Top 10 Things to do in San Sebastian during your trip

San Sebastian is a Spanish city located on the France Spain border and is a coastal city. There are many things to do in San Sebastian which can make your trip a perfect memorable one!

San Sebastian is a coastal city along the Bay of Biscay. The economic activity in the town is entirely service-based which is focused on commerce and tourism. There are famous events which take place in the town such as the San Sebastian Jazz Festival and San Sebastian Film Festival.

San Sebastian is a coastal city which experiences a tropical climate with warm summers and cool winters. The town experiences cloudy or overcast conditions most of the year along with some rain. There is roughly 1650 cm of rain that takes place in the town and is evenly spread throughout the year. The summer months are drier and noticeably sunnier.

If you are looking to download the Tourist map for San Sebastian then we would recommend you to check out the official tourism site of San Sebastian.

Is San Sebastian worth visiting?

San Sebastian (or Donostia to the Basque) is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. It’s got beautiful churches and buildings and a wide sandy beach described as one of the best in-city beaches in Europe.

Things to do in San Sebastian

Mount Igueldo

The views from Mount Igueldo are beautiful. 181 metres above sea level is the height of the mountain peak. The best way to get to the mountain range is the old-world funicular railway to the Parque de Atracciones which is the old-fashioned fun fair at the hill.

There are individual rides and attractions. The rides cost between 1 Euros and 5 Euros. These rides include a roller coaster, a boat ride, and a haunted house. The train rides from the funicular railway depart every 15 minutes.

There are hotels and cafes where you can sip on the coffee and enjoy the Spanish fashion.

La Concha Beach

The Beach of La Concha is a crescent shaped beach located in San Sebastian. The word Concha is referred to as the shape is fairly regular. The site is very popular and is one of the most famous urban beaches in Europe.

The beach is known for its history as in the 19th century, the Queen Isabel II made the beach fashionable after the doctors recommended that she should sit on the beach to cure her skin problems.

The beach is a sandy beach and has shallow substrate where the tides fluctuate and affects the area greatly.

Alderdi Eder Gardens

Alderdi Eder Gardens are situated in front of the historic City Hall and is fun place for the kids! The garden has French-style carousels and colourful boats. The Monte Urugull area of the gardens consist of these beautiful boats.

The other attraction of the gardens are the Navel museum and the Aquarium. After the aquarium, there is an ocean front cliff which provides stunning views of the ocean. These views are not to be missed.

The garden is located at an important location as the defence wall of the city was demolished and the garden was made at this place in the year 1863. At that time, the garden was used by the defence forces for the purpose of exercises. This took place until the army was moved to the other best known neighbourhood known as El Antiguo in the year 1875.

Surfing at La Zurriola

Located next to the Kursaal Conference Centre and Auditorium, La Zurriola is a surf beach in the centre of the town San Sebastian. The Kursaal Conference Centre is a glass facade building. Alongside the coastline the beach has a few best places for surf beaches.

The beach is a large beach and is spread alongside the bridge that goes along the Urumea river. Just like any other beaches in the town, the beach has all the facilities and services as the other beaches. There is a bicycle path that is located in the beach. This path is used by skaters as well.

There is corner reserved for the surfers and windsurfers. From the beach the well known Monte Igeldo is also visible. The beach is accessible to all kinds of people even the people with special needs as there is ramp present for the better access.

Explore the Old Town or the Historic Quarter

San Sebastian is a coastal town with enriching history. The old town of the city is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity. There are fishing ports alongside the Historical Quarter street. The smell of pintxos is very peculiar in this area. After crossing the boulevard, the centre of the town comes up and the pedestrian streets consists of lovely shops and boutiques and is a heaven for the shoppers.

The Historic quarter is the social centre of the town and consists of many plazas. One of the famous plazas is Plaza de la Constitucion which is one of the most famous squares in the town of San Sebastian. There are other historic landmarks such as the English Cemetery and the Castillo de la Mota.

Bascilica De Santa Maria Del Coro

The Bascilica De Santa Maria Del Coro or the Bascilica of Saint Mary of Coro is a baroque Roman Catholic church. This church was completed in the year 1774.

The interior of the Bascilica consists of a main nave which is a space of 48 by 33 metres and is divided into three naves. This is divided into 4 zones and the axis pillars of the nave. Six pillars of the bascilica act as the buttress which support the vaults. There are octagonal pillars which reach upto the capitals. At the end of the nave on the right side, different rooms are used by the parish and other services.

The main entrance of the building is located between the two towers and it looks as an altarpiece with a tortured figure of Saint Sebastian.

San Telmo Museum

The San Telmo Museum is a contemporary refurbishment of the museum built in a 16th Century. The building is a fusion of contemporary and historic architecture. The museum is the best place to explore the architecture and the history of the place.

The museum is an art and history museum which took place in the European history. The museum is the unique rendering of the Gipuzkoa architecture which is known to be the fusion of the Gothic and Renaissance architecture styles.

The permanent and temporary exhibitions are both enjoyed by the visitors.

Plaza de la Consitucion

Known to be the largest public square of the town, Plaza de la consitucion was known to be bull fighting ring. The square is located in the Historic Quarter of the town and one can see the balconies around the square. These balconies were numbered in ordered to designate the spaces for the town’s elites.

The square displays the beautiful architecture style and is full of arcades that consist of bars and restaurants. The architecture style of the place is neoclassical and the place is famous for its pintxos.

Sculptures at Chillida Leku

Eduardo Chillida is the Basque country’s most successful and famous international sculptor who set up an outdoor museum known as Chillida Leku. This outdoor mueum displays the contemporary iron an granite sculptures.

The sculptures are displayed in green areas which harmonise the materials iron, earth, stone and forest. The museum is set among the lust green fields among the oak and birch trees. This was restored in the 16th century farmhouse with a collection of small works, sketches and early sculptures.

The pieces of the artist were placed in a natural setting in over 20 museums in places like Houston and Berlin. The pieces were often shown on a seafront in San Sebastian and in the mountains in Japan.

San Sebastian Jazz Festival

In the month of July, the city is famous for the Jazz Festival and this Jazz festival is known to be Europe’s oldest Jazz Festival. There is a whole list of jazz musicians who play at this festival. There are open air concerts on the streets such as the Plaza de la Trinidad which is fully booked with jazz fans. The sounds of the music are cooler and can be explored in the Old Quarter.

Post the concerts, the jazz lovers and artists are seen in the pintxo bars until the early morning.

Recommended Tours from San Sebastian

That was our post about things to do in San Sebastian Spain during your next trip. Do let us know if you enjoyed reading our post.

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