View Larger MapSan Sebastian is located in the Basque part of Spain on the Atlantic Coast across the border from Biarritz. It is Donostia in Basque and San Sebastian in Spanish and is officially known as Donostia-SanSebastian. It is a large city of about 200,000 people and 400,000 including the nearby suburbs. It is just a few kilometers from the border with France but it has a very different feel.
San Sebastian is in the north of the Basque Country, on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. San Sebastian’s picturesque coastline makes it a popular beach resort. San Sebastian benefits from hilly surroundings. There are numerous cliffs that overlook the ocean right in the center of the city. There is a warmth to the city and a vibrancy to its residents which was in stark contrast to France and in particular Biarritz. San Sebastian also sits at the mouth of the river Urumea so you have the ocean and a river running through the city.
There is evidence of Roman ruins there too. It was cold and rainy most of the day we were there so we didn’t do as much exploring as we would have liked. We ate in a fantastic real tapas place. I guess you can tell it is real because the tapas are all prepared and waiting at the bar and you just go up to the bar and select the ones you want. And of course, when you are done, you must throw your trash on the floor. Jean-Jacques and I were in no mood to make choices so we ordered the menu and it was an enormous amount of food. We also felt too proper to throw our trash on the floor, but as we left I noticed the waiter swept what was left on our table to the floor. So much for saving someone some extra work.
It was a little strange for me that San Sebastian sat just across the border from France and few merchants spoke French. I took Spanish for 6 years in school and can still speak it okay but since learning, living, and thinking in French my Spanish has really gotten rusty. Merchants are usually the first ones in border regions to know a few phrases and they didn’t know many. There is a French stereotype that the Spanish don’t like to learn languages. Maybe it is true. It’s strange coming from the French who don’t appear to like learning languages either.
Some things to do while in San Sebastian:
- Go to the beach, it’s right there in the city
- Go to a football or rugby match, both are big attractions in the city
- Go to the San Sebastian Film Festival, it is over 50 years old and one of the most respected in Europe
- Go to the San Sebastian Jazz Festival, this year is the 43rd festival, it is held July 22-27
- Every year on 20 January , the feast of Saint Sebastian, the people of San Sebastian celebrate a festival known as the “Tamborrada”, eating drinking, drumming, it’s an all night affair
We only spent an afternoon there. We would love to go back. Next time we’ll research things to do. We only went because the weather was so bad in Biarritz that we couldn’t go to the beach. Next time we’ll be prepared for San Sebastian.
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I have fond memories of my time in San Sebastian. I stayed several nights in a pensione. I was struck by the difference in feel such a short distance from France! Memories include late night bar hopping for tapas in the old town, beautiful ladies in dresses and heels doing their morning shopping at the market, one of the best steaks I’ve eaten at a tiny restaurant on the second floor of a building on a nondescript street, losing my wallet only to recover it from a kind restauranteur the next day … and a terrific Ska concert in the big plaza in the center of the old part of town near the Cathedral. It was a lovely city and my only regret was the lack of sunshine. I look forward to visiting again once I’m living in France. Thanks for sharing this, Owen!
San Sebastian was very nice. It was very lively. I think I was starting to get sick there so after a while the healthy buzz of the city was getting to me. Noise noise noise (is for heros, quote anyone?) When doing a little research to write this short post I came across that it has 200,000 residents and 400,000 in the immediate region. That struck me as odd because it seemed so much larger to me.
very lovely place, we had a great time there and recommend it to all. so much to do and wonderful location
I’d like to go back in better weather and go to the beach and stroll around the city. It really made me feel good to be there.
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