Overview to San Sebastian: Travel Guide and Tourist Information

  The San Sebastian Bay

Like its Basque neighbor Bilbao, San Sebastian – Donostia to the locals – couldn’t be more removed from the popular images of Spain. Its language, its food, its culture – practically everything about this delightful city, and the Basque Region in general, is different.

As you look down on the bay from the top of Monte Igueldo at the city curving round the bay, it’s unquestionably an attractive sight. And down amongst the winding streets and fine plazas of the Old Town, this opinion is more than confirmed.

The city’s beaches - La Concha, Ondaretta and La Zurriola - are totally different in character to those that line the Costa del Sol. For a start, the water’s colder and the more rugged coastlines, rocked by strong Atlantic currents, are perfect for surfing (especially La Zurriola).

San Sebastian is also known as one of the best places for eating and drinking in the whole of the Iberian Peninsular. Here, too, it differs slightly from the Spanish norm, though, with a dizzying array of ‘pintxos’ – the Basque version of a canapé or hors d’oeuvre – on offer.

And that’s not the only way the eating and drinking landscape stands out: there are plentiful supplies of the local drink, cider, in the many ‘Sidrerias’ that dot the city. These generally offer an affordable fish-based ‘menu of the day’ – an excellent way to get a square meal in when traveling on a budget.

By night, the Old Town is full of atmospheric places. A cluster of great eating spots can be found in the area surrounding the Alameda del Boulevard while, later on, the nightlife action tends to center on the streets around the cathedral and Calle San Bartolome.

Inland from the city, the Basque Country is punctuated by green, rolling hills - a marked difference from the arid conditions associated with Spain. On leaving the city, though, it will be clear that its distinct charms certainly make San Sebastian an attractive destination.

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