Booking choice: The River Walk walking tour with cruise, from $69 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The narrated boat on the San Antonio River Walk is run by one company, GO RIO Cruises. Its electric barges loop through the downtown River Walk every day from 10 am to 10 pm, and you buy your ticket at a booth beside the water or on the GO RIO website.
Here is what a ticket costs for each age group, where the three docks are, how long the lines get, what happens when it rains, and when a combo, a pass or a guided tour makes more sense than the booth.
The quick answer
An adult GO RIO ticket costs $15.50, or $16.78 with tax, for the 35-minute narrated cruise. Children 1 to 5, seniors 65+, military and Bexar County residents pay less. Tickets are not tied to a date or time: buy at the Rivercenter, Historia or Aztec booth and board the next boat, which leaves about every 15 minutes. GO RIO does not refund tickets. Viator does not sell the boat on its own; every tour there bundles it with a guide.
How much is a GO RIO river cruise ticket?
$15.50 for an adult before tax, $16.78 with it. Children 1 to 5, seniors, military and Bexar County residents have lower rates.
These are the standard booth rates for the narrated cruise in 2026. GO RIO adjusts prices from time to time, so check the current rate on the GO RIO site before you go. For babies under one, ask at the booth.
| Ticket | Before tax | With tax |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $15.50 | $16.78 |
| Child, ages 1 to 5 | $9.50 | $10.28 |
| Senior 65+ and military | $12.50 | $13.53 |
| Bexar County resident | $13.50 | $14.61 |
Want someone to explain the city before you board? The River Walk walking tour ends at the Historia dock with your GO RIO ticket in hand, from $69.
Check dates for the River Walk walking tour with cruiseWhere do you buy GO RIO tickets and board the boat?
At three booths beside the river downtown: Rivercenter, Historia and Aztec. Each booth sits next to a boarding dock.
- Rivercenter: 809 E River Walk, at the Shops at Rivercenter. For your map app, use the mall address, 849 E Commerce St.
- Historia: 706 River Walk, under the Market Street bridge at Alamo Street. The See Sight walking tour ends here.
- Aztec: 731 River Walk, below the Aztec Theatre. Its line is often the shortest.
You can also buy online through the GO RIO site and show the ticket on your phone at any dock. The boat brings you back to the dock where you got on.
Do you need to book the River Walk cruise in advance?
No. GO RIO tickets are not tied to a date, a time or a dock, and there are no reservations. You queue and board the next boat.
Boats leave about every 15 minutes and carry up to 37 passengers. On an ordinary day the wait runs 15 to 20 minutes. On weekends, holidays and evenings in the Christmas season it gets longer, sometimes much longer.
Buying online ahead saves you the ticket queue, not the boarding queue. The real trick is timing: weekday mornings soon after 10 am are usually the quickest.
Planning the zoo and the Alamo exhibit too? The San Antonio CityPASS includes the GO RIO cruise and three more attractions, used within nine days.
Explore the San Antonio CityPASSCan you get a refund on a GO RIO ticket?
No. GO RIO does not refund tickets for any reason. Rain or unsafe weather can stop the boats, and so can closed floodgates.
Because tickets are not tied to a date, a cancelled boat usually just means coming back later. Keep your ticket and ask at the booth. If you travel on a tight schedule in a stormy season, that is worth knowing before you pay.
The tours that include the cruise work differently. Every Viator tour on this site has Free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and if the operator calls the tour off for weather, you are offered a new date or your money back.
Can you book only the boat ride on Viator?
No. Every Viator listing bundles the GO RIO cruise with a guided tour. The cheapest is a 1.5-hour walking tour at $69 that ends with your boat ticket.
The River Walk walking tour with cruise meets at the Emily Morgan Hotel, passes the Alamo, spends about 20 minutes in La Villita and finishes at the Historia dock, where the guide hands over GO RIO tickets. Guests love the guides; the tour is rated 4.9 from 77 reviews. Some guests still booked it expecting a boat ride only. One wrote in October 2026: "I thought I was buying a river cruise only and instead also paid for a walking tour."
Do the sums before you book. The booth ticket costs $16.78 with tax, so the guide accounts for the rest of the price. If you want the history told well, that is fair value. If you only want the boat, walk to a booth.
Want the boat with the stories behind La Villita and the Alamo? The walking tour with cruise is rated 4.9 from 77 reviews, from $69.
Check dates for the River Walk walking tour with cruiseIs the Tower of the Americas combo ticket worth it?
It saves a line, not money. The combo costs $35 plus tax for general admission, the same as an adult Tower ticket and a cruise ticket bought apart.
The Tower of the Americas sells the observation deck and a GO RIO cruise together: $35 general admission, $28.50 for seniors and military, plus tax. The Tower alone is $19.50 for adults and $16 for seniors and military, the cruise $15.50 and $12.50. The sums match. The Tower has been cashless since February 2026, so bring a card.
Children 4 to 12 pay $15 at the Tower, while the GO RIO child rate only covers ages 1 to 5, so price older children separately. Several Viator tours here include both the deck and the cruise.
Is the San Antonio CityPASS worth it for the river cruise?
Only if you want the other attractions too. At $63 it covers the GO RIO cruise, the San Antonio Zoo, the Alamo exhibit and church, and one of four museums or gardens.
The CityPASS is a mobile pass you use within nine days. The fourth pick is the Botanical Garden, the Witte Museum, the DoSeum or the San Antonio Museum of Art. Guests who planned the zoo and the Alamo exhibit anyway say it saved them money; one in March 2026 fitted the garden, the zoo, the cruise and the Alamo into two and a half days.
Guests also report small hiccups: staff at one attraction confused by the pass, and a guest in June 2026 who found the validity shorter than expected. Check the pass rules when you buy. If the boat is all you want, the booth ticket is cheaper.
Doing the zoo, the Alamo exhibit and a museum as well? The CityPASS bundles them with the GO RIO cruise, from $63.
Check dates for the San Antonio CityPASSWhen is the best time to take the GO RIO cruise?
A weekday morning soon after 10 am for short lines, or after dark for the lights. In summer, avoid the midday heat.
From June to September, ride between 10 am and noon or after 7 pm; the barges are open to the sky. Evenings look best, with the terraces lit and the bridges glowing, but they are also busiest. From late November into early January the holiday lights draw the longest lines of the year. Read the night cruise guide and the Christmas lights guide for both.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the River Walk boat ride in San Antonio?
At the GO RIO booths an adult ticket is $15.50, or $16.78 with tax. Children 1 to 5, seniors 65+, military and Bexar County residents pay less.
Are GO RIO tickets for a specific time?
No. Tickets are not tied to a date, a time or a dock. You board the next boat, and boats leave about every 15 minutes.
Can I get a refund on GO RIO tickets?
No. GO RIO does not refund tickets. Tours that include the cruise on Viator offer Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Where is the cheapest place to buy River Walk boat tickets?
At a GO RIO booth or on the GO RIO site. Tours on Viator cost more because they include a guide as well as the boat.
Ready to book
Choose your River Walk tour
Every option here can be cancelled for a full refund; the deadline is on each listing. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
River Walk Walking Tour with GO RIO Cruise
- About 1.5 hours, starting at the Emily Morgan Hotel, 705 E Houston St
- Guided walk through La Villita with the Alamo as a pass-by
- GO RIO narrated cruise ticket, handed over at 706 E River Walk
San Antonio CityPASS with the GO RIO Cruise
Families doing the zoo and museums too
Premium City Tour with the Alamo and River Walk Cruise
- About four hours with pickup and drop-off in downtown San Antonio
- Narrated GO RIO river cruise and the Tower of the Americas deck, both included
- Stops at Mission San José and the Alamo with a local guide
