San Sebastian & Barcelona

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San Sebastián

Dynamic urban scene in San Sebastian’s old town.

We were already living in San Sebastian, but its easy to get to by Madrid and most of northern Spain by train. We stayed in apartments, but there are countless reasonably priced airbnbs, hotels, and hostels. My favorite hostel is called "A Room in the City Hostel". Its direclty in downtown (called El Centro), has a lot of ameneties, and the whole city is walkable from here. From the hostel. you can walk directly to La Concha beach, San Sebastian's most famous crescent-shaped beach. There are floating docks with slides a short swim from the sand and you can rent cabanas, umbrellas, and more to enjoy the beach with. You can also rent paddle boards for the bay. Don't be alarmed that in Spain, sometimes people will go nude at the beach! You can spend hours here.

For sunset, take a ride up the old furniular to the top of Mt Igueldo on the left side of La Concha. At the top, there is actually an old amusement park that the Queen built in the mid 1900s. There is a cafe where you can sit and take in the gorgeous vista.

For dinner, theres endless tapas bars and restaurants to choose from. If you want something local, head to Parte Vieja and stop by in any of the tapas bars for traditional basque pintxos (basque for tapas). One of our favorites is simply called Barrio. For patatas bravas and fried calamari, La Mejillonera is extremely popular. For a nicer meal that is still reasonably priced, Atari, right off the steps of the old cathedral is amazing. Get the pulpo a la plancha if you are feeling adventurous!

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San Sebastián

Charming coastal views in San Sebastian, Spain.

Get an early rise and head to Gros to rent some surfboards! Theres multiple shops to rent from on the main strip, mainly Pukas surf (a solely basque company) and Hawaii Donosti. I've rented from both and they both have great equipment and customer service. Then, hit the waves! If you've never surfed, you can also sign up for a private or group lesson. For breakfast, brunch, or an early lunch head over to Norta Beach House Gros for an eclectic vibe and amazing food and more american style coffee drinks. Across the street, Uh-mami has tasty acai bowls and smoothies if that suits your cravings more! We took siesta on the beach and watched the surfers after our early morning sessions and breakfast.

Once youre rested, a walk through El Centro will take you to amazing shopping. Stores from western companies like H&M as well as Spanish companies like ZARA and Pull&Bear will give you plenty of options. You can also visit the Supermercado to buy snacks, drinks, or groceries if needed.

For sunset, take the short hike up Mt Urgull to the Jesus statue to catch a STUNNING sunset view across La Concha. There are numerous spots you can sit and take in the scene with a bottle of wine or sangria in hand.

San Sebastian isnt known for its nightlife, but our favorite club to frequent is called Bataplan and sits directly on the sand on La Concha. Usually, they play house or techno music, but it is the most club-y vibe in the city. Other bars we love include Molly Malones directly across the street, Artzkaipe in Parte Vieja, and Dabadaba in Gros. Much like anywhere in Spain, there is a bar every 3 feet to enjoy drinks at!

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Pasaia

Historic San Sebastian blended with modern coastal vibes.

At the very edge of Gros, there is a trail that is part of the Camino de Santiago that takes you to the next town over that is situated on a small river, Pasaia. Its a beautiful hike that takes you across coastal terrain and its about 6 miles round trip. Its moderately difficult, but a lot of it is flat. Hike into the town and stop for lunch and refreshments. You can take the ferry across the river to the other side, where another tiny town called San Juan is. There are cobblestoned streets, shops, and food. They are both quaint little villages with gorgeous views! When youre ready, hike back to San Sebastian. This might take a large chunk of the day.

Go to a sidreria for the evening, a 5 course meal and unlimited cider from big cider barrels for 35 euro. Just outside the city, our favorite is Petrietegi. You will need a reservation!

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Barcelona

Barcelona is about 3-4 hours by train and 5 by bus from San Sebastian. We arrived in Barcelona late morning to early afternoon and got to our airbnb right near Las Ramblas, the most famous pedestrian only strip in Barcelona. We shopped, ate, and walked on the lively street. There is a famous open air market on Las Ramblas called La Boqueria. Its absolutely worth the visit. From there, we walked all the way down Las Ramblas to the beach to dip our feet in the Mediterranean before stopping at one of the many places along it to eat dinner.

The nightlife in Barca is huge, and there are huge, famous nightclubs like Opium and Razzmatazz that are extremely popular. They usually have artists play EDM concerts most weekends and they are a little pricier with dress codes. Worth going once, but quite the experience. On the lower key side, there is the Chupito Bar (you can get flaming shots here) with over 200 different types of shots and an Ice Bar (a bar made completely of ice) that you need time slots for. Of course, there is a myriad of clubs and bars in between to suit your vibe.

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Barcelona

Vibrant San Sebastian streets with coastal beauty.

You cant come to Barcelona without seeing the works of Antonio Gaudi. Start at Park Guell as its further out of the city and bigger. You'll need tickets. We walked around Park Guell and took such fun pictures with all the funky architecture and the vista, as its built up on a hill over much of Barca. Once we were done, we took a bus to La Sagrada Familia. For La Sagrada to go inside, you will need to get tickets a couple WEEKS in advance, as its extremely popular. If you just want to see the outside, you don't need any admission tickets. But, the inside is gorgeous with all the stained glass and dripping, detailed architecture. Its worth it if you can!

There are other Gaudi works in Barca, but these are the most famous.

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San Sebastián

On our last day, we left open to do whatever we felt like. Some ideas would be a tapas tour, a flamenco show, shopoing in Old Town Barcelona, lazing on the beach, or if its futbol season, catching a Barcelona game! Sometimes the tickets are reasonably priced.

Other things to do, San Sebastian:
If you are there on a Thursday, you MUST go to Pintxo Pote. All the bars in Gros give a pintxo and a drink for 2-4 euro and you hop to different bars.
La Vina - the best cheesecake ever!
If its futbol season, catch a Real Sociedad game!
A day trip to Bilbao (the capital of the Basque Country )or Biarritz ( a coastal French town) are easily doable from SS. Biarritz is 45 minutes by bus and Bilbao an hour and a half.
Mt Iguedlo Museum
The aquarium

Other things to do, Barcelona:
Monserratt Monastary
Winery tours
Barcelona game