San Sebastian is a picturesque and romantic seaside town located in Spain’s mountainous Basque Country. While it gets very busy in the Summer months, I visited for a long weekend towards the end of March and was blessed with relatively quiet streets and picture-perfect weather (literally, I took so many perfect pics here).
As a young(ish) female travelling solo, I felt very safe here and I found that there was so much I could do by myself. Whether you’re travelling through Spain or just after a beachy getaway for a few days, I would 100% recommend adding San Sebastian to your travel bucket list – it quickly became one of my favourite places.
Where to stay
I’d definitely recommend staying in San Sebastian’s Old Town if you can. I stayed in a great little Air BnB room right in the heart of Old Town, which meant I could easily wander around to my heart’s content and then pop home for a cheeky siesta throughout the day!
Another great option would be staying in Gros or around the Zurriola Hondartza beach. The beach is beautiful (reminded me of the beaches back home in Australia) and there are lots of nice cafes and coffee shops in this area.
Day 1
First things first, check into your accomodation and freshen up. I firmly believe that a shower after a flight is one of the best feelings in the world.
After this, I always like to explore the area around where I’m staying to suss out some potential coffee/wine/meal spots and get myself orientated (or try to at least). So, get some fresh air and wander through the streets on your first afternoon in beautiful San Sebastian.
Once you’re all walked out, grab a bottle of wine (I recommend Txakoli, the local white white – it is delish! You can also never go wrong with a bottle of Rioja, Spanish red wine) and head to the pier at Playa de la Concha to watch the sunset. Don’t forget to grab a corkscrew and a few cups from where you’re staying!
From the pier, you’re just a few minutes walk to Old Town, or La Parte Vieja, for dinner. This is when the fun really begins! While most of Spain eat tapas, in San Sebastian these bite sized pieces of deliciousness are called pintxos (pronounced pin-chos)! I went on an incredible walking pintxos tour on my first night in San Sebastian that set me up with all the hot tips I needed for my time here! Check it out here.
If you want to really embrace the Basque way of dining, then hopping from one pintxos bar to the next is the way to go, having a bite to eat and a drink at each stop. Here are my top recommendations for food in Old Town…
- Atari Gastroteka: Atari is located on a corner right near Basilica de Santa Maria del Coro. It has plenty of outdoor searing which makes it a great place to sit, have a glass of wine and people watch. I’d recommend trying the brochette de gamba (prawn brochette) with a glass of txakoli (local white wine)
- Paco Bueno: this is a traditional ‘pub’ style tavern that lots of locals love, so you know it must be good. The best pintxo here was the gamba a la gabardina (fried prawns), with a glass of the local cider – delish!
- Txepetxa: if you love a good anchovy, this is the place for you! All of their pintxos feature anchovies, give one (or maybe two) a try with a glass of txakoli (local white wine)
- Gandarias: the food here is amazing! It’s a fancier pintxos bar that has a restaurant as well if you’re after a more substantial meal. You have to try the idiazabal risotto aux champignons (mushroom risotto) and the filet de boeuf grille (grilled beef sirloin – it’s served with goats cheese infused mashed potato and will be the best thing you’ve ever eaten!)
- A Fuego Negro: a very funky and modern pintxos bar that has an alternate take on some traditional pintxos. Try the short vermouth fresh, which is a deconstructed vermouth cocktail
Day 2
Wake up early and enjoy mostly empty streets as you make your way to Zurriola Hondartza (Zurriola beach) to watch all the surfers doing their thang and try to pat all the pups being walked along the beach.
For breakfast, I would highly recommend heading to Sakona Coffee Roasters, which is just a short walk from Zurriola beach. If you’re craving a quality coffee, this is the spot for you – their filter coffee is what coffee dreams are made of. They also have a great breakfast menu, the smashed avocado on toast is a must-try.
For the rest of the morning, head over to Old Town for some window shopping. There are so many shops here with local and handmade products that I just loved, as well as all the usual touristy shops as well. If you’re walking to Old Town from Zurriola beach, do yourself a favour and walk along the headland around Monte Urgall. There is a great walking track/road that runs right around with amazing views of the ocean (photographic evidence below).
Stick around Old Town for lunch or pick up a few things and make an easy sandwich back at your accomodation.
For the afternoon, pop your walking shoes on and try out one of the beautiful walks in the San Sebastian area, two of my favourites were…
- Mount Urgall: I spent about half a day exploring the walking tracks that cover Monte Urgall, there were amazing views of the coastline and mountains with some really special spots to sit and and read or just enjoy the sun
- Walk to Peine Del Viento: Another lovely walk to do in San Sebastian is around the bay to Peine Del Viento, a contemporary art sculpture set in the rocks at the oceans edge. You can also stop at Playa de la Concha (shell beach) and Miramar Jauregia (a lovely public garden you can wander through) on your walk
If you visit in the Summer months, then a quick boat trip over to Santa Klara Island would also be a perfect way to spend the afternoon, I’m told there is a nice bar and beach on this island that sits smack bang in the middle of San Sebastian’s bay. Unfortunately the ferry doesn’t run during the cooler months so this wasn’t an option during my trip.
I know you’re probably fed up with walking by this point, but please just stick with it a little longer and visit Elkano 1, Gaztagune – you can thank me later! It is a cheese-lovers paradise and there’s a huge selection of delish cheeses to choose from. So, pick up a cheese or two, a baguette and a bottle of rioja and head to the beach for a sunset picnic dinner (and then collapse into bed in a cheese and wine induced coma).
Day 3
Treat yourself to a little sleep in today, after all the walking, wine and cheese yesterday – you deserve it! Once you’re up and at-em, get yourself ready for a day trip to Hondarribia. Situated further north along the coastline, Hondarribia is a stunning seaside fishing village that’s right on the border of Spain and France. In fact, if you’re standing on the beach in Hondarribia, you can see France on the other side of the bay – very cool.
Before you head off on today’s adventure, stop into arguably the best bakery in town, The Loaf, and grab one of their decadent chocolate brownies for the trip (sure, the bus ride is only an hour but I’d take any excuse to eat a brownie). They have two stores – one near Zurriola beach and another, which is a bit smaller, closer to Old Town/Playa de la Concha.
To get to Hondarribia, you can catch either the E21 or E27 Lurralde bus from Gipuzkoa Plaza. If you type that location into Google Maps it should bring the bus stop right up (look for the little bus symbol next to the location options that appear when you search Gipuzkoa Plaza). The bus will set you back only a few euro each way (I want to say €5 but silly me forgot to write the price down!) and should take between 30mins to an hour. You can buy your tickets on the bus, but be sure to have cash on you to pay.
Once you arrive in Hondarribia, take some time to simply wander and explore this picturesque town, especially around La Marina Quarter, Calle San Pedro and the breath-taking old town. If you make your way to Donostia Kalea, you’ll be treated to a great birdseye view of the whole town and bay area. Grab some lunch at one of the many seafood restaurants and pintxos bars and then make your way to Hondarribiako Hondartza (Hondarribia Beach) to soak up the Spanish sun. If you have some spare time during the day, you could also catch the ferry over to Hendaye in France.
On arrival back in San Sebastian, make your way to Old Town again to treat yo’ self to some more pintxos and vino for your last night – delish! Before heading to dinner, do yourself a favour and walk to one of the lookouts on Mount Urgall to watch the sunset. I did this on my last night in San Sebastian with (yet another) bottle of Rioja and it was the most amazing sunset I’ve ever seen in my life. Absolutely breathtaking.
Day 4
Sadly, the time has come to say goodbye to beautiful San Sebastian. If you’re anything like me, this won’t be the last time you visit (I’ve already been twice just this year)!
If you have an afternoon flight out of Bilbao, I’d highly encourage you catch the bus there a few hours early so that you can check out the Guggenheim Museum (but not if your flight home is on a Monday, as the Museum is shut on Mondays).
Thank you for getting to the end of my very first travel blog! I’ve had so much fun putting it together and having a use for the hundreds of photos I take on my travels. I hope it’s helpful if you ever travel to San Sebastian (you should)! xx
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