San Sebastian. Top things to do in San Sebastion, Basque Country, Spain.
Location and History
San Sebastian is probably Lyle’s favourite city in Spain. Read on to find out why.
It has population of about 188,000.
You can catch a scenic train ride from Barcelona which takes just over 5 hours for the 575km trip.
The locals call it Donostia. It is a resort town in the Basque Country on the Bay of Biscay. It is located only 50km from the French border.
It is the home of the beret – which was first worn and made fashionable by the men of San Sebastian.
This city is also known by the locals as the food capital of the planet.
Not far from the train station there is a stunning bridge called Maria Christina Bridge opened in January 1905 and was modelled on the Alexander III bridge in Paris. It has four impressive obelisks on each corner and is covered by groups of sculptures.
Zurriola Beach
This is the best beach for surfing in San Sebastian. They hold regular surfing competitions here. It is a very wide flat beach that is popular with locals. You can walk out along a jetty where you can view the waves and surfers up close.
Along the beach is a nice wide pedestrian walkway.
Funicular of Monte Igueldo
The funicular takes you up the steep 320 metre Monte Igueldo from Ondaretta Beach. On top of this mountain is a luxury hotel that used to be a casino. Lots of famous Hollywood actors used to visit the casino.
It is a great place for a coffee or meal as there is a restaurant that looks over the famous La Concha Beach.
Also, on Mount Igueldo is a small amusement park which is suitable for younger children. The amusement park has a wooden roller coaster built in 1928 that takes you out over the edge of the mountain before it returns to the safety of the park. We did ride on the roller coaster, and yes it was scary. The views are absolutely incredible, if you are game to look.
The Promenade of La Concha Beach
There is a lovely promenade that takes you from Ondaretta Beach all along the beachfront and La Concha beach.
La Concha beach is known as the most beautiful urban beach in Europe.
The promenade is lined with lovely big houses with pretty gardens on one side and then ornate white balustrades and restaurants along the other side.
Further down the promenade is a plaza area that opens into the old town.
Isla de Santa Clara is located in the middle of the bay of Donastia between Monte Ugrull and Monte Igueldo.
It is 400 metres across and rises 48 metres. At the end of the 16th century people who were infected with the plague were transferred to the Island to prevent spread of infection.
Monte Urgull
Mount Urgull is a headland the separates La Concha beach and Zuriolla Beach.
At its highest point it is 120 metres. At the peak there is a 12 metre statue of Jesus.
There is a castle and fort which holds the Casa de La Historia that is dedicated to the city’s history and is definitely worth a visit.
You can walk up stairs, or around a path to get to the top of the mountain or you can walk all around the headland from Zuriolla Beach to La Concha.
The views from the top of Monte Urgull and amazing. You can see the beach areas, the port, the old town and Isla de Santa Clara
The Old Town
The old town of San Sebastian has the highest concentration of bars in the world.
The Santa Maria Del Coro Basilica is a Baroque Roman Catholic Church which was completed in 1774. The main entrance is located between two towers.
31 Agosto (31st August) Street was named as it was the day that commemorates the destruction and fire of the entire city.
Plaza de La Constitution was constructed in 1817. There are numbers above the windows in the houses facing the plaza. These mark the bullring boxes that the houses formerly used to be from where you could watch the bullfights.
This is the main plaza area where big parties and celebrations take place.
Gipuzkoa Plaza is 5000sqm. It resembles a small English wood and has a huge variety of trees, flowers and plants. Of course there is a pond with ducks, swans and some turtles. You can cross over an iron bridge which takes you to the lily pond.
The Food of San Sebastian
The best known food in San Sebastian are the pintxos. These are like tapas in other areas of Spain, but you must not call them tapas. The pintxos are definitely more gourmet and varied. They are made fresh and usually secured to a piece of bread with a toothpick. When you have finished eating you take the toothpicks from the food you have eaten and pay.
Some of the most popular pintxos include anchovies with pickled peppers, goat cheese with caramelised onion, garlic prawns, bacon wrapped dates, sausages with peppers and potato croquets.
The pintxo bars are all around San Sebastian and especially throughout the old town. The bars with all the food on display look incredible.
Michelin Stars
There are eleven Michelin starred restaurants in San Sebastian which is the most per square metre in Europe.
What are Michelin stars and how did they begin? We tell you (or Lyle does) the full fascinating story in the podcast, but the summary is this.
The tyre company Michelin wanted to find a way to get more people to travel and therefore use more tyres back in early 1900’s. They added a guide of restaurants out in the country to visit based on whether the restaurant was 1 star – the food was ok, 2 stars – the food was worth stopping for and 3 stars – you should detour to visit.
International Film Festival
This film festival is held every year in late September. 2022 was the 70th anniversary of the festival. Films are competing for the Golden Shell award.
It is a very popular festival amongst the A lister Hollywood stars who are often seen wandering the streets of San Sebastian.
Favourite Place to a Enjoy a Wine in San Sebastian
Lyle’s favourite place to have a wine was the Michelin star restaurant we visited where he had veal.
Leanne’s favourite place was at the restaurant on La Concha beach looking out over the Bay of Biscay and Isla de Santa Clara.
You can listen to the full episode below, or on our podcast page here.