The short version on Alamo tickets reservations: the Alamo Church, the Long Barrack and the grounds are always free, but the church needs a free timed ticket, which you reserve online or at the Alamo Welcome Center. Everything else costs money. The Alamo Exhibit, home of the Phil Collins Collection, is $15 for an adult. The self-guided A Line in the Sand package is $20, the 45-minute guided tour is $48, and the temporary Sons of ’76 exhibit is $15 on its own through March 31, 2027. Only the tours really need booking ahead. The free church ticket exists to pace the crowd, and the Alamo admits visitors who miss their slot.
This page is for anyone trying to work out which Alamo ticket to get, whether to book, and what happens if plans change. The caveat is construction: the Alamo Plan has Alamo Plaza closed to vehicles, the new museum going up on Houston Street, and preservation work on the church due to start later in 2026, so details shift month to month. For the rest of the visit, from history to what to see first, start with our Alamo visitor guide. Everything here was checked October 1, 2026 against the Alamo’s own visit, FAQ, ticketing, tour and construction pages.
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Cost | Church, Long Barrack and grounds free. Paid options run $15 to $75 per adult. |
| Reservation | A free timed ticket for the church only, online or at the Alamo Welcome Center |
| Hours | 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, closed December 25. Church entry 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alamo Exhibit 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m. |
| Time needed | 30 minutes to an hour for the free visit; add 45 minutes for a guided tour and more for the exhibit |
| Time outdoors | The grounds and any wait at the church door are outside; the church and the exhibit are indoors |
| Best time to go | Morning, especially from June to September, when average highs reach 92 to 96°F |
| Book ahead? | Guided and after-hours tours, yes. The free church ticket, before you go if you can. |
| Change or cancel | One business day ahead for a new time or a full refund; no-shows aren’t refunded |
What is free at the Alamo?
More than most people expect. The Alamo’s FAQ is blunt about it: admission to the Alamo Church, the Long Barrack and the grounds is always free. You don’t pay to stand in the church, which is the building everyone pictures, and you don’t pay to walk the grounds behind it. The Alamo is run by the Alamo Trust for the state of Texas, and the free church visit is the core of it, not a teaser.
Here’s what the free visit covers, according to the Alamo’s visit page:
- The Alamo Church. The 18th-century church of Mission San Antonio de Valero, founded in 1718 and moved to this site in 1724. This is the one part that needs the free timed ticket.
- The Long Barrack. Once part of the mission’s living quarters and later a key part of the 1836 defense, it’s free and needs no ticket.
- The Alamo Gardens. Shaded paths, a fountain and big live oaks behind the church, and the easiest place on the site to cool off.
- The Living History Encampment. Hands-on demonstrations of 1830s daily life, when it’s running.
- The Statues of Heroes trail and the cannon. A bronze sculpture trail and a full-size replica of an 18-pounder cannon.
Out front on Alamo Plaza, the marble Cenotaph honoring the defenders was restored where it stands, not moved, and rededicated on November 11, 2025. It’s public space, so it’s free too.
What costs money is everything with a guide, a headset or a glass case: the tours, the audio guide and the Alamo Exhibit in the Ralston Family Collections Center. A good free visit is a real visit. The Alamo’s own estimate for the church and grounds is 30 minutes to an hour, and that’s a complete visit.
How does the free Alamo Church ticket work?
The church runs on free timed-entry tickets so the building doesn’t fill past what it can take. The Alamo’s timed-entry page says the ticket exists to help preserve “the Alamo’s most precious artifact,” which is a fair description of an 18th-century limestone church with a steady stream of visitors.
Where to get it
Reserve it on the Alamo’s website, which issues free tickets through its ticketing site, or get one in person at the Alamo Welcome Center. A new welcome center opened on July 2, 2026, with the reopening of the Paseo del Alamo, the passage between Alamo Plaza and the River Walk, and it has an elevator. The Alamo’s pages give no advance-booking window, slot length or limit per order, so the practical advice is simple: reserve as soon as you know your day, and if you didn’t, get one on site.
What the ticket covers
The free ticket gets you into the church, and only the church. The timed-entry page lists church entry from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. After that, you can stay on the grounds as long as you like until closing at 5:30 p.m. Keep the confirmation handy on your phone in case staff ask for it at the door.
What if you miss your time?
Relax. The Alamo says visitors who arrive outside their timed-ticket slot are still admitted during open hours, so a long lunch or a slow parking garage won’t cost you the visit. The one hard limit is the end of the day. The FAQ puts last entry at 15 minutes before the 5:30 p.m. closing, while the visit page said 30 minutes when we checked in September. To be safe, plan to be inside by 5 p.m.
Rules at the door
While preservation work goes on at the back of the church, visitors enter and leave through the front doors. Flash photography is banned inside all Alamo buildings, drones are banned everywhere on the grounds, and professional filming needs a permit. Only ADA service animals are allowed, so pets stay outside the grounds. The church, the Long Barrack and the gift shop are wheelchair accessible; our accessible San Antonio travel guide covers getting there step-free.
What do the paid Alamo tickets include?
Every paid option adds one of three things to the free visit: artifacts, narration or a guide. Here they are side by side, at the Alamo’s listed prices in October 2026. Child prices are for 12 and under.
| Ticket | Adult | Child | Senior or military | What you get | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alamo Exhibit | $15 | $11 | $13 | 500+ artifacts in the Ralston Family Collections Center, including the Phil Collins Collection, plus the Surrounded! augmented-reality experience | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m. |
| A Line in the Sand (self-guided) | $20 | $18 | $18 | An audio tour narrated by Ray Benson, plus the Alamo Exhibit and the church | Self-paced; audio device pickup ends at 4 p.m. |
| Remember the Alamo Guided Tour | $48 | $38 | $43 | A 45-minute guided tour of the church, the Alamo Exhibit and Surrounded! | Departures 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Young Texans Tour | $48 | $38 | Not listed | A one-hour guided tour | Daily, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. |
| Sons of ’76 (temporary exhibit) | $15 on its own | Not listed | Not listed | Included with the Alamo’s tour packages | September 4, 2026 to March 31, 2027 |
| After Hours Guided Tour | $75 | $60 | $60 adult military or member; $50 child | After-hours access to the church and the Alamo Exhibit with a guide | Select evenings only |
| Private tour | $60 per person (15 to 60 people) | Same | Same | About 45 minutes with your own guide; $900 flat for a smaller group | By arrangement |
The Alamo Exhibit
This is the paid piece most worth your money if you like objects more than stories. The Ralston Family Collections Center holds more than 500 artifacts, with the Phil Collins Collection at its heart: the musician’s collection of Texas Revolution artifacts, which he donated to the Alamo. The ticket also includes Surrounded!, an augmented-reality experience of the siege. It closes earlier than the grounds, with last entry at 4 p.m., which is the detail that catches people who save it for the end of the day.
Plan it: $15 adult, $11 child, $13 senior or military; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last entry 4 p.m.; reserve a time online.
A Line in the Sand
For most visitors, this is the best value at the Alamo. For $5 more than the exhibit alone, you get the exhibit, the church and an audio tour narrated by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, which you take at your own pace. Pick up the audio device by 4 p.m. If you’re the type who reads every plaque anyway, the narration saves you the squinting.
Plan it: $20 adult, $18 child, $18 senior or military; self-paced; device pickup ends at 4 p.m.
Remember the Alamo Guided Tour
A guide takes you through the church, the Alamo Exhibit and Surrounded! in about 45 minutes. It costs more than twice as much as A Line in the Sand for broadly the same ground, so what you’re paying for is the guide: someone to answer questions, untangle the 1836 timeline and point out what you’d walk past. Departures run from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you’re weighing it against going on your own, our full guide to the Alamo compares the free, self-guided and guided visits.
Plan it: $48 adult, $38 child, $43 senior or military; about 45 minutes; departures 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; book ahead.
Young Texans Tour
A daily one-hour guided tour that starts at 9:45 a.m. and ends at 10:45 a.m., priced like the main guided tour. With one departure a day there’s no fallback time, so book it early if the timing suits you.
Plan it: $48 adult, $38 child; daily 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.
Sons of ’76
A temporary exhibit running from September 4, 2026 to March 31, 2027. It’s included with the Alamo’s tour packages or costs $15 for an adult on its own. If you’re buying a tour anyway, check that your package includes it rather than paying twice.
Plan it: $15 adult on its own; through March 31, 2027.
After Hours Guided Tour
On select evenings, the Alamo runs guided tours after closing, with the church and the Alamo Exhibit to a smaller group. The tour page highlights the Phil Collins Collection and the Donald and Louise Yena Spanish Colonial Collection. When we checked, the only date listed was Friday, May 22, 2026, at 6 p.m., so new dates appear as the Alamo schedules them. It meets at the Welcome Center, and the Alamo pitches it at adults and families with older children. Kids 5 and under go free but don’t get a headset.
Plan it: $75 adult, $60 child; $60 adult military or Friends of the Alamo member, $50 for their children; select evenings only.
Private tours
Groups can book a private guide for about 45 minutes, at $60 per person for 15 to 60 people or a flat $900 for smaller groups. For a family of four that’s an expensive hour; for a reunion of 20, $60 a head buys a guide all to yourselves for $12 more than a public tour ticket. Teachers should look at the Alamo’s field trip program instead.
Plan it: $60 per person for 15 to 60 people, or $900 flat; book well ahead.
Do you need to book Alamo tickets in advance?
It depends on the ticket. Here’s the honest breakdown:
- Free church ticket: reserve before you go if you can, mostly so you aren’t stuck waiting at the Welcome Center. You can also get one on the day, and the Alamo admits people outside their slot during open hours.
- Alamo Exhibit and A Line in the Sand: book online when you know your day. Last entry for the exhibit is 4 p.m., so a late-afternoon arrival can leave you with no time to use it.
- Guided tours: book ahead. Departures are limited to 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Young Texans Tour runs once a day.
- After Hours and private tours: book as soon as you know. After-hours dates are rare, and private guides need arranging.
If your trip falls on a holiday weekend or spring break, treat every paid tour as something to book the moment your dates are fixed.
Changing or canceling
The Alamo’s FAQ sets the rule: reservation changes must be made one business day in advance to reschedule or get a full refund. Call (210) 225-1391, extension 1801. If you don’t show up for a reserved tour time, you don’t get a refund. “One business day” matters on a weekend trip: to change a Monday tour, call by Friday.
Discounts, CityPASS and other ways to pay less
Built-in discounts
The Alamo offers discounts to Friends of the Alamo members, military and seniors 65 and older. You can see them in the price table above: the guided tour drops from $48 to $43 for seniors and military, and the exhibit from $15 to $13. Bring an ID for military pricing; the after-hours tour page asks for one explicitly.
Is CityPASS worth it for the Alamo?
San Antonio CityPASS costs $63 for adults (12 and up) and $53 for children 3 to 11. It covers one admission each to four attractions of your choice from eight, valid for nine consecutive days from first use. One of the eight is the “Alamo Exhibit and Church,” which needs a reservation even with the pass. The others are the Go Rio narrated river cruise, the San Antonio Zoo, Tower of the Americas, the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the Witte Museum, the DoSeum and the San Antonio Museum of Art.
Here’s the catch. The church is free anyway, and at $15 for an adult, the Alamo Exhibit is the cheapest ticket among those CityPASS prices. Spending one of your four choices on it gets you the least value from the pass. CityPASS’s own box-office comparison prices put the San Antonio Museum of Art at $24, the Botanical Garden at $22, the Tower at $21.11 and the Witte at $17. Pick the Alamo Exhibit with three of those and you’re saving roughly $12 to $19 per adult. If you’d visit five of the attractions anyway, put the pass toward the four priciest and pay the Alamo’s $15 separately. If you’d only use two or three, skip the pass.
The cheapest good visit
Reserve the free church ticket, walk the grounds and the gardens, and add A Line in the Sand at $20 if you want the artifacts and the story. For two adults and two kids, that’s $76, against $172 for the same family on the guided tour. And if the budget is tight, the free visit alone is a complete one. Our guide to San Antonio on a budget pairs it with the city’s other free sights, including the four Spanish missions run by the National Park Service.
How does construction affect your Alamo visit?
The Alamo Plan is rebuilding the setting around the church, and it changes how you arrive more than what you see inside. As of the Alamo’s September 2026 construction update:
- Alamo Plaza is closed to vehicles. Drop-offs and rideshares can’t pull up out front.
- Houston Street is fenced for the new Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, with the north sidewalk between Losoya and Alamo Streets open to pedestrians. Street work starts in January 2027, after which that block becomes pedestrian-only.
- The Paseo del Alamo reopened on July 2, 2026, with the new welcome center and an elevator, so the step-free route from the River Walk is back.
- The Alamo Education Center opened on April 30, 2026.
- Church preservation work is due to start later in 2026; for now, entry and exit are through the front doors.
- The Visitor Center and Museum is scheduled to open in 2028. The Alamo’s own pages disagree on spring 2028 versus 2027, and the newer construction news says 2028.
None of this changes the ticket rules, but it can add detours to your walk in, so leave slack before a timed tour. The Alamo doesn’t provide parking; it points visitors to nearby public lots run by SP+ and listed on ParkWhiz. For transit, rideshare drop-offs and garages, see our guide to getting around San Antonio.
Which Alamo ticket mistakes cost you time or money?
Most ticket trouble at the Alamo comes from a handful of avoidable slips. Each of these follows directly from the Alamo’s own rules and prices:
- Saving the exhibit for last. The grounds stay open until 5:30 p.m., but the Alamo Exhibit stops admitting people at 4 p.m. and audio devices for A Line in the Sand stop going out at the same time. Do the paid part first and the free grounds after.
- Buying the exhibit and a tour separately. The guided tour and A Line in the Sand both include the Alamo Exhibit, so a separate $15 exhibit ticket on top is money spent twice.
- Paying twice for Sons of ’76. The temporary exhibit is included with the Alamo’s tour packages; the $15 stand-alone price is for people who aren’t taking one.
- Spending a CityPASS choice on the Alamo. It’s the cheapest ticket the pass prices, and the church half of it is free to everyone.
- Missing the change deadline. Changes and refunds need one business day’s notice, so on a weekend trip, any change to a Sunday or Monday tour has to be made by Friday.
- Assuming the evening tour runs nightly. After-hours tours run on select dates only. If none is listed for your trip, see the lit facade from the plaza instead.
- Arriving at 5:15 p.m. for the church. Last entry is 15 minutes before closing on the FAQ and 30 on the visit page. Either way, you’d be cutting it fine.
Which Alamo ticket should you get?
| If you are | Get | Cost per adult | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short on time or money | The free church ticket, plus the grounds | $0 | The church, the Long Barrack and the gardens in 30 to 60 minutes |
| Curious, but not a history buff | A Line in the Sand | $20 | The exhibit, the church and the story at your own pace |
| Into artifacts | Alamo Exhibit, or A Line in the Sand | $15 or $20 | The Phil Collins Collection is the reason to pay |
| Someone who wants questions answered | Remember the Alamo Guided Tour | $48 | 45 minutes with a guide; book ahead |
| An early riser | Young Texans Tour | $48 | One departure a day, at 9:45 a.m. |
| In town for an evening | After Hours Guided Tour, if one is scheduled | $75 | Smaller group, no daytime crowd |
| A group of 15 or more | Private tour | $60 per person | Your own guide for about 45 minutes |
| Doing four or more paid attractions | CityPASS, using your choices on pricier attractions | $63 | Saves money only if you’d pay for four |
One more thing to know: you can do the free church visit and buy a paid ticket on another day. If you arrive at 4:30 p.m., use the free ticket, see the church and the gardens, and come back in the morning for the exhibit, which closes to new entries at 4 p.m.
Alamo tickets FAQ
Is the Alamo free to visit?
Yes. The Alamo Church, the Long Barrack and the grounds are always free. The church requires a free timed-entry ticket, reserved online or at the Alamo Welcome Center. You pay only for extras: the Alamo Exhibit ($15 adult), the A Line in the Sand audio package ($20), guided tours ($48) and the occasional after-hours tour ($75).
Can you get Alamo tickets on the day?
For the church, yes: the Alamo’s FAQ says you can reserve the free ticket at the Alamo Welcome Center as well as online. Paid tours are another matter. Guided departures run only from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Young Texans Tour runs once a day, so book those online before you go.
What happens if you’re late for your Alamo time slot?
For the free church ticket, nothing bad: the Alamo admits visitors who arrive outside their slot during open hours. Paid tours are stricter. If you miss a reserved tour time, the Alamo doesn’t refund it, and changes need to be made one business day in advance by calling (210) 225-1391, extension 1801.
Does CityPASS include the Alamo?
San Antonio CityPASS lists the “Alamo Exhibit and Church” as one of its eight choices, and you still need a reservation. Since the church is free and the exhibit costs $15, using a CityPASS choice on it is the weakest deal on the pass. You’ll save more by spending your four choices on pricier attractions.
Are there Alamo discounts for seniors and military?
Yes. The Alamo discounts tickets for seniors 65 and over, military and Friends of the Alamo members. The guided tour is $43 instead of $48 for seniors and military, and the Alamo Exhibit is $13 instead of $15. Bring ID for military pricing.
Can you take photos inside the Alamo?
The Alamo prohibits flash photography inside all of its buildings and bans drones everywhere on the grounds. Professional filming needs a permit. The facade, the gardens and Alamo Plaza are fair game, and the church front is lit after dark if you want the classic photo without the daytime crowd.
Related San Antonio Guides
- San Antonio on a Budget: the free church visit, the free missions and the city’s other no-cost sights.
- San Antonio Missions Guide: the four other Spanish missions, free and run by the National Park Service.
- San Antonio Culture and History: the Indigenous, Spanish, Mexican and Tejano story around the Alamo.
- San Antonio River Walk Guide: the river is a short walk from the church through the Paseo del Alamo.
- San Antonio Museums and Art: where the Alamo Exhibit fits among the city’s museums.
Sources and How We Checked
This guide was checked on October 1, 2026 and is compiled from the operators and agencies listed below, not from other travel lists. Prices are the Alamo’s listed prices on that date. It describes places from those sources and claims no first-hand visits.
- The Alamo: Visit, FAQs, Free timed entry, Alamo Exhibit, A Line in the Sand, Remember the Alamo Guided Tour, Young Texans Tour, After Hours Guided Tour, Private tours, Sons of ’76
- The Alamo, Alamo Plan: Construction news, July 2026, August 2026, September 2026, Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, Cenotaph rededication
- The Alamo, history: Mission San Antonio de Valero
- San Antonio CityPASS: Attractions and prices
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: San Antonio monthly normals, 1991 to 2020
San Antonio Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with Visit San Antonio, the City of San Antonio, the Alamo or any attraction listed here, and no one paid to be included.
Photo Credits
- The Alamo church at dusk: photo by Ligocsicnarf89, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
- Fountain in the Alamo Gardens: photo by Esmithiii2003, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Visitors on Alamo Plaza: photo by Ligocsicnarf89, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
- Carronade on the Alamo grounds: photo by gillfoto, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)