Hilton Palacio del Rio

The prefabricated tower assembled in 202 days for the 1968 HemisFair exposition, Hilton Palacio del Rio has anchored the River Walk's most photographed bend ever since, its Spanish Colonial facade rising directly above the water at 200 South Alamo Street.

Rooms follow a standard four-star layout, though upper floors on the river-facing side frame the cypress-lined waterway and the nightly boat traffic below. The Alamo stands less than a three-minute walk north, and the Henry B. González Convention Center connects directly to the property's lower level.

Check-in opens at 16:00; the midnight checkout suits late-flight departures from San Antonio International, roughly 13 kilometres north. The River Walk dining strip runs beneath the hotel's own terrace, putting two dozen independent restaurants within a five-minute stroll.