San Sebastian is an incredible city and my favorite city in Basque Country. The combination of hiking, amazing food, lovely sights, and the beaches makes this a city with a lot of great faces. You can do whatever you want to do. You can stay here for a long time, as you can also just have a beach day or enjoy the city on a terrace. The real name of the city is Donostia. If you want to know the specifics of this fantastic town, keep reading this article. 

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How to get here: San Sebastian is 5-6 hours from both Madrid and Barcelona. Bilbao is 1 hour away by public transport.  

How much time needed: 3-4 days give you sufficient time to get to know the city and see the area.

Enjoy the famous pintxos

San Sebastian has the highest density of Michelin-starred restaurants, but it is absolutely not needed to go there as you can eat very tasty pintxos. Pintxos are small bites you eat at a bar with a drink. Eat one or two at the bar, then head to the next and do the same. Often, you can order the ones already ready at the bar, or you can order one that will be ready in a couple of minutes. This is one of the greatest cultural things in Europe that I have done. Do not order too many at the same time, because that is only how tourists do it. This is my highlight of the city. A couple of my favorite bars to have some pintxos are Federiko, Casa Gandarias, El Mejillonera, Atari, and Jose Mari, but there are many more.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: The whole time you are in San Sebastian

Stroll around in Parte Vieja

Parte Vieja is probably the best area of the city, with its lovely alleys and many bars and restaurants. There are also some great buildings and sights to find. The area is not too big, but if you go to several bars (especially for the pintxos!), you can spend a lot of time in this area.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: I would recommend to come here for a while every day after hiking or other activities. 

Admire the city hall

Ok, this is not the highlight of your trip to San Sebastian, but the city hall is a lovely building close to the Parte Vieja. It was built in 1887, and it was a casino before it became the city hall. Since 1945, it has been used as the city hall (Ayuntamiento). In front of it is a small park with lovely white benches (especially one, behind the statue in the picture above).

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 5 minutes is enough

Watch people doing the Fandango

Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango? Bohemian Rhapsody. The fandango is a Spanish dance, especially performed in Basque Country. It is mostly on Sundays, and it is a real treat to experience it. There are several parts to the dance, like being in a circle, dancing in couples, or dancing alone. You can join, but it is very difficult. Pay respect to the people doing it, and it is absolutely worth having a look at. 

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 20 minutes 

Enjoy a drink on Plaza de la Constitución

The Plaza de la Constitución is the breathing heart of the Parte Vieja. The square has many beautiful buildings, and in the buildings are some great bars and restaurants. Having a sangria or nice cerveza is fantastic. Walking in Parte Vieja, it is almost impossible to miss this square. The better bars for pintxos are not on this square but on the streets behind it. The city hall was located on this square until 1945.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 1-2 hour, especially when you make a stop for a drink.

Have a look in Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Coro

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Coro is a nice cathedral in the middle of Parte Vieja. The architecture on the outside is very interesting, and the inside is nice to look at. It stands in the old town and is worth a short stop, but it won't be the highlight of your San Sebastian trip.

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 10 minutes

Check out the San Bizente Eliza

Built in the sixteenth century, San Bizente Eliza is the oldest church in San Sebastian (Donostia). The building is located in the eastern part of Parte Vieja. It is worth getting in, but most of the day it is closed, so check out the latest opening hours. This is nice to see on the church walk in this part of town. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 10 minutes

Taste a traditional Sidra

Of course, you can have a beer, a whine, or a non-alcoholic drink, but the traditional drink with pintxos is a sidra (a kind of cider). I am not a big cider fan, but this Sidra is great. When they pour the drink, they do it from very high (see picture above) to get more oxygen in the drink, which is good for the flavour. I loved a sidra every once in a while.

Hike how you want at Monte Urqull

Just above the Parte Vieja, you have a higher hill, which is very nice to walk on. There are many ways to reach the top, and you can take many different routes. At the top, there are some canons and ruins, and you have a great view of the bay and the city. It is surprising how fast you will be in nature after being in the old town. You cannot miss this sight!

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Have a rest at one of the beaches

The temperature in San Sebastian is not reliable for a beach day, but when you are here in the spring or summer, you will have a good day to have a rest on the beach. There are several, and they are big with nice sand. There are also good places to do some surfing. The beaches are very close to the city centre.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: Depending on your need to rest.

Head to the second most famous area Gros

Gros is a nice neighbourhood on the eastern side of Parte Vieja. There are some nice restaurants and bars to visit. In recent years, there has been a reduction in bars and restaurants, but the area is still worth visiting and probably the second-best area to get some good pintxos. There are way fewer tourists than in Parte Vieja.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: An afternoon, so 3-6 hours.

Take a fantastic hike towards Pasaia

Besides pintxos, this hike is my favourite thing to do. On the eastern side of the beach, Zurriolako Hondartza, you can walk up the stairs and hike up the stairs. This can be rough, but at the top, you have your first great views. The hike is lovely through a forest and next to the coast. You will have some time alone in fantastic surroundings, and that is just terrific. Hiking shoes are not necessary, but they will definitely help. The signs often have weird durations but are pointing in the right direction. The hike will be around 2.5 hours, depending on your speed. 

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 2-3 hours

Enjoy the Pasaias itself

This is not really in San Sebastian, but connected with the hike. After the fantastic hike, you will arrive in two fishing villages: Pasaia and Pasai Donibane. The Pasaias are connected by a small boat, which costs a couple of euros. The houses are very classic and a treasure to observe. The villages are very small, so do not stay too long. Having a meal with fish after a nice hike is fantastic. Afterwards, you can hike back to San Sebastian, but the most convenient way is to take the bus.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Take the cable car up Monte Iguelda

The highest point in San Sebastian is the next highlight. Monte Iguelda is mostly reached by cable car, and then you will have a fantastic view over the whole city. You are on the other side of La Concha Beach than Parte Vieja. You can also walk up, but it can be rough. Walking down is way better, of course. At the top there is also a small amusement park, but it is not as spectacular as it is for kids (and closed when we were here).

Price: The cable car is around €5, but I am not sure any more. The attractions cost money as well.

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Don't be scared of sharks in the aquarium

The aquarium in San Sebastian is a great aquarium with some small tanks, but one tank is very big (see picture above). The aquarium starts with information about boats and water races in San Sebastian, but after a while, you will see some fish and a lot of them. The small tanks with jellyfish, many colourful fish, and more are very nice, but the big one is fantastic. There are huge fish, rays, sharks, and more in the tank. There is a tunnel you can walk through as well. The aquarium is on the bottom of Monte Urgul, to the west of Parte Vieja. 

Price: €14-15 

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 1-2 hours

Walk outside the city centre

The city centre of San Sebastian is fantastic, but to get to know a city, you have to walk to other sides of town. Some parts are very interesting and surprising. Here, you will be alone with the locals, and you will find yourself in real restaurants and bars. A good example is Café con Leche. This activity is especially important when you have multiple days in San Sebastian.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 3 hours

Walk into the Artzain Onaren cathedral

The Artzain Onaren Cathedral is the most beautiful building in San Sebastian, if you ask me. The architecture is impressive. The highest point is 25 meters high, and the cathedral is 65 meters long. From the inside, it is less impressive than the outside. The cathedral is a bit outside the touristic city centre, but the building is worth the small walk. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 15 minutes

Fill up your glass with cider at a Sidreria

Yes, it is absolutely a touristic thing to do, but it is a lot of fun. I already told you that a sidra is great to take, but getting to a Sidreria is even more fun. The drinks are filled from the barrel, and you have to catch them. This is very funny and tasty. We went to Petritegi, where we had a set menu (which also contained a great steak for 2) and unlimited sidras. I don't know other Sidrerias, but Petritegi was fantastic. You can fill up your drinks and try many different ones. Most Sidrerias are a bit outside the town, so you may need public transport. This was an absolute highlight of the five days in San Sebastian.

Price: At Petritegi it was around €35-40 per person. You will get a 4 dish menu and unlimited sidras and it was absolutely worth it.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: 2-3 hours

Things I have not done, but could be cool

I think I did the best things to do in San Sebastian, but you could go surfing, visit a fancy restaurant, or go to the traditional museum Musee San Telmo.

Final thoughts

San Sebastian is one of my favourite cities in Spain, as it has a relaxed vibe and you can eat so much good food. The beaches, the old town, and the fantastic hikes in the area. You can see many sights in 2-3 days, but you can also spend days just visiting bars with pintxos in the old town, Parte Vieja. You also have some views and an aquarium on top of this city. This city should absolutely be on your list in Spain. 

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