Southern-most mission of the five in San Antonio, this location is the start of your tour and will lay the foundational context for the rest of the tour. You will walk into the interior of this mission, hear interesting information about its' inhabitants and the Friars, as well as, the construction and layout of the mission. You will also have an opportunity to walk into the church that looks as it did in the 1700's.
Just five minutes from the first stop at Mission Espada, this mission has a fully renovated church that is not only charming, but impressive in its' reconstruction and the highlight of this stop. Hear about the inhabitants at this location, the construction of this mission, and what life was like for them. You will visit a small museum that has wonderful displays of materials used by the inhabitants, the use water for agriculture, among interesting other information.
The "Queen of the Missions" is the largest and most renovated mission in San Antonio, the finest example of Baroque architecture in Texas. Here, you will learn about its' function as a mission, as well as, the impressive revitalization by the WPA in the 1930's. You will experience the living quarters of all groups that lived and worked at the mission, have an exclusive interior guided tour of the Church, and learn so much more! Over 2000 of architectural, religious and cultural influences, and a reverence for the indigenous labor that made Mission San Jose the "Queen".
Mission Concepcion is hands down the most charming of all the missions. Hear about its' inhabitants, what life was life at this location, and learn about the creation of its' duel bell tower church, the oldest stone church in the US! You will see a 250 year old fresco, a fascinating ocular display, and the interior of the church where you will be humbled by its' beauty. You will see some other architectural highlights here, but those a secret and I can't wait to tell you all about them!
Drive past and learn about the oldest Spanish Aqueduct in the US. Learn about its' construction, where the technologies to build the structure come from, its' function and placement and connection to the acequia system to irrigate labores (farmlands).
Michael was amazing…best tour guide I’ve had in any tour throughout the US. Michael kept everyone engaged and worked to make personal connections with our team…the comedic flair was outstanding. Thanks Michael and God Bless!
Michael was most knowledgeable combined with enthusiasm and attentiveness. Made for a pleasant tour
Great tour, host was engaging!
If you’re even thinking about booking a tour in San Antonio, stop scrolling and book with San Antonio Pro Tours. Seriously. Michael gave us the best tour of our entire trip—by far. From the moment we got in the car, everything felt polished and professional. His vehicle was spotless, and the audio setup he used made it incredibly easy to hear him clearly the entire time (which, after other tours, was a huge upgrade). But what really set this experience apart was Michael himself. He didn’t just recite history—he brought it to life. His knowledge is insanely detailed, and his recall of facts and stories was genuinely impressive. On top of that, he took the time to get to know the three of us and actually tailored parts of the tour to things that resonated with each of us. That level of personalization is rare. And somehow, he balanced all of that with a great sense of humor that kept the whole experience engaging and fun from start to finish. This wasn’t just a tour—it felt like a custom experience led by someone who truly cares about what he does. Hands down the best history tour we’ve ever had.
Our travel group had the pleasure of having Michael give us a tour of the missions in San Antonio along with explaining the architecture in San Antonio. Michael was amazing as he gave so much history of the area. We learned so much and really enjoyed his guidance along with his sense of humor. He truly made it a memorable experience. I highly recommend ProTours.
Michael gave a very impressive tour. It was foundational to understanding the the history and the growth of San Antonio. He gave us an understanding of its multicultural influences and how the mission systems worked. Michael had deep knowledge in other relevant areas such the influences of Spanish culture, Spanish engineering, art that joined with the indigenous knowledge of food and botany and culture to form the San Antonio we see today. This is a tour everyone would enjoy!
Great tour. Wonderful way to learn history of the area. Michael was knowledgeable and funny. My mother and I had a great time.
Great way to learn the history of the area! Michael was terrific, knowledgeable and funny! Thanx again.
This private Missions tour was so educational and enlightening as to the historical and cultural history of San Antonio and Texas. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour, and our guide Michael was phenomenal. We will definitely plan another trip soon.
Michael was an excellent tour guide! Engaging, knowledgeable, fun. Great way to see SA highlights & history! He kept my two teenagers interested and was sure to point out historical and current points of interest. Great way to learn about SA and get acclimated with the area. Highly recommend!
We loved our tour with Michael. We were a group of 6 friends on a getaway weekend in San Antonio. Whether you enjoy history or not, this was a fun outing with a little of everything for everyone. Michael is fun and witty. His knowledge of the area was impressive and he included a variety of experiences for us. I would definitely do this again!
Michael's deep knowledge of San Antonio's history and culture was amazing. His descriptions breathed life into the sites we visited.
Michael was a great guide: informative, accommodating, professional. We learned so much about the San Antonio missions! Then we extended our tour to see more and Michael continued to wow us around SA neighborhoods, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Pearl... we even made a stop at the San Fernando Cathedral. All around, an excellent day.
If you are thinking about doing a tour of the Missions in San Antonio, I highly recommend this tour. I would give it a 6 if I could. Micheal was very knowledgeable about the history of the missions themselves, but also of the area during the time the missions were active. My family and I had an amazing time. I would definitely book another tour with Micheal in a heartbeat.
We had an amazing day with Michael touring the missions and learning about the history of San Antonio. We found him knowledgeable, friendly and funny as we spent 7 hours with him taking a trip through time. Next time we’re in town, we’ll absolutely hire Michael as our tour guide.
Wonderful tour that was not only historically accurate but also culturally sensitive. Mike did an excellent job and was a great host!
San Antonio Pro great tour, knowledgeable and personable guide who exceeded expectations and left us with a fantastic history of the missions is San Antonio.
Michael is a top notch tour guide. He mixes a friendly social approach to us as visitors with the knowledge of a professional historian. - and he does it well. We highly recommend this tour.
We were traveling in a group of 4, two couples. We booked Michael to pick us up at our hotel on the River Walk and give us a tour of the Missions. He has great communication, was prompt, very personable and very knowledgeable. He altered his tour slightly to accommodate our interests - when we expressed interest in indigenous foods and asked for a lunch recommendation he suggested we all go to Pharm Table. We had a great lunch there, trying mesquite pancakes, amaranth and a mesquite latte. Thanks for a great tour and great conversation!
Michael is the perfect guide. Knowledgeable and witty. Kept the tour moving at at the perfect pace Don’t look any further. Book this tour!
Husband and I booked a private tour with Michael. Happily for us, he accommodated our needs when we had to ask for a date change less than a week before the tour. We know a good bit about Texas and missions' history. Michael began the tour probing our knowledge and tailored his talk accordingly. We came away having learned a lot and were thoroughly impressed by his knowledge of history and his charming personality. It was great to have someone drive us between missions, all the while explaining more information. Highly recommend both Michael and this tour.
This was a very informative tour, we learned a lot about the unique history of the 5 missions of San Antonio. Michael is also a very entertaining tour guide.
We hired Michael for a private food / brewery tour for 15 friends from all over the US. From the first day I emailed him in June, to the day of our tour in October, he was fantastic. He's a local and knows all the best spots and he coordinated an awesome tour. He shared a lot of San Antonio history with us and we even made an impromptu stop at Mission Concepción so we could do a photo op and learn about the Spanish Missions of San Antonio. I would highly recommend Michael. This was an awesome way to explore San Antonio!
Our tour guide Michael was great. Well educated, well spoken and very knowledgeable about the Missions. My wife and I had a great time. Thank you Michael!
Our private tour of the missions in San Antonio was great. Michael was very knowledgeable and his humor made the tour that more enjoyable. If I every return to the area I’ll book another tour with Michael.
I highly recommend! We did a wine day in the Hill Country. Michael was very knowledgeable, friendly, and fun. Outlet group enjoyed the entire trip. Work With Michael and let him plan an excellent adventure for you. We will use him again!
Michael was a very knowledgeable and engaging tour guide who delivered an exceptional experience for my wife and I. We highly recommend this tour!!
The private tour with Michael was excellent! He worked with us ahead of time to personalize the stops in order to make the most of our single day in San Antonio: communications and meet-up were straightforward and timely. We learned a great deal of local history as his knowledge is superb: he took us to numerous mission sites as well as other points of interest including the Alamo. Michael contextualized everything we saw in a clear timeline, and he really brought the sites to life for us. He brought along bottled waters for us, and was also very respectful of our mobility needs, doing everything possible to accommodate the shortest possible walking route at each site. He even added in a quick lunch stop at a tasty taco stand. This was truly an outstanding experience with an outstanding guide: thank you!
All I can say is “WOW!” And not in a good way. I was eager to book this tour based on the outstanding reviews on TripAdvisor. Those reviews stop today! Michael is extremely unprofessional, disorganized, and rude. I first contacted Michael on December 16th for a March tour after reading all of his accolades on TripAdvisor. I started having problems with Michael right from the beginning. He refused to respond to my inquiry about availability and pricing in an email because it was “impersonal.” Instead, he had me schedule a phone call. Just what everyone wants to do is have to take time out of their day to take a phone call, but again, the reviews were so good I was willing to jump through a hoop. My first red flag was when he missed the phone appointment he insisted on making. I’ll include photo evidence in this review in case he tries to dispute. I finally connect with Michael when I endure a 45 minute sales pitch about his “concierge service.” I only wanted the Mission Tour, but after sitting through what felt like a “timeshare pitch” I agreed to the service. This was to include airport transfers and dining reservations for $200. I personally like researching and making my own dining reservations, but I wanted off the phone and it would be nice to not have to worry about airport transfers. He contacted me later and said he forgot to check his calendar and he was booked that day. Red flag number 2. I ended up finding less expensive flights for another day so I thought I’d give Michael another chance. When I followed up with Michael prior to booking my flights, he informed me that he could not pick us up from the airport because it was too late at night so he’d sell me the package for $160 instead. What is “concierge service” if it’s not accommodating those odd hours? I politely declined and said I just wanted the Missions Tour. By my calculations, he’s charging $40 each way for airport transfers and $120 to make dining reservations? Hmmm…maybe some people find that’s a good deal. I don’t, but that’s why I didn’t book the service. Anyway, on to red flag number 3. Side note- why did I keep giving this guy more chances?!? We are now in February and Michael calls and leaves me a message confirming our tour in March. What is the deal with this guy not wanting anything in writing? He has the wrong date. Fortunately, I had email evidence of the correct day which I text him. Supposedly, he had it in his calendar right. My “spidey senses” are really flaring now, but at this point, I kinda want to see how things end. A week prior to our tour, I confirm with Michael. He responds saying he has me down. Note - I (the client) reached out to him to confirm not the other way around. Red flag number 4. The day prior to the tour, Michael reaches out to change the tour time to 25 minutes earlier. (Photo evidence will be posted). This was a little inconvenient as we had lunch plans, but we rearranged because I suspected Michael had something else he wanted to do that day and might just cancel us if we weren’t willing to work with him. Now, for the main event of the story. Michael reaches out to me at 8:26 am for our now 12:35 pm tour to cancel. He does this over text citing “back spasms.” That’s right Mr. “Email and texts are too impersonal” can no longer pick up the phone and have a hard conversation. I responded with the abbreviated version of what I’ve shared here regarding my disappointment. He immediately calls and my husband answers. He tells my husband that he’s been in ER with back spasms and he told us this yesterday. He did not (see photos). I wish he would have so we could have attempted to make other plans. He only changed the time to 25 minutes earlier. What do back spasms have to do with an earlier pickup time? My husband said Michael would not like him speak and my husband eventually told him it was his turn to talk and Michael hung up on him!! Wow!! I can’t think of anything more unprofessional than a provider hanging up on a client because he doesn’t want to have to listen to the client’s complaints. In short, I don’t believe Michael’s story of “back spasms” since there was no mention of it the day before, but there was that suspicious request to change the time. I have sneaking suspicion he double booked and the other tour was more profitable for him. Judging by his disorganization and unreliability in the months leading up to this event I think he is in desperate need of a secretary. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he really is having back spasms and he thought moving the time to 25 minutes earlier would fix this problem. Eye roll. If Michael was truly having back spasms and in the ER the morning before as he claimed on text after HANGING UP ON MY HUSBAND, he should have reached out the day before when he was changing the time and let us know that cancellation was a possibility. Had he done that, we would have been disappointed, but understood. Instead, he presented us with a series of questionable actions and excuses leading us to believe he had a better offer come along. Anyway, we had a terrible experience with Michael and didn’t get to see the Missions as we had hope and planned on since December. I hope this one star review gives you pause and you don’t just keep blindly dealing with this business like I did because of all the five stars. *Edited to say I have photos of all of my print convos with Michael to back up my story, but TripAdvisor won’t let me post screenshots. Please feel free to reach out personally if you would like to see them.
Very courteous and attentive. He was knowledgeable about the area and tour. We appreciate the attention given. Thank you.
Outstanding tour and all the details were impeccably done! We had a great night of food and touring the city of San Antonio! Michael was knowledgeable in so many aspects of the history and architecture of the area! And did I mention we had an amazing evening of laughter! I highly recommend his tour! Thank you Michael
Our private mission tour with Michael was out of this world. Not only is he a consummate expert on all things regarding San Antonio history but he genuinely cares about his customers and their well-being. Michael has a crazy sense of humor which made me laugh but he is an authentic individual who is self aware and a great conversationalist. I enjoyed him immensely. He gave us great restaurant recommendations too! I highly recommend his services.
Michael is extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We started our visit to San Antonio with his guided trip to the Missions. Everything is planned out including transportation to the different sites taking the worry and stress out of the excursion. Memorable, moving and educational. 10 out of 10!
Awesome tour! Custom tour set up in short notice, would 100% recommend! Informative and entertaining.
Michael is great! Very information and entertaining tour of the Pearl. Great communication. He personalized this tour for my group.
My company hired Michael for private tour for clients we have been working with! I have never heard anyone be as comical and passionate about the San Antonio Missions! He was a joy to be around, and he did a stellar job keeping everyone interested and engaged! He even remembered everyone’s names!!! Definitely recommend hanging out with Michael to learn about the history of San Antonio!
Absolutely worth the cost! Michael was able to accommodate a group of devout Catholics and their needs for quiet prayer in the churches and still provided tons of historically accurate information. He understood the needs of a mature group of people and could respectfully discuss the interactions between indigenous people and the Spanish settlers. The tour was tailored to getting us to Mass on time. He is charming, funny and absolutely in love with the history.
Outstanding tour , Michael is so informative, he knows his stuff, we learnt so so much more than if we did the tour on our own Would recommend to everyone Larry and Carol
My friend and I were very excited to be able to book a, very last minute, private food tour. Michael created a unique experience for us, which included history, food, beverages, and excellent establishments that we wouldn't have otherwise experienced on our own. We thoroughly enjoyed our adventurous day and our wonderfully witty guide. Thanks again Michael!
Amazing tour with coworkers. Mike is a professional entertainmer and has a solid knowledge of San Antonio history and culure.
I don't usually book tours when I travel, because I like discovering sites on my own and in my own time. However, the group of friends I was traveling with really wanted to go on this tour. Now I understand why people book these types of tours. Michael was an amazing tour guide. He was very knowledgeable, professional, and kept the tour interesting and really fun. If only I had had a teacher like him when I was in school, I might have become a major history buff! Will try to come back and bring the kids next time!
Our tour guide Michael was exceptional from his historical knowledge of the four San Antonio Missions we visited to his superb level of customer service. I would highly recommend Michael Robinson’s private Mission Tour. Check him out!
Michael is a wonderful guide!! His knowledge of the missions is vast. His personality and demeanor are terrific. I highly recommend using his services.
Michael was an excellent tour guide. His knowledge about the San Antonio missions was really impressive, and Michael was so good with my 86 year old mother. He also gave us some restaurant ideas that were spot on great! We would highly recommend this tour.
Would highly recommend this tour of the Missions with Michael. He was able to accommodate us at the last minute when another tour cancelled on us. Have to say was glad the previous tour was cancelled, as the private tour with Michael was top notch! He picked us up right at the place we were staying. His knowledge of the Missions are amazing! Michael made the tour so fun as well with his wit & humor. Without a doubt, would recommend his tour!
The information provided was wonderfully presented and lived up to other reviews i looked at for this company. You will not be disappointed if you let Michael be your tour guide.
First of all, if you read any (or all) of these reviews, you can feel the authentic sincerity within them. Michael is not only a truly amazing tour guide; his quick wit and sense of humor will have you in stitches! But most of all, and probably of single-handed most importance, Michael has a tangible love for what he does... and it shows! He is a wealth of historic knowledge regarding all things San Antonio. Our large group (24ppl) tour started at a local BBQ spot for lunch, then the incredibly historic San Antonio Missions. Afterwards, we moved on to libations at the Emma Hotel, and ended with dinner at a local Tex-Mex restaurant. Everyone enjoyed Michael's company so much, we invited him to karaoke with us later that night- he came and sang, too! If you're considering a guided tour, and I can't express this enough, Michael is your guy!
In all the guides trips we’ve taken globally, this was the most engaging and informative. Michael clearly knows his history of missions but also of the city as a whole; including industry and geography. His experience as a teacher and a Stand-up comedian shows through in educating his clients with the perfect amount of comedic relief. We have visited the missions previously but Michael’s tour takes it to a new level. Engaging, interesting and enjoyable.
My husband and his brother and wife take a trip together every year and this is the first guided tour we have ever taken together. It was a wonderful experience and we would highly recommend Michael for this Missions tour or any other tour he might do! Michael is well informed and a lot of fun! Well done Michael!
Michael was absolutely the best tour guide we could hope for. He was engaging, knowledgeable, humorous and considerate. He custom tailored the tour to my 9 year old daughter who was with me so that she was able to learn and understand everything discussed. I would highly recommend and use Michael again whenever we are back in the San Antonio area. Definitely a highlight of our trip!
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