Hotels in San Sebastián, Spain

San Sebastián, called Donostia in Basque, is a large city of 180 000 inhabitants about twenty kilometers from the French border. It is the capital of the province of Guipúzcoa, in the Autonomous Region of the Basque Country in Spain.

The city is spread around the Bay of Concha, which has at its centre a small rock, Isla Santa Clara, equipped for day trips, but connected to the port only during summer months. La Concha is one of three main beaches of San Sebastian, the others are Zurriola, eastward across the mouth of the Urumea river, and Onderreta, which also overlooks the bay. The bay is bordered to the east by Mount Igeldo - from which top you can admire a magnificent panorama of the city and the sea.

The old part of town has a few buildings of historical interest because it was completely destroyed by fire in 1813. But certainly it is a very distinctive area, at any time during the day and especially at night. In the clubs and tapas bars you can taste Pintxos, always different in the form of croutons, croquettes or rolls, accompanied by local red wine.

However, here there are also places of tourist interest, such as the Catedral del Buen Pastor dating back to the late 1800s, the many churches, the Castillo de la Mota on Mount Urgull, the Plaza de Gipuzkoa with the Palacio de la Deputacion, the Calle Mayor with the Teatro Principal. Plaza de la Constitucion and the Avenida de España are the commercial and financial beating hearts of the city.

Further info about San Sebastián

The main museums in San Sebastián are the Museum Municipal de San Telmo with archaeological and ethnological collections, the Museo historico militar on Mount Urgull, inside the castle, the Aquarium and the Museo Naval de Palacio del Mar built in 1928.

Sport is a major activity and loved by the citizens. There's something for everyone: the Anoeta velodrome, the Zarzuela Hippodrome, the Fronton for pelota, where bets are run by bookmakers throwing tennis balls to bettors containing their bets.

San Sebastián's nightlife is varied depending on your preference. In the old part, as already mentioned, there are the venues most frequented by young people and tourists. In the area of Calle Reyes Catolicos, near the Buen Pastor Cathedral, there are the most chic and stylish clubs. In the district of Gros you can enjoy lazy music in a relaxing setting.