Explore a selection of our most popular San Sebastián (Donostia) experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
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San Sebastián is famous for its gastronomy – the pintxos, the products, and the chefs who love to play with them. It also has a stunning coastline, a strong Basque identity, and world renown surfing competitions. Come for the cuisine, art, coastal walks, and to see why it has inspired so many.
Explore a selection of our most popular San Sebastián (Donostia) experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
This is how you get to know San Sebastián: by grazing among the hundreds of small bars that specialize in the gourmet miniature dishes we call pintxos.
Starting in Madrid and finishing in San Sebastian, this seven-night tour looks at the revival of textiles and their place in décor and fashion in Spain today.
A Tale of 3 Spains:
City Art, Basque Cuisine & Hilltop Shrines
Enter the life of each city by way of its art, history, and gastronomy – taking in museum masterpieces with private guides, drinking wines with master vintners, making personal connections that allow for a deeper engagement with the place and its people.
OUR INSIDER’S TIPS
BEST PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET:
♥ If you like a good walk, one of the best spots to watch the sun go down is on Monte Ulía. It takes a good 40 or 50 minutes to get to the top but it is an impressive experience. (Please be extra careful on the way down as in the dark it can be a bit dangerous!)
♥ If you prefer a more relaxed way of enjoying the sunset, go to GU, a club next to the town hall, just by the beach bay, and have a cocktail while sitting on their terrace.
♥ You can also walk to Sagües, at the end of Zurriola beach, and sit on the wall while you watch the sunset surfers and the sky change colors.
BEST VIEW OF THE CITY:
♥ Monte Igueldo & Monte Urgull
To reach Monte Igueldo, try going via the funicular, which will take you to a pretty fun fair park from the beginning of the last century. Monte Urgull is a 20 minute walk up the hill from one of the few entrances in San Sebastian’s Old Town, but it is worth it! You will see what is left of the city fortress on your way, with the original walls and many cannons, hundreds of years old. Here, over the harbour, is one of our favourite spots in town.
PRETTIEST STREETS TO WALK DOWN:
♥ The Old Town streets are charming and unforgettable, but for the locals, a walk along the river, along the Paseo de Francia, is a favorite with its beautiful buildings with clear French influences.
♥ Also not to be missed is the neighbourhood of Ondarreta, at the very end of La Concha beach. It is full of great houses built at the end of the XIX century by the Spaniards who went to Cuba and came back very wealthy when the colony was lost. On the way you can stop at Palacio de Miramar, once a royal home, to see its gardens and amazing views.
♥ And do not forget to walk in the city center, particularly getting to Plaza de Guipúzcoa, with its little green gardens full of charm over 125 years old.
TOP DONOSTI PRODUCTS TO TAKE BACK HOME:
♥ Txacolí & Idiazabal – Txacolí (the slightly sparkling, very dry white wine from the Basque Country) & Idiazabal cheese (the Basque Country’s smoky sheep cheese). A great gourmet shop to purchase these is at La Oveja Latxa in the Old Town.
♥ Txapela – a Basque beret! Quite possibly the most representative garments of the Basque Country. Try Alboka, which opened 1939 and specializes in traditional Basque clothing and handicraft products.
♥ Iconic art from the Lance & Malone shop known for its illustrations and collages. All 5 artists represented here are from San Sebastian!
♥ Summer! As San Sebastian is in the north of Spain, it does not have the same blazing heat as in the south. The week of August 15th (from Saturday to Saturday) is a fun moment to visit as it is Semana Grande (Big Week, Assumption Day). There are fireworks, parties, parades with the GIANTS, concerts and more!
San Sebastian is a HUB for top Michelin Star chefs. There are 11 Michelin star restaurants in the area, three of which have 3 Stars – Juan Mari Arzak (Arzak), Martín Berasategui (Martín Berasategui) and Pedro Subijana (Akelarre).
Then, there are local superstars:
♥ Iñigo Peña – owner and head chef at Narru restaurant, at the Arbaso Hotel. He was chosen, years ago by the New York Times as one the most promising young chefs in the world, but he decided to keep low key to have freedom to do what he likes best.
MUST-HAVE DONOSTI DISHES & DRINKS:
♥ Txangurro. A stuffed crab shell with crab meat mixed with onion, leek, tomato (or other vegetable), served hot out of the oven.
♥ Pimpientos – peppers. Served roasted, pickled, marinated, grilled, dried, sautéed, powdered… you name it. There are 6 varieties unique to the Basque Country: Paprika Anglet from Lapurdi, Le Piment d’Espelette also from Lapurdi, the Gernika pepper from Bizkaia, the Guindillas Tolosa from Gipuzkoa, and two varieties from Nafarroa: the Piquillo Lodosa and Cornicabra, or Goat’s Horn.
♥ Bacalao al pil pil – baked salted cod with a garlic, dried guindilla chilli pepper and olive oil sauce. (great recipe to try this at home, here!)
♥ Mike Laboa – an artist who maintains and works to protect the Basque language and culture.
♥ La Oreja de Van Gogh – (Translated to “Van Gogh’s Ear”!) are a very popular Spanish group, who started in 1996.
♥Alberto Iglesias – possibly the most internationally known artist from San Sebastian, is a composer of soundtracks, including The Constant Gardener, The Kite Runner or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Paul Arrillaga – Zazpi, in the Museum of San Telmo. Creativity without being pretentious. Beautiful sharing dishes for a top dinner!