OH MAN. This place is chic, modern and hands-down the most incredible place to stay in San Sebastian. Perched up above the city, Akelarre is a cliffside sanctuary that is fit for royalty. The views are unforgettable. How much time should you spend in San Sebastian? Two full days is the perfect amount of time to stay in San Sebastian. Plan to do a bit of walking today, so make sure you have some comfortable walking shoes with you. Hike up Monte Urgull , the eastern anchor of La Concha beach.
Monte Urgull was a military fortress in the 12th century, and you can still see the walls of the Castilla de la Mota fortress, which played a key role in defending the city from siege. Take your time wandering atop Monte Urgull, where there are plenty of places to stop and take in the views of the entire city.
Next up on your San Sebastian itinerary? If you decide to visit, pick up an audio guide. The guides are available in additional languages, including English.
A late lunch around 2pm is the largest meal of the day for the Spanish, so a 3-course meal is not unusual this time of day. Call ahead to book a table. After lunch, take a few hours to wander through the narrow streets of Parte Vieja. The best way to enjoy this part of the city is to get lost and simply soak it all in. No trip to San Sebastian would be complete without a pintxo bar crawl for an evening meal, so plan on doing just that for your first evening in San Sebastian.
Start off the second day of your San Sebastian itinerary with another morning walk. Starting on the east end of La Concha beach, head west towards Monte Igueldo. The first stop along the way is Miramar Palace. We were in San Sebastian in early May. Some of the most popular pintxos bars would get pretty crowded but it was never unbearable. June and July will have better beach weather than May, but the city will also see an influx of domestic tourists looking to escape the summer heat.
August has the most ideal beach weather while September hosts the annual San Sebastian Film Festival. January till April is also peak cider season making it an excellent time to visit for food and wine lovers.
We arrived in San Sebastian by overnight bus from Madrid but there are plenty of ways to get there depending on where you are. Described below are the ways you can get to San Sebastian from either of these three airports. The fare is EUR 2. Biarritz Airport is located across the border in the French Basque Country about 47 km French airlines and international low cost carriers operate flights to and from Biarritz Airport.
Travel time is about 45 minutes. Alternatively, you can also use the French long-distance carpooling service called BlaBlaCar. It costs EUR 6 and takes about 1 hr 10 mins. Bilbao Airport is the largest airport in the Basque Country.
There are a few ways to get from Bilbao Airport to San Sebastian but the quickest and most convenient is by direct Pesa bus. Travel time is around 1 hr 15 mins and costs about EUR Alternatively, you can take a taxi or book a private transfer from Bilbao Airport to your hotel in San Sebastian.
You can check for routes to San Sebastian and buy tickets on Trainline. As described, we took a 6-hr overnight bus from Madrid to San Sebastian. Buses are cheaper than trains and perhaps the most economical way of getting around Spain.
We took two long-haul buses in Spain, from Granada to Madrid then Madrid to San Sebastian and both were very comfortable. Renting a car and driving yourself is perhaps the best way of exploring Spain and Europe. We drove from San Sebastian to Santiago de Compostela and it turned out to be one of the most fun legs of our trip. You can rent a car in Spain through Rentalcars. This seems to be the best option in Spain and in many other European countries these days.
My ATM card works in most machines but not all. Proceeding with conversion authorizes the foreign bank operating the ATM to do the conversion for you, often at terrible exchange rates. Listed below are some of the most convenient areas to stay in San Sebastian, along with a color-coded map to help you understand where each of these areas are. Click on the link for an interactive version of the map.
Please note that marked areas are approximations only. First-time visitors will be spending most of their time in the Old Town. We stayed at Central Rooms, a lovely boutique hotel at Plaza de la Constitucion. Every time we walked out of the hotel, we found ourselves in the middle of the square filled with tables and diners enjoying drinks and food.
You can book a room at Central Roomss on Agoda. Check out these top-rated hotels in the Parte Vieja:. Centro refers to the area directly south of the Parte Vieja. You can search for accommodations in Centro on Booking. Check out some of the top-rated hotel in the area:. La Conch Beach is regarded as one of the best in-city beaches not just in Spain, but in all of Europe.
You can search for accommodations near La Concha Beach on Booking. Check out some of the top-rated hotels near La Concha Beach:. Antiguo is the neighborhood on the western side of La Concha Beach. Antiguo and the Parte Vieja are separated by about 1. You can search for accommodations in Antiguo on Booking.
Check out some of the top-rated hotels in the area:. Located east of the Parte Vieja, Gros is described as a great place to stay for surfers, backpackers, and people looking for more nightlife options in San Sebastian.
You can search for accommodations in Gros on Booking. The cathedral is about a 5-minute walk from the bus station so it was the first building I went to after arriving in San Sebastian. Located at the foot of Mount Urgull , the museum is comprised of two contrasting structures — the original building dating back to the 16th century and a much newer wing built in Like the cathedral , San Sebastian City Hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city.
The aquarium is located in the harbor at the foot of Mount Urgull, on the western side of the Parte Vieja.
Miramar Palace is a 19th century palace situated between La Concha and Ondarreta beaches. It served as the former summer residence of the Spanish monarchy. The palace is lovely but the real draw are the parks and grassy lawns that offer spectacular views of the ocean. Made of iron, each sculpture weighs over ten tons.
The sculptures are located at the foot of Mount Igueldo , on the western side of Ondarreta Beach. In our opinion, this is the best panoramic view of San Sebastian, particularly at sunset.
Well, just have a look at the pictures…. Mount Urgull is the hill located at the edge of the parte vieja and easily accessible by foot from it. The way up is quite steep but perfectly doable by almost anyone. During the hike, you enjoy the panoramic views of the various sides of the city. We can see both La Concha and Zurriola beach.
In it was also built there the sacred heart statue which blends surprisingly well in the landscape and it reminds us of the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Around the bottom of Mount Urgull, it was built a new promenade, the Paseo Nuevo. This is quite famous for huge waves hitting the rocks particularly in winter. If you have enough time, you can walk from the old town to Piene del Viento, to enjoy the artwork and this wind-battered spot… On the other hand, if you have a car you can easily do a 5-minute drive to it.
We only drove up to the toll, took a few pictures, enjoyed the view and the lighthouse and returned. Visiting Spain? Read the 50 things you need to know before traveling to Spain! San Sebastian is a great starting point for road trips and day trips. During this day trip, you will visit these beautiful beaches but also interesting villages, dramatic landscapes, and the unique Basque Geopark.
We suggest you visit the beach towns of Zumaia and Zarautz, both have beautiful long beaches, but Zarautz is particularly famous for its great surf.
In Zumaia you can find the Flysch Cliffs in the Basque Geopark, which are a very interesting rock formation. The glorious footbridge and stairs up to the mountain create an unforgettable view! These are only 2 hours from San Sebastian and very close to each other thus perfect for a day trip. Laguardia is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in Spain and it really deserves the title. We suggest you wander around the town and discover its small streets.
This is where the famous Marques de Riscal red wines are made. It is a beautiful building. There are organized guided tours to visit the wineries, the vineyards and have a panoramic view of the hotel. If you can afford it, we certainly suggest you spend the night here! Have a look at the prices here and how amazing the hotel is. The worst thing about San Sebastian is parking. The best option is to negotiate a daily rate in one of the underground parks and accept that cost.
You should be able to find something between 20 and 25 Euros, depending on the season.
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