San Sebastián, Donostia in Basque, with about 190,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Country, twenty kilometres from France. Facing La Concha bay, enclosed by two hills with Santa Clara island in the middle, it is considered one of Europe's most beautiful cities and a world capital of gastronomy.
History
An old walled port of fishermen and merchants, San Sebastián was destroyed by fire in 1813, during the War of Independence, when Anglo-Portuguese troops took it from the French; it was rebuilt around the Parte Vieja. In the second half of the nineteenth century Queen Maria Christina chose it as her summer residence, and it became Spain's most elegant seaside resort, with hotels, casinos, palaces and its wrought-iron Belle Époque promenade. In 2016 it was European Capital of Culture.
What to see
- La Concha beach, with its famous white railing and lamp posts, and neighbouring Ondarreta; and Zurriola beach in the Gros district, a surfers' paradise.
- The Parte Vieja, the old town of lanes full of bars, with the basilica of Santa María del Coro, the church of San Vicente and Plaza de la Constitución, whose numbered balconies recall its days as a bullring.
- Monte Urgull, with the Mota castle, the great Sacred Heart statue and woodland paths, and the San Telmo Museum, devoted to Basque history and culture.
- Monte Igueldo, reached by a 1912 funicular, with a small vintage amusement park and the most famous view of the bay.
- The Comb of the Wind (Peine del Viento), Eduardo Chillida's iron sculptures anchored to the rocks at the end of the bay, where the waves crash (see modern art).
- The Miramar Palace, the queen's residence, Rafael Moneo's Kursaal, two glass cubes by the sea, the City Hall, a former casino, and the María Cristina bridge.
- The Aquarium and the fishing port.
Pintxos and fine dining
San Sebastián is famous for pintxos, small culinary masterpieces displayed on the bars of the Parte Vieja and Gros, and for its concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants, such as Arzak, Akelarre, Martín Berasategui and Mugaritz nearby. See eating in San Sebastián.
Festivals and events
The International Film Festival in September is the most important in the Spanish-speaking world (see the festival); July brings the Jazzaldia jazz festival; 20 January the Tamborrada for St Sebastian, with thousands of drummers for 24 hours; August the Semana Grande, with its international fireworks competition.
Getting there
San Sebastián airport, at Hondarribia, has flights from Madrid and Barcelona; better connected are Bilbao airport, an hour away by bus, and Biarritz in France. Trains arrive at the Norte station, and the local Euskotren runs to Hendaye on the French border. Nearby you can visit Hondarribia, Pasaia, Getaria, Zarautz, the Basque coast and Bilbao.