NEELIE

I need to be in Austin for the first week of Dec/17 for an event. My husband and I are seniors and have not been to Texas before, but would like to take in Dallas, as well as San Antonio. We are thinking we will fly into Dallas and then to Austin or San Antonio..We are thinking of spending 6-7 days total ending in Austin and flying home from Austin.Any suggestions as to our time allottment in each city?

doug_stallings

Um ... I wouldn't fly from Dallas to San Antonio. It's only a 4-1/2-hour drive (less than 300 miles). It's only 60 miles from Austin to San Antonio, so you really do want to have a car for that trip. What you'd want to do is to rent a car for the duration of your trip and drop it off in Austin. There may be a drop-off fee, but it will be much cheaper than the airfare (and hassle) to fly from DFW to San Antonio. If you do fly, then fly Southwest from Love Field.

I'd allot 3 days in Dallas (including the day of arrival) On the fourth morning, drive or fly to San Antonio. Either way you'll be there in the afternoon, and then spend your remaining 3 days there, driving up to Austin on the day you need to be there.

If all things were equal, I'd tell you to spend a little time in the Hill Country, but that area is not as nice in the winter (in my opinion), but it's a pretty area.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of different opinions, and you might end up wanting to weight your trip differently.

jayne1973

Do you know what you might be interested in seeing in the Dallas area?

Cjennifer

Well, I have been in Texas. From my experience,
I would recommend that you spend about 4 days in Dallas. That's the most important key because there are lots of sights you can visit around.
the rest of 3 days, staying in Austin would be wise

happytourist

I think that it would be more useful to spend your six or seven days in the Austin/San Antonio area, including the Hill Country. Fly in and out of Austin. Rent a car to go to Fredericksburg (Hill Country area) and spend at least two full days and three nights in San Antonio. I don't think Dallas adds that much value to your trip unless you have another three or four days to see Dallas and Fort Worth.

LukeH

I have found that its cheaper to book flights in/out of Austin than it is to Dallas, even though flights do have a DFW or IAH layover. If that's the case with your trip, I would tour Austin and drive to San Antonio for a few nights and skip Dallas. Either way, you should download the app called InstantLocal as it covers both Austin and Dallas (I don't believe its in San Antonio yet, but maybe by Dec??), it will help you find local restaurants and shops.

Have fun!

NEELIE

Thanks for all of the replies--thinking that trying to do all three places in the allotted time is too much. So maybe will settle for Austin/San Antonio.

BigRuss

>

Shockingly enough, Doug Stallings is not as rich as Herb Kelleher. After all, Kelleher built an airline company on three routes: Dallas-Houston, Houston-San Antonio, Dallas-San Antonio.

Neelie needs to decide what she wants to see - San Antonio is the largest quaint city (#7 in overall population) in the country. The Riverwalk is nice and the Alamo is there and there are some old churches from Spanish colonial times and ... that's about it for tourists.

Austin is not geared toward seniors - it's a town that has grown from the University and from its position as the seat of government. The Hill Country area is a destination more for spring than early winter/late autumn.

Dallas and FW will have more cultural diversions (such as the cities' arts districts, Sundance Square, Sixth Floor Museum, etc.).

And yeah, you need a car. This is Texas. Dallas (and FW) is physically larger than New York City. Houston is nearly double the square miles of Dallas.

sf7307

We haven't spent any time in Dallas (as tourists) but we have in San Antonio and Austin. I'd personally fly to San Antonio, spend 1-1/2 days there (you can see what there is to see in 1 day), drive to Austin (be there at the end of Day 2), stopping in Gruene on the way, spend 1-1/2 days in Austin, drive to Dallas (be there at the end of Day 4) and spend 2-3 days in Dallas.

4sammy234

I live in Dallas and would not suggest it at all. Sorry, while I love my life here, it's just not a fun destination at all. When people visit us, we have taken them to the 6th Floor Museum, and then on subsequent visits, Rangers games. Beyond that - we're just going out to eat and being together. Nothing that the location itself draws us to. Fort Worth is cute / quaint, and I like it when we are there for some reason, but its worth an evening, a fun bite to eat, and go home the next day - I wouldn't make a special trip without having some reason to be there.

San Antonio / Austin and the Hill Country in general have far more to offer vacationers. Definitely agree with the Fredericksburg add. I'd spend the couple of nights in Austin, then move on to Fburg for 2, then San Antonio (stay on the Riverwalk) for 2. Each move will be about an hour and it's a pretty drive.

In Austin - check out Esther's Follies for a fun night.

You may be surprised at what Fburg has to offer. If you love wine, as I do, you'll enjoy the many wineries; if not, there is a charming main street with great restaurants. Enchanted Rock is nearby and not to be missed!

A car is a must, no matter where you go.

Oh and. My parents live in the Hill Country so we make the drive from Dallas several times a year. It is far more than 4 1/2 hours and it is a sucky drive. Absolutely adds nothing to your trip.

fmpden

We made that route last summer. Fly into Austin, used local bus and Urber. Saw the state museum, LBJ Library, Austin City Limits, etc., Then caught the bus to San Antonio - actually decent, nearly hourly service. The bus deport about two blocks or so from the river walk. Spent four days on the river walk. Picked up a car right next to the river walk and drove to Dallas. We had to return to San Antonio for some other business - timing issue - other wise we would have flown home from Dallas. San Antonio airport and small and easy to use. The drive to Dallas was a straight shot on the interstate relatively pleasant as far as interstates go. Found a really interesting road side BBQ joint that was really quite good. Doubt if we could find it again. But it was good.