Eat & Drink

Gastronomy is an art and a hallmark in San Sebastian.  The city has a well-deserved reputation: a city of excellent food. 16 Michelin stars and its famous chefs are a proof of it.  But what is great for backpackers in Spain visiting San Sebastian is that the city gastronomic excellence doesn't mean you have to spend large amounts of money for eat and drink purposes. You can taste great dishes at the popular pintxos bars or the sidrerias at good prices.

If there is something that surprises San Sebastian visitors, is that bars and sidrerias are full of delicious pintxos, ready to be eaten with a good glass of wine.  A pintxo is the basque word for tapa.

For San Sebastian people eating pintxos is considered as a gathering of friends with the informality of eating standing.

While being in San Sebastian, you must follow one of the traditional activities of in the city: txikiteo.  San Sebastian groups of friends use to go from bar to bar after work having txikitos (tiny glasses of wine or beer) and pintxos at each stop, and they never get drunk during these visits. The txikiteo is mostly a social relationship deeply rooted in the Basque people.

And what to drink in San Sebstian? Wine is the most popular drink in the Basque Country. But you should also try  cider, and the txakolí from Getaria. This is made from local white grapes, and is slightly carbonated. The flavor is a white wine and champagne mixture.  Txakolí is drunk  more often in summer, normally with fish or seafood dishes.