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PRIVATE Missions and More - Half-day City Tour
5.0
220 Ratings
San Antonio
Embark on an engaging and laughter-filled private tour of San Antonio with professional guide Michael Robinson. Explore the city’s history, landmarks, and diverse cultures while enjoying a unique blend of education and entertainment. Book now!
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Mission Espada - Southern-most mission of the five in San Antonio, this location is the start of your tour and will lay the foundational context for the rest of the tour. You will walk into the interior of this mission, hear interesting information about its’ inhabitants and the Friars, as well as, the construction and layout of the mission. You will also have an opportunity to walk into the church that looks as it did in the 1700’s.
- Mission San Juan - Just five minutes from the first stop at Mission Espada, this mission has a fully renovated church that is not only charming, but impressive in its’ reconstruction and the highlight of this stop. Hear about the inhabitants at this location, the construction of this mission, and what life was like for them. You will visit a small museum that has wonderful displays of materials used by the inhabitants, the use water for agriculture, among interesting other information.
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Mission San Jose - The “Queen of the Missions” is the largest and most renovated mission in San Antonio. This huge mission is arguably the most important here because of the massive amounts of food that was cultivated and shared with the smaller missions.
Here, you will walk into one of the apartments of the inhabitants, experience the Convento where the Friars and soldiers slept, walk through the beautiful domed church, and see the gorgeous facade of the church while you hearing stories of its’ creation and renovation. And, of course, see and hear all about the iconic Baroque architectural piece known as the Rose Window.
This stop includes a few minutes to peruse the gift shop as well. -
Mission Concepcion - Mission Concepcion is hands down the most charming of all the missions. Hear about its’ inhabitants, what life was life at this location, and learn about the creation of its’ duel bell tower church, the oldest stone church in the US!
You will see a 250 year old fresco, a fascinating ocular display, and the interior of the church where you will be humbled by its’ beauty. You will see some other architectural highlights here, but those a secret and I can’t wait to tell you all about them! - The Alamo - A visit to the exterior of the Alamo? Sure! This can be included in this experience since this is a private tour. Whatever you want to experience near downtown is available to you, as we can just shift timing at other locations.
- King William Historic District - You will be guided through a portion of the King William District and and see and hear about the impressive homes of many German entrepreneurs from the late 1800’s. You will see eight homes and be given deep and interesting information on their original owners, how they contributed to San Antonio, and how the neighborhood became what many call the “nicest neighborhood in San Antonio”.
- Historic Market Square - You will hear the history of this important market place from the 1700’s to present day. Hear stories about the Chili Queens and different immigrant groups that sold good here at Market Square. You will have time to visit a store with authentic Mexican crafts and goods, and get a pastry at the iconic MiTierra panaderia.
- Japanese Tea Gardens - Enjoy a short visit to the this iconic garden that dates back to the 1920’s. Another example of how San Antonio revitalizes former industrial spaces (old quarry).
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Pearl Brewery - Ok, get ready for the most impressive re-use of a former industrial space in any city in the US. You will experience a guided tour through the revitalized Pearl Brewery that was an iconic business in San Antonio for a century.
You will see original components of the brewery all throughout the district, living spaces for locals, public spaces for families and community, and a plethora of restaurants and shops.
You can also experience the lobby of the Hotel Emma, which used to be the brewery and has been converted into one of the finest hotels in the US. You will have about 45 minutes to enjoy a meal (not included in ticket price), coffee, or shopping here.
What's Included
- Private transportation
- Experience iconic Japanese Garden
- Guided drive through of King William District
- Learn about creation and importance of Riverwalk
- Visit El Mercado (famous Mexican market)
- Pick-up/ drop-off at downtown location
- Expert guided tour of four missions
- Guided tour of The Pearl District
- Exterior tour of Alamo (optional)
- Learn all about city landmarks like Tower of America’s and more!
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Bottled water
Additional Information
The level of sophistication, engagement and humor on San Antonio ProTours is unmatched. Number-one on TripAdvisor for three years and the exclusive tour operator for the number-one rated luxury hotel in the US, the Hotel Emma.
Your guide Michael Robinson has vast experience as a classroom educator, as well as, the Chief of Education for the multi-national shoe brand On (Cloud). He has performed stand-up with Kevin Hart, Kevin James, has done television and music production and emcees large events. More than tours, these uplifting experiences are hands-down the highlight of your time in our city and Michael looks forward to meeting you!
Your private tours are done in the comfort of a large, luxury model SUV that has a microphone system so it feels like your listening to a well-produced history show. If your priority is excellence, accurate history, and an engaging connection with a local, then ProTours looks forward to serving you!
Location
East Travis Street & West Travis Street
Meeting option is in front of the St Anthony Hotel.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(220 Ratings)
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Bumpytakeoff
Aug 30, 2024
Missions and more! - Michael is amazing. So knowledgeable and passionate about the places and their history. So grateful to have spent the afternoon with him. 5 stars!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gary_w
Aug 25, 2024
Fun Half Day in San Antonio - Really can’t say enough good things about this tour. We saw most of the key sites in San Antonio in a 3-4 hour period to include the Missions, tea garden and The Pearl/Hotel Emma. Michael was engaging, knowledgeable and fun. We will definitely come back to San Antonio in the future and will be sure to book with Michael when we do.
Review provided by Viator
D248xylaurab
Aug 18, 2024
Fantastic tour - In three words: energetic, knowledgeable, and fun.
I'm actually not much of a social person, but Michael was able to engage with me in such a good way, and quickly too, that I am immensely impressed. His knowledge of the subject matter was very complete and encompassing. And his ability to adapt ( the conversation, the tour, and alternating between my wife and I) was a good benchmark for how we will judge tours in the future.
The man is a master of engagement, able to handle a wide variety of conversational topics, and keep you otherwise entertained. He could teach a Masterclass to other guides to greatly improve the industry overall.
Definitely a recommendation to take this Missions Tour, and we will be taking other future tours as we visit San Antonio again as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aprilrw2040ko
Aug 10, 2024
Best tour guide ever! - Michael’s tour was phenomenal. Without his knowledge of the missions I wouldn’t have understood the Alamo - or have seen some amazing sights! Just book the tour-great guy, funny and knowledgeable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
April_r
Aug 10, 2024
Great tour! - Michael’s tour was phenomenal. Without his knowledge of the missions I wouldn’t have understood the Alamo - or have seen some amazing sights! Just book the tour-great guy, funny and knowledgeable!
Review provided by Viator
Marilyn_f
Aug 7, 2024
Excellent Tour of Romantic San Antonio - Excellent tour of romantic San Antonio's history! Michael is an energetic and engaging commentator with a fine grasp of cultural and political history. He also has connections with the people working at each site, so we received preferential treatment. Michael is open to modifying the tour to fit our interests. A totally delightful experience!
Review provided by Viator
Jenders
Jul 19, 2024
The best way to see San Antonio - The best tour of San Antonio. You will not be disappointed. We did a 3 hour tour and my only complaint I wish it was longer. The hotel Emma promised we would enjoy it and the tour was above and beyond. Michael is a fantastic guide and very personable my 14 year old said that didn’t even feel like a tour.
If you are going to San Antonio this is a must!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Leanna_e
Jul 17, 2024
We Love San Antonio! - We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Michael was so knowledgeable and really went out of his way to give us the best possible experience.
Review provided by Viator
Meredith_k
Jul 6, 2024
Michael is great tour guide! - The Japanese Tea Garden and the Missions are all so beautiful. The Pearl District is also very cool and an amazing example of reuse of abandoned industrial space. Michael knew so much history about the city and its architecture. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Viator
Sherry_b
Jun 20, 2024
Michael with Pro Tours cannot be topped! - Timely, communicative, with a fabulous personality, Michael taught us the history each location we visited. We thoroughly enjoyed visits to the missions, tea garden, the Pearl and the Market. I wished we had time to go on more excursions! Worth every penny!
Review provided by Viator
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