San Sebastian the city of love
According to the good old saying that love goes through the stomach, it is no exaggeration to describe San Sebastian as the city of love. There are many things that fascinate me about San Sebastian, the nature and the powerfull sea, the beautiful buildings from the belle Epoque, the lively old town. San Sebastian is a beautiful city, but at the end I always think of the good food and the great pintxos.
Surfer beach La Zurriola in San Sebastian
As there is a lot to write about San Sebastian. This should serve more as an introduction. For those guests who want to spend a half or full day in Sanse. For all guests arriving from the French side, I recommend using the local train, the so-called Topo from Hendaye, especially during the season (July and August). At the station of Hendaye you can park the car well and relax in San Sebastian (San Sebastian / Amara get off) on. If you come out of the train station in Amara just walk up the street Easo to the hotel Londres and you are on the famous beach "La Concha".
Those who arrive by car can head directly to the parking garage of the Kursaal (Avenida de Zurriola 1), so you have a good orientation. In front of the sea and on the left side the river Urumea, on the right side the surfing beach Zurriola and over the river you are very close to the old town.
The beach Zurriola with the "Kursaal"
As a start, I would walk arround the mountain (Monte Urgull) on the road Pasealeku Berria (Paseo Nuevo). You can start from the harbor or opposite the Kursaal. The footpath gives great views of the Atlantic Ocean and all the beaches (Zurriola, La Concha and Ondarreta).
Then I would dive into the old town and let me just drift away from the extraordinary atmosphere. Go for a drink in a couple of bars and of course always eat one or more pintxos. You can get along well with English or French, the waiters are used to international tourism, actually it is enough to communicate with hands. So don’t be afraid, just do it. If you get tired of the pintxos, I would drink a coffee at the Plaza de la Constutición, a great place. The numbers on the balconies are reminiscent of the time when there was still a bullring.
The charming old part of town "parte vieja".
If you have more energy you can just walk the beach promenade to the beach La Concha to the beach Ondarreta and then it is not far to the famous "Peine del viento" by Eduardo Chillida.
If it rains, you can bridge this time in the aquarium (near the harbor) or with a visit to the Museum San Telmo. Both worth a visit and within a short distance to the old town.
In my other blogs about San Sebastian, I'll talk about the culinary offer, including great events like the jazz festival in July, the film festival in September and the regattas. There is still much to write about history, museums and sights.
There are some travel guides; a nice description of the Basque metropolis is the book "Donostia, San Sebastian" The Happiest City in the World "by Georges Hausemer (Author), Susanne Jaspers (Author).
Address Tourism Office: Boulevard Alameda, 8, 20003 San Sebastián, Guipúzcoa, Espagne