San Sebastian

The Basque Country's premier resort and one of the world's great food capitals — a city of around 190,000 people on the Bay of Biscay, just inland from the French border. It holds the world record for Michelin stars per capita (three restaurants with three stars in a single small city). San Sebastián is famous for the legendary La Concha beach (shell-shaped, 1.3 km of white sand), the pintxos bars of the Parte Vieja old quarter, and its festivals — the San Sebastián International Film Festival (one of Europe's five major film festivals) takes place every September.

Main sights

• La Concha Beach (Playa de la Concha) — a near-perfectly shell-shaped bay that regularly appears in world top-ten beach lists. The 1.3 km promenade is the city's main evening stroll.
• Parte Vieja (Old Town) — the quarter rebuilt after the 1813 Carlist-era destruction, now home to the highest concentration of pintxos bars in the world: around 200 bars within four square kilometres.
• Monte Igueldo — the sunset viewpoint above La Concha, reached by a funicular dating from 1912; there is a small amusement park at the top.
• Monte Urgull — the other hill overlooking the bay, with the castle of La Mota and a statue of Christ at its summit.
• Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Catedral del Buen Pastor) — the city's main Neo-Gothic cathedral (75 m tall).
• Basilica of Santa María (Basílica de Santa María del Coro) — the principal Baroque church of the Old Town.
• Plaza de la Constitución — the Old Town's main square, formerly used as a bullring.
• San Telmo Museum (Museo San Telmo) — the leading Basque history and culture museum.
• Chillida Leku — open-air sculpture park dedicated to Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida, 11 km from the city centre.
• Mercado de la Bretxa — the city's main covered market.
• Essential pintxos bars: La Cuchara de San Telmo, Bar Sport, Tamboril, Borda Berri, Atari.
• Bilbao — 100 km away; Guggenheim Museum (see separate page).
• Biarritz — French resort 50 km across the border.

Food and prices

Basque cuisine ranks among the world's best: pintxos (the Basque answer to tapas — gilda, bacalao pil-pil, txuleta), txakoli (light, slightly sparkling Basque white wine), cider houses (sagardotegiak), txangurro (spider crab), kokotxas (hake cheeks). There are more than 11 Michelin stars within 25 km. A round of pintxos at a bar (four or five pieces plus a glass of wine) comes to around 18–30 EUR (about $22–$37); dinner at a restaurant 50–100 EUR ($62–$124); a tasting menu at a three-star restaurant such as Arzak, Akelarre or Mugaritz runs 250–450 EUR ($309–$557). A glass of txakoli costs 3–5 EUR ($4–$6). A litre of petrol is around 1.70 EUR ($2.10), a DBus city bus ticket 1.80 EUR ($2.20), and a taxi ride 8–15 EUR ($10–$19). Prices are as of 2026.

Getting there and around

The local Hondarribia Airport (EAS), 20 km from the city, is small and has limited connections. Bilbao Airport (BIO, 100 km) or Biarritz Airport (BIQ, 30 km across the French border) are often more practical. A bus from Bilbao takes about one hour (10–15 EUR / $12–$19). From Paris, the TGV to Hendaye takes around 5 hours, then a taxi or the Euskotren adds another 30 minutes. The city centre is compact and very walkable; dBizi is the local bike-share scheme.

When to go

June to September is the best time: temperatures of 18–25°C and warm sea from July onwards. La Tamborrada (the city's patron-saint festival, 20 January) is the main local celebration. The San Sebastián International Film Festival runs at the end of September. Winters are mild (8–13°C) but wet.