Summer Guide
Austin Party Bus River Float Trips: San Marcos & New Braunfels
An Austin party bus river float trip fixes the two worst parts of tubing in Central Texas: the I-35 drive home after five hours in the sun, and the parking lot situation at every outfitter between here and New Braunfels.
Below: the three rivers and how they differ, real drive times, the container rules that get groups fined every single summer, and how the bus timing actually works around a float.
Austin Nites Party Bus • 10 min read
Three Rivers, Three Very Different Days
People say "let's float the river" like there's one. There are three within an hour of Austin and they are not interchangeable.
San Marcos River
Spring-fed and startlingly clear — you can see the bottom the whole way. Holds around 72 degrees year-round, which is refreshing in August and shocking in May.
Float time: 2–3 hours. Vibe: the mellowest of the three, more college and family mix, less of a scene.
Best for: first-timers, mixed groups, anyone who wants to be home by six.
Comal River, New Braunfels
Shortest river in Texas at about two and a half miles, spring-fed, same steady 72 degrees. The tube chute is the thing everybody comes for and the thing everybody films.
Float time: 2–3 hours. Vibe: busiest and loudest. On a July Saturday it's shoulder to shoulder.
Best for: bachelor and bachelorette groups, birthdays, anyone who wants the full scene.
Guadalupe River, New Braunfels
Bigger water, actual rapids, cypress trees the whole way. Not spring-fed — it runs on releases from Canyon Lake, which means the flow changes and sometimes it's barely floatable.
Float time: 3–5 hours depending on flow and where you put in. Vibe: more scenic, more spread out, more of a day.
Best for: groups who want the float itself to be the event, not the backdrop.
Check the Guadalupe flow before you commit to it. GBRA publishes release data from Canyon Lake. Too low and you're walking your tube across gravel for four hours. The Comal and San Marcos don't have this problem — springs don't care about drought the way a dam release does.
The Container Rules That Get Groups Fined
This is the part nobody tells you until you're at the put-in with a cooler full of things you can't bring. New Braunfels enforces this seriously and writes real citations.
No glass. Anywhere. Ever. Every river, every outfitter, no exceptions and no arguing about it.
No disposable containers in New Braunfels. The city's "can ban" ordinance restricts single-use containers on the Comal and Guadalupe. Practically: no styrofoam, no disposable cups, and small containers are prohibited — which is the rule that kills jello shots and mini bottles every year.
Cooler size limits apply. New Braunfels caps cooler volume per person. Check the current limit with your outfitter before you pack — the number has changed over the years and they'll tell you what's enforced today.
San Marcos has its own rules. Similar in spirit, different in detail. Confirm with whoever you're renting tubes from.
The workaround everyone lands on: reusable cans and hard-sided reusable cups, packed in a proper cooler, and the rest of the party stays on the bus. Which is a decent argument for the bus on its own — whatever can't go on the river is waiting for you when you get off.
How the Bus Actually Works Around a Float
Floats have a built-in complication: you get out of the water somewhere other than where you got in. Outfitters run their own shuttles back to the lot, and on a busy Saturday that shuttle line is its own thirty-minute experience.
Two ways we handle it, and the right one depends on your river.
The bus waits
Driver stays at the outfitter with your dry clothes, your towels and the cooler that couldn't go on the water. You take the outfitter's shuttle back to the lot and the bus is right there. Simplest option, and on a two to three hour Comal or San Marcos float it's the one we recommend.
The bus comes back
Drop at the put-in, return at a set time. Makes more sense on a five-hour Guadalupe float where the bus would otherwise sit idle most of the day. The tradeoff is that you're locked to a pickup time and rivers don't run on schedules.
One thing that surprises people: waiting is often cheaper than it sounds once you price the second round trip. Ask us to run both numbers.
A Real Float Day, Hour by Hour
Eighteen people, Comal River, Saturday in July.
9:30 Bus loads. Coolers first, then people, then the one guy who's still looking for his sandals.
9:45 Roll south on I-35.
10:45 New Braunfels. Traffic on 35 in summer is its own variable.
11:00 Outfitter. Tubes, wristbands, waivers, cooler inspection. Budget thirty minutes, not ten.
11:30 In the water.
2:30 Out. Shuttle back to the lot.
3:00 Bus. Towels, dry clothes, air conditioning, cold water.
3:30 Gruene for the Gristmill and a drink at Gruene Hall — ten minutes away and worth building in.
5:30 North on 35.
6:45 Home.
Nine hours. Groups book six and then extend, which costs more and isn't always possible on a summer Saturday. The Gruene stop is the part everyone remembers and the part everyone forgets to budget for.
What It Costs
Hourly, four-hour minimum, 20% gratuity to your driver. Tubes and outfitter fees are separate and paid there.
Comal float • 18 people • 9 hrs • Saturday
9 × $175 = $1,575
Gratuity = $315
$1,890 • $105 per person
San Marcos • 14 people • 6 hrs • Thursday
6 × $150 = $900
Gratuity = $180
$1,080 • $77 per person
Weekday floats run at the off-peak rate and the rivers are dramatically less crowded — a Thursday on the Comal is a different river than a Saturday on the Comal. Full rates are on our party bus prices page.
Float Advice We Give on the Phone
Leave by 9:30 on a summer Saturday. I-35 south and the outfitter lots both fill by mid-morning. An hour later leaving costs you two hours in real time.
Water shoes, not flip flops. River bottoms are rock. Flip flops are gone in the first ten minutes and then you're barefoot on limestone.
Waterproof your phone or leave it on the bus. Every float loses at least one. A five-dollar pouch beats a new phone.
One cooler is water only. Three hours of Texas sun on the water dehydrates people faster than they expect, and it's the difference between a good ride home and a bad one.
Dry clothes and towels stay on the bus. Non-negotiable. Eighteen wet people on leather seating for an hour is a specific kind of miserable.
Build in Gruene. Ten minutes from the Comal exits. Gruene Hall is the oldest dance hall in Texas and the Gristmill is right there. It turns a float into a whole day for one extra hour on the bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the drive from Austin to New Braunfels or San Marcos?
San Marcos is 35 to 45 minutes. New Braunfels is 50 to 60. Both can run twenty to thirty minutes longer on summer weekends when I-35 backs up.
How much is a party bus for a river float from Austin?
From $150 an hour off-peak up to $225 depending on bus size, plus 20% gratuity. A nine-hour Saturday Comal trip for eighteen people is about $1,890 total, or roughly $105 each. Tube rental is separate.
Do you rent the tubes?
No — we handle transportation. You book the outfitter, we build the timing around your reservation. Tell us who you're renting from and we'll route to the right lot.
Can we drink on the bus on the way down?
Yes, if everyone on board is 21 or older. Coolers, ice and cups are included. What you can take onto the river is governed by local ordinance and is much more restricted — see the container rules above.
Which river should we pick?
San Marcos if you want mellow and close. The Comal if you want the scene and the tube chute. The Guadalupe if you want a longer, more scenic float — and check the flow first.
When is river season?
Roughly May through September. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day are the three busiest weekends by a wide margin — book those two to three months ahead.
Plan Your Float Day
Tell us the date, the headcount, and which river. If you've already booked an outfitter, give us the name and we'll build the timing around it.
Call (512) 825-4032Austin Nites Party Bus • 2020 S Congress Ave, Austin TX 78704
Open 7 days, 8AM–11PM • Serving Austin since 2013
More Water Days
The rest of what we run when it's hot.