From Wikitravel
- For other places with the same name, see Sebastian
(disambiguation).
San Sebastián [1]
(Basque: Donostia; officially: Donostia-San
Sebastián) is in the Basque Country in Spain.
Understand
San Sebastian boasts one of the best in-city beaches in Europe.
It is quite unusual feeling that you can sunbathe and swim right
next to major historical buildings and churches. Surfers are in
abundance here.
The city is quite small and cozy, featuring many fish
restaurants, several beaches, tons of pintxos bars and a choice of
designer clothes shops.
Orientation: The city is divided into Old
Town (Parte Vieja), Gros and
Centro.
Get in
By train
Trains arrive from many parts of Spain, Portugal and France, including overnight services from Paris and Lisbon. Take care when booking from France as
there is also a town named Saint Sébastien in France. There are two
train stations in San Sebastian: the RENFE [2] station for national trains (at
the east end of Puente de Maria Cristina), and the Euskotren [3] station for the local
network (Plaza Easo).
By plane
San Sebastian is well served by airports:
- San Sebastian
[4], a small airport 20km from the town centre, next to
Hondarribia.
-
- Bus to the airport: i2 (€2) departs from Plaza
Gipuzkoa nearly once a hour and rides exactly 30min, making maximum
4 stops (typically less).
- Cafes in the departures area are limited to a single cafe on
the ground floor, plus posh restaurant on the 2nd floor.
- Shopping in departures area is limited to a single souvenir
small shop; no duty free shops available.
- Electronic check-in is available only for Iberia and Spanair.
It doesn't work for Iberia e-tickets printed from an e-mail,
however.
- Wifi network is not available.
- Biarritz (in France),
50km away with bus and train connections to San Sebastian [5]. Take
a French SNCF[6] train to Hendaye,
change to the nearby Euskotren station (located just outside the
SNCF station) and take a Euskotren [7] to San Sebastian. Each
train ride is between 30-40 minutes, with the total train trip cost
less than €10. A coach service also exists between Biarritz airport
and the Hendaye train station, via Saint-Jean-De-Luz (change buses
there). The coach ride is less than one hour and costs about
€4.
- Bilbao
[8], 100km away with good bus connections, about one an hour
during the day. The trip takes about 70min, and costs around €15.
The bus company is called PESA. Tickets for the journey from Bilbao
to San Sebastian can be purchased on board the bus, however for the
trip from San Sebastian to Bilbao, tickets must be purchased from
the PESA office around the corner from the bus station.
- Vitoria-Gasteiz
[9], 114km from San Sebastian with good bus connections. A bus
from the airport will take you to the central bus station, from
where you can take a bus (companies Pesa [10] or La Burundesa [11]) to San
Sebastian for around €7.50.
By bus
The Basque Country is generally easier to get around by bus than
by train. Buses arrive and depart at the San Sebastian bus station,
at Plaza de Pio XII in Amara Nuevo. A number of bus companies
operate services to San Sebastian, including:
- Pesa [12]
- La Burundesa [13]
- Continental Autos
- ATCRB
- Roncalesa (for connection with Pamplona).
Buses are the only way to get to some areas of the Basque
region, and often run more often (and cheaper!) than trains. Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque
Country, is a 2-hour ride away. Bilbao, the travel hub and biggest city in the
region (1-hour ride), and Pamplona (1-hour ride) are other popular
destinations, but longer-range buses do overnights to Madrid, Milan and even Barcelona.
By car
In the downtown, parking is costly (roughly €20/day); most
parking spots are underground, and finding a way to get there can
be nerve-wracking. Left turns are more rare than rights (and are
unpredictable). Having a driving map is essential.
There are some free parking lots in the west of the city: on the
tourist maps by SanSebastianTurismo available in some guesthouses,
the area is marked with a blue dotted line "Controlled parking
zone".
Get around
You can see San Sebastián on foot and by
taxi.
Bicycle lanes are all around the downtown.
Local Transportation site: [[14]]
San Sebastián, Paseo de la Concha
- From top of Mount Igueldo at the West end of
La Concha bay, enjoy great view of the town
- Visit the Miramar palace and its park over El pico del
Loro; enjoy sitting on a lawn there
- Beach - there are two main beaches, one on
either side of the river.
- La Concha, on the west side is the larger, is
protected from the sea and has an island and boats in the bay.
Ondarreta is in the same bay as La Concha, but
split by El pico del Loro (a rocky outcropping). La Concha
and Ondarreta has umbrellas, tents and lounge chairs for €15 per
day; free WC, showers and changing rooms. A team of fully-equipped
life-guards are there during the daytime.
- La Zurriola to the east of the old town and
river is a surf beach, clearly better if you want waves or beach
sports.
- Surfing - surfboards and bodyboards can be
rented on Zurriola beach. You'll probably want to spring for a
wetsuit as well. The surf shop also offers surf lessons (around €65
per person for five one-hour lessons in a small group) [15].
- Hiking
- For a short easy hike visit the statue of
Christ on top of the mountain between the beaches. It
takes around an hour to walk up at a leisurely pace. There's a
bar on the way up if you need to stop for
refreshments or admire the view. To reach the bar: find a library;
from there find directions upstairs to a Castle; follow the stairs
along green hedge. The park officially closes at 9pm in summer (in
reality, gates close bit later), and the bar closes before sunset
in summer time--and definitely before park is closed.
- For a longer hike head up the hill from Zurriola and follow the
red & white markings to San Pedro, around 2.5
hours, from which you can take a local bus back (for approx
€1.50).
- Tennis and squash: There is a
single tennis court (roofed), and two open-air squash courts--both
between the El pico del Loro beach and bottom of Mount
Igeldo.
- Tourist Land Train - a tourist land train
leaves from the Calle Zubieta in front of La Concha
Beach.
- Aquarium - by the Paseo de Kaiko, at
the far right of La Concha Beach.
- Kayak - kayaks can be hired on Ondaretta
beach, for about €7 per hour.
- Water skiing in the La Concha bay
- Amusement Park - an aging amusement park with
quaint rides can be found at the top of Mount Igeldo, at the West
end of La Concha bay. A funicular (cable-car) will take you up and
down the mountain (approx €1.40 each way; operates 10am-9pm). If
you use your own transport to get up (including walking) you'll
have to pay a €1.70 per person toll at the top. As well as the
rides, the top of the mountain provides a great view of the
town.
Buy
Clothes and shoes
San Sebastian is known as a stylish city and an image-conscious
one, so it is stuffed with high-end shops. Peruse La Parte
Vieja (the old part of town) for cool boutiques filled with
quirky designer gear. There are fantastic shoe stores--I remember
one in particular whose rainbow of amazing women's shoes in the
window changed daily--and sources for that inimitable bold Spanish
fashion.
Designer clothes for men are much more difficult to find than
for women.
Most shops are freestanding, but there is an enclosed shopping
mall that has the cineplex (as well as the city's lone
McDonald's).
Some of the designer shops worthful visiting are:
- Dam,
Narrika 23 / Iñigo
4, ☎ +34 943 424
567. edit
- Hakei, Garibai 8, ☎ (943)432-056 (info@hakei.com), [16]. Try
for gorgeous, one-of-a-kind women's shoes and accessories (bags and
jewelry). Its tiny shop, and its displays are stunning, with walls
lined in delicate shoes and silk scarves arranged by color.
edit
- Hoss Intropia, Guetaria 10, ☎ +34 943 42 56 34, [17]. Women-only wear. edit
- Nice-day, Nice-things, C/ Fuenterrabia,
14, ☎ 943 425
403. edit
- Trip
Donosti, 31
August, 33, ☎ 943
429443 (fax: 943
427731). edit
Eat
The Basque cuisine is famous within Spain and many believe it is
the Basque Country where you can find the best food. Much of this
fame comes from San Sebastian and its bars and restaurants.
Although tapas were invented in Andalucia they became perfected in
San Sebastian and a walk through the old town before lunch time
with its many bars shows why. Each bar is bursting with tapas and
they look very delicate. Tapas are generally enjoyed together with
a glass of wine or a small beer, and the Spanish tradition suggests
to have one tapa and a wine in one bar and move on to the next bar.
Tapas can be used as a good substitute for a meal - you pay for
each one you eat (about €2-4 each) so you can have as many as you
want. If you want 'real' food then that is where San Sebastian can
be very very good. You can find several different cuisines such
Chinese, German, Galician, Italian and of course the obvious Basque
cuisine. In and around the harbour you can have the freshest
seafood and if you don’t enjoy the simple harbour taverns go and
enjoy San Sebastian restaurants with Michelin stars if you have
some money to spare.
Lo Mejor de la Gastronomia [18] holds
annual conference and competition in November, including
nominations for pintxos bars and for restaurants.
Breakfasts
Healthy breakfast (even omelet) is hard to find in cafes:
typically sandwiches or breakfast variety of pintxos are
offered.
- Garagar, Boulevard 22. Quite touristy place. Terrace has a surcharge,
indoor is stifling and too dark for a breakfast. €8 for omelet+toast w/ham+fresh orange juice
(terrace). edit
- Regatta, 20 Hondarribia Kalea. open from 7:30AM, kitchen closes at 11:30PM.
Not evident from outside, this
lounge-style cafe is popular place for breakfast among locals.
Selection of potato-based pies, croissants with variety of meats.
Good selection of infusion teas which are hard to find elsewhere in
the city. €6-7 for an average breakfast.
Menu del dia €10.8, 1PM-4PM. edit
Lunch and dining
Budget
Mid-range
San Sebastian, Puente del Kursaal
- Cafes and bakeries along the waterfront.
- Txuleta Plaza de la Trinidad, Parte Vieja -
Excellent, reasonably priced renditions of Basque specialties
Txangurro, Chipirones en su tinta, y sopa de pescado.
- Aldanondo, C/Euskal Herria, 6, ☎ 943-422852, [19]. Great and inexpensive steak house. Menu del dia: €23. Fish main courses generally
€14-22. VAT not included. edit
- Avenida XXI Avda de la Libertad - excellent
three course set lunches for €12, including wine (€12.75 on
Saturday).
- Juanito Kojua Calle Puerto, Old Town
- La
Rampa, Muelle
26-27 bajo, ☎ 943 42 16
52, [20]. Fish restaurant with Basque flavour.
Perfectly-trained waiters with excellent English. Grilled
rape is particularly good. Try cider, take a specialty
cider pouring cork with you. VAT not
included. edit
- Urola Calle Fermin Calbeton, Old Town
- La
Zurri, Gros,
Calle de Zabaleta 10, ☎ 943
29-3886. Simple Basque
dishes which are cooked delicately. Popular with locals. For lunch,
arrive before 3PM to catch full range of options. Flan is rare case
when it has taste in every layer. Menu
del dia: €9. edit
- Freiduria, San Francisco, 56, ☎ 943 32 66 63. Best paella in town for around 12€. Jug of
sangria €7. No menus but really friendly staff.. edit
Splurge
- Urepel Restaurant, Paseo Salamanca 3,
943 424040. Closed on Sunday and Tuesday
- Akelarre Restaurant, Pedro Orcaloga 56
(Igueldo), 943 311209 fax: 943 21 92 68, [21]
- Martin Berasategui, Calle Loidi 4,
Lasarte-Oria (Guipúzcoa), 943 36 64 71. A 3 Michelin star
restaurant close to San Sebastian with other outlets at Kursaal and
in Bilbao at the Guggenheim. Price: €140 for the degustation menu
(about 12 courses) plus wine and service.
- Arzak Restaurant, Avda. Alcalde Jose
Elosegui,73, 943 278 465 / 943 285 593, (fax: 943
272 753, email: restaurante@arzak.es), [22] Open From January to June:
Closed Sunday evening, Monday and Tuesday. From July to December:
Closed Sunday evening and Monday. Vacations: June 15 to July 2 and
November 2 to November 26. Three Michelin stars restaurant. Avg.
Price: €80-100 plus drinks and VAT. All credit cards accepted.
About €150 per head by the time you've added the wine etc., but
well worth it!
Pintxos
The way to eat pintxos, (tapas in the Basque Country
whether speaking Spanish or Basque) in San Sebastian is quite
different from other cities in Spain. There are two kinds of tapas:
cold and hot ones.
Cold ones are displayed on the bar. Just ask the barman for your
drink and pick the pintxos yourself. If you need a plate, just ask.
Hot ones must be ordered from the barman and they take a short time
to be cooked. There is always a hot tapas menu hanging from the
wall.
When you are done eating your tapas and have finished your drink
you ask the barman for the bill, and you have to tell him what you
have eaten. It is very important to be honest, as it is a long
tradition. Locals will be upset if they find people eating and not
paying. Normally you don't eat many pintxos at one bar but move
from bar to bar, drinking a beer (caña) or wine and eating one or
two tapas. Then you move to another bar. Traditionally residents
would have one or two pintxos in the early evening to stave off any
hunger before a later sit-down meal, rather than making a meal out
of a large number of pintxos.
Most pintxo bars are to be found in the old town, particularly
on the streets running parallel to Boulevard. Generally a pintxo
will cost €2-3. At some bars the pintxos are all priced the same,
at others the price depends on the pintxo.
Pintxos (tapas) bars are thick in the Parte Vieja (Old
Town), but there are masses of other places nearby in the
Gros and Centro areas. Most bars charge by the
toothpick or plate from €1-5.
The Jamon Iberico (usually seen hanging from the ceiling in
whole leg portions) is ubiquitous, and equally good virtually
everywhere.
Old Town (Parte Vieja)
- Bernardo Etxea is clean and pleasant, with
excellently prepared pintxos. Calle Puerto, Parte Vieja
- Tamboril in the corner of the main square in
the Old Town
- Goiz Argi Fermín Calbetón, Parte Vieja.
Pintxos bar with the delicious brocheta de gambas (fried
prawns with a special vinaigrette), bola de carne (meat
ball with red pepper) and a lot of cold pintxos with anchovies,
mushrooms, cod, salmon, etc. Any of wine by glasses is good.
- Ganbara Parte Vieja
- Casa Gandarias Parte Vieja. Try Solo
Mio with a glass of Belondrade Y Lurton white
wine.
- Casa
Vergara, Parte Vieja, Mayor 15, ☎ 943 43-10-73. Pintxos bar, quite spacious. Not overcrowded in
the evenings during the weekdays. edit
- Martinez Parte Vieja
- La Cepa Parte Vieja
Gros
- Hidalgo 56 Gros
- Bergara Gros
- Casa Senra Gros
Centro
- Iturrioz Centro.
- Bar Alex Centro
- Bar Alustiza Centro
- Bar Zazpi Centro
Cook-by-order pintxos
Some slightly pricier pintxo bars that don't have pre-cooked
pintxos and only cook them on order (correspondingly, their pintxo
are of higher quality) are:
- La Cuchara de San Telmo (The Spoon), Plaza Valle Lersundi, C/31 de Agosto
28 (Off Calle 31 de
Agosto, not easy to find), ☎ +34
943 435 446 (cometelotodo@lacucharadesantelmo.com),
[23]. Don't judge their food by their interior. Jamon
Iberico is cited as particularly good. edit
- A
Fuego Negro, Calle 31 de Agosto, ☎ 650 135 373, [24]. Trendy interior, good-looking people. Really
tasty tapas. edit
- The Kalimotxo (pronounced
"calimotcho") is a local drink that is made with 50% wine (normally
an inexpensive red wine) and 50% Coca-Cola. You will see a very
large proportion of young people drink this near the harbour at
playa La Concha and later on, in bars or clubs. It is definitely
something to try out while you are there.
Cafes
Coffee is espresso, not brewed, even in the on-the-beach
cafes.
- Bideluze, Plaza de Guipuzcoa 14, ☎ 943/460219. Great place for coffee; Cafe Con Leche
- that is, coffee with milk - is particularly good. edit
Cider and Sidreria
A purely Guipuzcoan experience, sidrerias dot the countryside
and offer all you can drink sidra (a mildly alcoholic apple
flavored cider) shooting straight from the barrel. Sidrerias
usually offer a traditional set menu of cod omelette, cod with
vegetables, steak, and then cheese. A couple of traditional
sidrerias that are open all year (you'll need to get a car, bus or
taxi from town) are:
- Aginaga, Aginaga, ☎ 943 36 67 10. €22. edit
- Petritegi, Astigarraga, ☎ 943 45 71 88 (fax: 943 45 24 69), [25]. €22. edit
- Bataplán is definitely the hottest club in San
Sebastian. All the beautiful people go there. However, be careful
not to arrive too early; the club never opens before 2 AM. People
normally start arriving at 3AM, and the club closes around 7AM. The
entry fee is normally 12 euros (including one drink) but you can
get in for free before 3AM if you ask for a VIP pass at a bar
beforehand (Bar Tas Tas is a good place for that). This club has an
amazing terrace out back to relax after you've had one drink too
many (drinks cost around 6-7 euros a pop, by the way). All year
round, the club is filled with local people, tourists and exchange
students.
- Camping Igeldo open all year Paseo Padre
Orkolaga 69. Igeldo (San Sebastián), Phone: 943-280490 Fax:
943-280411, [26]. You must book at
peak times. Very international with its own bar, shop and a couple
of restaurants nearby, and a bus directly to the beach and
centre.
- Hostel Aida 9 Iztueta st. 1º floor,("Gros"
Quarter), Phone: 943-327800 Fax: 943-326707
- Hotel Anoeta, 60 Anoeta Avenue(Amara), Phone:
943-451499 Fax: 943-452036. €80-100.
- Hotel Avenida, 55 Road to Igeldo(Igeldo),
Phone: 943-212022, Fax: 943-212887. Prices from €78-125.
- Pension Edorta, C/Puerto 13, 1st and 2nd
floors (find a separate
doorbell; go up to the 1st floor), ☎ 943
423-773 (info@pensionedorta.com,
fax: 943 433-570), [27]. Rooms are all in the same design, but vary in
size (#5 Donostia is much smaller than #4 Kursaal or #1). Some
rooms have no view (eg. #5). Shared bathroom, unoccupied most of
the time even in high season. No breakfasts; no shared guestroom to
spend time with fellow travelers. Helpful staff. The whole pension
is less than 10 rooms. edit
- Hotel Europa, 55 San Martín st.(Centre).
€100-160. Phone: 943-470880 Fax: 943-471730
- Pension Ira Flor[28], 13 San Jeronimo
(Old town), Phone/Fax: (+34) 943 428602. €25-50 depending on season
and room size. Very clean and friendly. Great location in the
liveliest part of San Sebastian.
- Hospedaje Irune San Jerónimo 17-1º Derecha
(Old town) ,Phone: 943425743-626625110. Rooms with en-suite
bathroom €25-47 depending on season. Clean and friendly.
- Pension La Perla Calle Loiola 10-1 (Centre),
Phone: 943-428123. Rooms with en-suite bathroom €30-47 depending on
season. Clean and friendly. Her sister runs the nearby Urkia.
- Hotel Niza, 56 Zubieta st.(Centre), Phone
943-426663, Fax: 943-441251. Prices range from €48-118.
- NH Aranzazu, Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1,
+34.94.3219077
[29]. The NH Aránzazu benefits from a privileged location next
to the Ondarreta beach and 300m from the Playa de la Concha. The
hotel is 800 m away from the city's historic district and 20
minutes from the airport.
- Pension Urkia, Calle Urbieta 12-3 (Centre),
Phone: 943-424436. Rooms with en-suite bathroom €30-47 depending on
season. Clean and friendly. Her sister runs the nearby La
Perla.
- Hotel Mercure Monte Igueldo Pº del Faro
134(Igeldo), tel: 943-210211 Fax: 943-215028, ([30]) Prices range
from 96-130 Euros. The Hotel sits on top of Mountain Igeldo and has
scenic view over San Sebastian and the best beach in San Sebastian
"La Concha" Phone:
- Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel. A luxury belle
epoque hotel, it is the choice of many actors during the
world-famous cinema festival. This is a remarkably unclean hotel
considering its 5 star rating.
San Sebastian: La Concha bay
Contact
Internet
WiFi zones can be seen in a cafe on the Ondarreta beach; in many
bars in the Old City. It's unclear whether they are paid or free of
charge.
- Bilbao - home of the
famous Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art and other architectural
masterpieces
- Hondarribia -
beautiful fishing town and a place for more pintxos
- Vitoria-Gasteiz - capital of the Basque
country
- Zarauz - summer getaway,
the longest beach in Guipuzcoa, and a magnet for surfers
| This is a usable article. It has
information for getting in as well as some complete entries for
restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this
article, but please plunge forward and help it grow! |
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