San Antonio River Walk

A flood in 1921 killed around fifty people and the city's response was to propose covering the downtown bend of the river with a storm sewer and paving it. Robert Hugman argued instead for keeping the water and building a park below street level, with shops facing it; his plan was largely built with federal work relief money from 1939. The result is a walkway a storey below the traffic, shaded by cypress, with stone bridges and stairs up to the streets. Barges carry visitors on narrated trips. The downtown loop is heavily commercial; the Museum Reach north and the Mission Reach south are quieter extensions, the latter running to four Spanish colonial missions on the World Heritage list.

What you actually see

• A walkway below street level - the 1939 solution to a flood problem.
• Cypress shade and stone bridges - Hugman's design.
• Barge tours - narrated, on the downtown loop.
• Mission Reach - running south towards the colonial missions.

When to go

October to April; summer heat is severe. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The downtown loop is crowded and priced for visitors. Summer heat and humidity are heavy even in the shade. Barges queue at peak. The quieter reaches need a longer walk or a bicycle.

Nearby

The Alamo is a block up; the missions run south along the river.