North of Spain route. Day 2: San Sebastián

These are the chronicles of my road trip through the north of Spain with my cousins in the Spring Break of 2019. It is a 11 day itinerary that spanned from the French Basque Country to Asturias, including the way from and to Barcelona (where I currently live). On our second day, we explored San Sebastián, also called Donosti in Basque, the local language. In my opinion, San Sebastián is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, so don’t miss out!

Day 2: San Sebastián

We saved the second day to explore San Sebastián in a relaxed way, since the rest of the trip would be quite dynamic with long drives. Also, I had already visited before, so I didn’t have the need to see everything again.

We started with a delicious breakfast with amazing specialty coffee at Old Town Coffee (Reyes Católicos Kalea, 6). This tiny establishment serves delicious house espresso blend accompanied with healthy but tasty toasts and the staff is absolutely delightful. Make sure you stop here at some point in your trip!

Our next stop was the heart and soul of the city, the Bay of La Concha (“the seashell”), a natural bay comprised of two beaches: Playa de la Concha and Playa de Ondarreta; and protected by monte Igueldo and monte Urgull, as well as the little island of Santa Klara.

There is nothing in particular to do here, but just to have a stroll along the promenade and enjoy the views and, if there’s good weather, perhaps go for a swim. In our case, our visit coincided with some sort of ballet performance along the beach.

The walk is delightful, with the promenade (Kontxa pasealekua) lined with beautiful houses.

We continued our walk until the western tip of the bay, where the famous sculptures of Basque artists Eduardo Chillida El Peine del Viento (“Comb of the Wind”) is placed. It is basically a set of iron structures placed on rocks on the sea. This area is quite windy so the name of the sculpture is both poetic and descriptive.

Make sure you have some playful time with the wholes on the ground of the promenade in front of the sculptures. They are built so the wind that comes from the sea blows out of them intermitently, so it makes for very funny videos. Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous, but remove your glasses before you try!

Mandatory selfie spot:

On our way back we stopped for lunch at a place a friend of us recommended. Unfortunately, she made me promise that I wouldn’t post the name of the place to avoid crowds accummulating, since it is not yet very known by tourists. Here are some pictures anyway:

We stopped at the Miramar Palace, a 19th century Royal residence with English-style architecture built for the Spanish Royal Family to enjoy the more temperate summers of the north. We had a walk in the beautiful gardens and enjoyed the views of the bay.

Following that we decided to get some coffee in another of the specialty coffee shops in the city: Sakona Coffee Roasters (Ramón María Lili Pasealekua, 2). We enjoyed the views of the river and the mountain from their terrace while sipping on their delicious self-roasted coffee (very nicely presented, it was hard not to steal those little mugs!).

After that we decided to keep walking through the Pasealeku Berria, the promenade that surrounds monte Urgull, with first line views of the Bay of Biscay and priviledged views of the city from afar.

Take a closer look to the island of Santa Klara, where you will see a little lighthouse and a crowd of sea birds circling around. It’s a very beautiful view.

We didn’t have time, but in this area you can climb to a viewpoint (for free, opposite to the one in monte Igueldo) or visit the Aquarium.

We continued our walk towards the Old Town. San Sebastián’s Old Town is very small but charming and full of life. Some highlights of this part of town are Palacio Goikoa, which hosts the City Hall,  Plaza de la Constitución, the main square, the churches of Santa María and San Vicente and the San Telmo Museoa, with exhibitions about Basque culture in a European context.

The best part, however, are the pintxos: small but often elaborate dishes built upon a slice of bread very typical from the Basque Country; and the old quarter in San Sebastián is their epicenter. The best way to do it is to move from bar to bar and order one or two, often their specialty, with a glass of txakolí: Basque white wine.

We finished our day in Donostia by having some cocktails in Plaza Constitución in the terrace of LANBROA Terraza Bar.

How to get to San Sebastián

While this post is part of a road trip through the North of Spain and we got there by car, you may want to travel directly here. In that case, you can fly to San Sebastian’s international airport from many destinations.

Alternatively you can get there from many other cities in the country using Spain’s well developed train system or intercity buses:

Where to stay in San Sebastián

Budget

While San Sebastián is not necessarily a cheap city, there are some options for those on a budget. In the city center you’ll find Pensión Garibai, a simple hotel in the City Center that offers great value. If you’d prefer to stay near La Concha, A Room in the City is an excellent and social hostel that will fit many pockets. Lastly, Pensión del Mar has one of the best value for money in the city, located in the Gros neighbourhood.

Midrange

If you’d like to stay right in the middle of the action, your best option is Artea Narrika, a modern and minimalist guesthouse in the Old Town. Alternatively, Hotel SANSEbay has a really spot on decor, especially for a hotel of this price. For La Concha, check out Hotel San Sebastián Orly, with excellent views of the city or the sea and spacious rooms. To avoid the tourists but still be close to the action, check out Hotel Okako, a bohemian little boutique hotel in Gros.

Luxury

Lastly, if you’re ready to splurge, your best options are Hotel María Cristina in the city center or Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra in La Concha. The first one is the epitome of the traditional European luxury, while the second one offers a unique location in front of the beach and uses a beautiful mix of old school decor with modern touches.

Booking.com

Closing statement

This is only the second day in our 10-day road trip through the north of Spain. Make sure you stay tuned for new and exciting posts about our journey.

Previous post: North of Spain route. Day 1: Bárdenas Reales and French Basque Country

Next post: North of Spain route. Day 3: Basque coast

Go to route: North of Spain route: Basque Country, Cantabria and Asturias

Meanwhile, you can read more about other destinations in Spain in some of our posts (check them out and you will find many subposts linked to them):

→ Top 10 things to do in Barcelona

→ ‘Game of Thrones’ locations that you can visit in Spain