San Sebastian is without any doubt one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, being one of the country’s main tourist destinations, with over 400,000 visitors every year.
This small big city, with people of strong character, and Belle Epoque smooth air has a bewitching beauty, sea and mountain with a single step.
San Sebastian was born as a fishing village and grew as a commercial city and strategic military post, with the invasion of Napoleon's troops. It was almost completely destroyed in 1813 after the battle with the Anglo-Portuguese troops. It was born again as a city when the spanish queen Isabel II chose San Sebastian as her holiday destination in the XIX century.
It was then in the last years of the nineteenth and early twentieth century that San Sebastian became a cultured city and one of the highest quality tourist destination in the North of Spain. Stately buildings reflecting royalty and bourgoisie character give to San Sebastian a noble soul who has managed to adapt to the times.
San Sebastian has a cultural activity unusual for its city size. The International Film Festival, the Jazzaldia –The Jazz Festival- and the Musical Fortnight are the most important and world wide famous events that take place. But you’ll find other less-known events, interesting as well, that fill the city's cultural agenda: thematic film festivals such as the Surfilmfestibal or the Human Rights Festival, or arts performing events as DFeria theater festival.
San Sebastian is known for its famous gastronomy, being the capital of “pintxos”, a small slice of bread on which to place a small ration of food, that you’ll find at every bar or “sidrería”. But San Sebastian is also famous for its high level cuisine, being a gastronomic destination known worldwide. It gathers more Michelin stars per m2 than anywhere else in the world. San Sebastian has been the heart of the renaissance of Basque cuisine through movement "new Basque cuisine." The quality of raw materials and the world famous "pintxos" are a delight for visitors to San Sebastian throughout the year.
San Sebastián City Info
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7.7 (1) |
User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
Extremely beautiful city
| Overall rating: | 7.7 | |
| Kindness of people: | 8.0 | |
| Weather: | 8.0 | |
| Public Transportation: | 8.0 | |
| Food: | 9.0 | |
| Things to do: | 7.0 | |
| Nightlife: | 7.0 | |
| Prices (overall): | 7.0 |
San Sebastian is a seaside town, situated in the north-east of Pais Vasco. If you go by car, take into account that you won't find anywhere to park, the city lacks parking places. If you go by plane, the airport is about 40 minutes far from the city center, you can reach there directly, there's no loss.
Once in there, you can visit a lot of places such as the beaches. My personal favourite one is "La Concha", it's called like that because it has a shell form. The whole city is very clean and green.
You can also go to the small island called Santa Clara, it's a different sensation if you stay in that beach!
As for the architecture, there's not much to see. Like in every city, you have to visit the old quarter and get lost in the narrow streets, that's the very heart of the city.
What you definetely have to do is eat a lot! The food there is delicious in nearly every bar although it can get a little expensive.
Go in the summer and you'll enjoy good weather since in the winter it's nearly raining every day!
