Spain / The Basque Country / San SebastiánSan Sebastián
La Concha Bay and the World's Best Pintxo Bars
A Belle Époque seaside city on the shell-shaped La Concha bay, with Monte Igueldo and Monte Urgull at either end, the surfers' beach of Zurriola and an old town packed with pintxo bars; more Michelin stars per head than almost anywhere. Expensive and busy in July and August; the September film festival fills the hotels. Pamplona (San Fermín, 6-14 July) is about an hour away and French Biarritz half an hour. San Sebastián's small airport has a few flights to Madrid and Barcelona; Bilbao's is 1h15 by coach.
Highlights
- La Concha bay
- Pintxo crawl in the Parte Vieja
- Monte Igueldo funicular at sunset
- Monte Urgull walk
- Peine del Viento sculptures
- Surf lesson at Zurriola
- Day out to Hondarribia or Biarritz
Things to do
- La Concha beach and promenadeAfternoon · 3h
- Pintxo crawl in the Parte ViejaEvening · 3h
- Monte Igueldo funicular and viewpointEvening · 2h
- Monte Urgull walk and San Telmo MuseumMorning · 3h
- Surf lesson at ZurriolaMorning · 2h 30m
Tours & tickets
Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.
When to go
Best time: June – September
Worth knowing
August: Spain on Holiday
August is when Spain takes its holidays: beaches, islands and coast towns are at their fullest and dearest, ferries to the Balearics and trains to the coast sell out, and in Madrid and other inland cities many family restaurants and small shops close for two or three weeks. Book rooms, ferries and trains months ahead, or come in June or September.
- Tamborrada — San Sebastián's feast day: for 24 hours from midnight, companies of drummers dressed as cooks and soldiers march through the city. Hotels fill; the opening in the Plaza de la Constitución at midnight is the moment to see.
- San Fermín (Running of the Bulls), Pamplona — Pamplona, about an hour from San Sebastián by bus, holds its week-long fiesta from the opening rocket at noon on 6 July: everyone in white with a red scarf, street parties day and night, and each morning the bull run through the old town. The runs are dangerous and the bulls are killed in the bullring in the evening, which many visitors choose to avoid. Pamplona's rooms sell out a year ahead; San Sebastián and Bilbao fill and raise prices too.
- San Sebastián Film Festival — Spain's leading film festival fills the city for about ten days in late September, with premieres at the Kursaal and public screenings. Hotel prices peak and rooms sell out.