The Travel Blog

From the stunning Playa Concha Beach to the legendary gastronomy scene, San Sebastian/Donostia, Spain  (Donostia is the historical Basque name of the city) is one of our very favorite European cities. Our first visit was in the summer of 2018 while we were in Spain for the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. More recently we spent the fall of 2022 in a two-month, short-term rental apartment in the heart of the city with friends rotating through every few weeks. This is our story.

Our apartment was right on the church square of the stunning Buen Pastor Cathedral, just a five-minute walk to Old Town San Sebastian and Playa Concha. Our first stop once we got settled into our apartment was for Pintxos! Pintxos (pron: Peen-Chose) are small individual servings similar to Tapas in southern Spain. San Sebastian is full of Pintxos bars (see a list of our recommendations in our San Sebastian Destination Guide). A common dinner experience in San Sebastian is to basically pub crawl your way through the streets of old town ordering beer, cider, or wine and Pintxos while you eat your way from one bar to the next. Pintxos are typically eaten standing up and it’s not uncommon for the single-wipe small napkins to just be dropped on the floor – it’s more a sign of respect to see a floor littered with napkins than a sign of poor housekeeping. Pintxos can be served hot or cold. Most of the Pintxos bars are order-at-the-counter arrangements where patrons must fight their way through the chaos to start pointing to what they want. The Pintxos bar tenders have a remarkable knack for keeping track of what you ordered in their heads over multiple trips to the bar. While it is ridiculously simple to find your way through the streets of old town to duck in and out of Pintxos bars, a guided tour is also a good way to sample many Pintxos bars with a colorful local (Pintxos Foodie Tour)

But wait, there’s more! If Pintxos aren’t your jam, San Sebastian is a European gastronomy destination with nineteen Michelin Star Restaurants and a cultural passion for exceptional food and wine. We recommend using the Michelin Guide App wherever you travel for a list of Michelin Star Restaurants in the area. A typical Michelin Star dinner may offer a choice of a traditional menu where patrons order a starter and main with a bottle of wine OR a tasting menu where the chef presents several small courses paired with several small pours of different wines. We nearly always let the chef feed us and show off their amazing interpretations and combinations of tastes and textures. Tasting menu prices with paired wines vary, but you can expect to spend between US$150 and US$300 per person. You can see a list of some of our favorite Michelin Star Restaurants in our San Sebastian Destination Guide.

If you’re getting the idea that food is a central theme in San Sebastian, you’re right. As if the Pintxos and Michelin Star Restaurants aren’t enough, cooking your own meals from the Mercado de La Bretxa fresh market in a cooking class from the Mimo School of Gastronomy is an authentic San Sebastian experience that shouldn’t be missed. We made sure to cook at least one meal in our apartment with each of our friends which made for memorable evenings with all of them.

Aside from the gluttony of eating and drinking too much, San Sebastian is a holiday playground. The three primary beaches: Playa Concha, Playa Zurriola, and Playa Ondarreta are easy walking distance from the city center and each offer unique experiences in the warm waters of the Bay of Biscay. The half-mile surf break on Playa Zarriola is one of the most famous in Spain and the two-mile promenade along Playa Concha and Playa Ondarreta is a beautiful stroll. Overlooking the stunning beaches are Mount Urgull and Mount Igeldo. Mount Urgull is home to the historical fort that guarded the city for centuries and has a dramatic El Sagrado Corazo, 72 foot statue of Jesus Christ protecting the city. Beneath the statue is the Casa de la Historia donation-based museum that tells the history of San Sebastian. Mount Igeldo across the bay from Mount Urgill is accessed by a hundred-year-old Funicular at the base of the mountain. At the top of the mountain is an amusement park with rides and restaurants along with the most iconic view of Playa Concha and the beautiful city of San Sebastian.

During our recent two-month stay in San Sebastian, we took four overnight side trips to meet friends in Bilboa, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Andorra, and Porto. All five  were easy trips by bus, rental car, or short-hop flights. In Bilboa we explored the famous Guggenheim Museum and were able to catch a James Taylor concert in the Bilboa Opera House. In Barcelona, we were able to attend the La Merce festival of Giants and Human Castellers. Our trips to Porto, Andorra, and Bordeaux were primarily focused on port and wine tasting in those regions. Other fabulous cities like Pamplona, Lisbon, Madrid, and Valencia are easily accessible with inexpensive short-hop flights from either Hondarribia or Bilboa.

Our time in San Sebastian was a wonderful experience and while two months was a nice immersion into modern Basque culture and lifestyle, we are both looking forward to going back for more.

Phil & Diane

[Note: No goods or services were provided by any organizations mentioned in this article.]