What to eat, see and do in San Sebastian
WHAT TO DO
A 20-minute hike to the mirador (viewpoint) on Mount Urgull is a prerequisite, to see the city and its three beaches — La Concha, Ondarreta and Zurriola — unfurl beneath you. The Museo San Telmo, set within a 16th-century Dominican convent at Urgull’s base, has one of the best permanent fine art collections in Spain, while the local aquarium is a superlative rainy day draw if the weather should turn. Be sure to save three hours for the stunning coastal walk from San Sebastián to the picturesque village of Pasajes.
WHERE TO STAY
At the heart of San Sebastián’s Romantic Quarter, Hotel Maria Cristina remains the city’s finest five-star hotel, boasting bright, luxuriant rooms fit for royalty. Spain’s regent queen, Maria Cristina, whose seaside holidays here transformed San Sebastián from plucky Basque fishing outpost to coastal jewel of the Belle époque, opened the hotel herself in 1912. A £16m revamp in 2012 restored the lustre to its marbled halls, situated three minutes’ walk from the Old Town, seafront promenade and beaches.
Alternatively, a 15-minute free shuttle bus from town is peaceful Arima Hotel, a modern oasis of comfort engineering. Its Zen interiors, striking rooftop pool and fine organic dining are restorative and reassuringly affordable. Sam was a guest of Hotel Maria Cristina, rooms from £178 (marriot.com) and Arima Hotel, rooms from £74.80 (arimahotel.com)
WHERE TO EAT
Where to start? The gridded Old Town’s prize-winning pintxos bars have hardly changed over generations — and for good reason. Plonk an elbow down and hoover up platefuls of pimientos, roe, sea urchin (right) or kokotxas (the prized chins of hake or cod) among the hungry scrums. Bar Txepetxa serves some of the finest anchovies, and La Cuchara de San Telmo’s morcilla (black pudding) is among the highlights of a menu so mouth-wateringly good, it should be laminated.
Arrive early in the morning to secure a spot at Bar Nestor, which serves the famous txuleta steak, or book in for an uproarious pintxos tour at illustrious cookery school, Mimo. San Sebastián and the surrounding Basque Country also boasts the most Michelin stars per person on the planet, with 1 Michelin-star Kokotxa on the more economical end and Arzak at the other, which has justifiably held three stars for more than 30 years.
