is free. Dennis a previous art major and avid photographer, drawer, and art admirer, was excited about the special exhibit they had at the time for Kehinde Wiley’s paintings.
This exhibit was a collection of 30 Americans from the Rubell Family Personal Collection. It featured many African-American artists who have contributed greatly to American Art and culture in the past few decades.
We had to pay to see the special exhibit but felt it was well worth the price since we were interested in the specific artists that were being featured. The museum was originally the personal residence of one of the wealthiest people (a woman to boot) in Texas’s history. As an artist herself, she passed her home on to the city to become a museum.
There are tons of other things to do in San Antonio for cheap or free, including visiting the Texas Air Museum or walking or riding bikes along the Mission hike and bike trails. But this is a great list to get you started as you’re exploring. Let us know your favorite cheap or free things to do in San Antonio in the comments below.
EXPLORE MORE SAN ANTONIO TRAVEL GUIDES
- 13 Top Things to Do in San Antonio On a Weekend Trip: This guide shares the top things to see and do in San Antonio on a 2 or 3-day trip.
- 13 Best Places to Eat in San Antonio (Right Now): An amazing food guide to San Antonio sharing the best places to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Visiting San Antonio Missions National Historical Park: Want to visit San Antonio Missions National Historical Park? This guide shares everything you need to know about visiting.
