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San Sebastian
San Sebastian breaks up into easily defined segments and getting your bearings does not take long. The statue of the Sacred Heart on the top of Monte Urgull is a key landmark. To the west of it is San Sebastian's superb bay and Playa de la Concha and Playa de Ondarreta, the best of its beaches; to the east, the broad river flows into the sea.
Around the base of Monte Urgull are the harbour and the old quarter of narrow lanes, full of excellent tapas bars and seafood restaurants. Filling out inland from the old town, and in contrast to the curves and sweeps of the beaches and the hilly coast, the "new" (19th century) part of town follows a grid plan alongside the river. Find the tourist office on the west bank of the river at the corner of Calle Reina Regente and Paseo Argentina. Ondarreta beach, at the far western end of the bay, backs on to a quiet suburb of well tended hotels and gardens. Beyond this is Monte Igueldo, where you can take a funicular railway up its wooded slopes. San Sebastian Attractions The Beaches The bay at San Sebastian has the perfection of a circle, ringed by beaches of golden sand. It sits between green, tree covered hills which, along with the wooded island of Santa Clara at its mouth, protect it from the open sea, leaving the clear blue water as calm as a millpond. Playa de la Concha is the finest of its beaches, a huge curve of creamy yellow sand swooping from the harbour right round to the Palacio Miramar. Beyond this is Playa de Ondarreta, equally popular for its tennis courts and access to the funicular railway that climbs Monte Igueldo to the funfair at the top. San Sebastian's third beach is Playa de Gros, far on the eastern side of town. It is sandy and good for sunbathing, but strong currents make it unsafe for swimming.
The old town huddles at the base of Monte Urgell. At its centre the ancient Plaza de la Constitucion still bears the numbered balconies of its former days when it served as the local bullring. Bound by squat colonnading, it is a small, workaday plaza, not at all the social hub you might expect. None the less good, earthy tapas bars lurk among its butcher's shops and grocery stores and more are to be found in the surrounding network of narrow lanes. If you want to sit out at a pavement cafe and enjoy the old town, Plaza de la Trinidad is your best bet, a quiet niche wedged beneath the tangled foliage of Mount Urgell. Nearby the exuberant little church of Santa Maria del Coro is squeezed in between the tall buildings of Calle V. Coro. It is a masterly Baroque extravagance in golden sandstone. Turn your back to its facade for a clear view the length of Rua Mayor and beyond to the 19th century cathedral Buen Pastor in the "new" part of town a sharp and spiky Neo Gothic design and a complete contrast to Iglesia Santa Maria's curves and flounces. The Museo de San Telmo is tucked round beneath the east side of Mount Urgell, a collection of local paintings and artefacts housed in a 16th century Renaissance building. It opens Mondays Fridays 9.30 13.30 and 15.30 19.30; Sunday and holidays 10.30 14.00. The wooded hill can be climbed from here, affording great views of the bay.
The old stone harbour lies in a crook of land with its back to Mount Urgell, sheltering from harsh Atlantic storms. A stroll along the quays takes you past the busy coloured fishing vessels and the whistling masts of moored yachts; beyond them lie San Sebastian's magnificent beaches and the island of Santa Clara in the mouth of the bay. Boats leave here for the island during the summer: there is little to see once you get there, but it is a nice spot for a picnic. Seafood restaurants line the old harbour, offering the best atmosphere to enjoy a meal out of doors. The Aquarium sits at the far end of the quays, not at all a collection of fish, but a nautical museum. Open Monday Saturday 10.00 13.30 and 15.30 19.30 (20.00 in summer); closed all day Monday from mid September to mid March. The Modem Town The modern town has a flavour quite different to that of the old. Its broad avenues and streets are elegantly planned, and the place has a sophisticated, cosmopolitan air akin to the French Riviera. Its shops, coffee houses and occasional restaurants are up market and conservative. San Sebastian first became a summer resort for the rich and fashionable after 1845, when it was visited by Queen Isabel, and the "new" part of town takes its stylistic cue from this period. It was clearly laid out on a grand scale, and this can be fully appreciated by walking along the paseos beside the river from the sea inland. The mood of monied confidence is set by the grandiose Hotel Christina and the regally ornamented Santa Catalina Bridge, with its flamboyant, gold coated statues. A few streets away, the Plaza de Guipuzcoa is the town's finest, its little colonnaded square thick with green foliage and luxuriant, swaying palms. Back beside the river, the paseo extends deep inland, running along the back of the large 19th century town houses that were built here with heavy and opulent grandeur. For Art Nouveau enthusiasts it is worth making a detour off the Paseo de los Fueros at the Maria Christina Bridge to the huge gushing fountain of Plaza de Bilbao to take a look at the windows and doorways of the bookshop Donosti on the plaza, and at superlative examples of the style in Calle de Prim at Nos. 10, 17 and 25. The affluence of the area continues to this day and in the triangular wedge of streets that runs between the cathedral, the top of Calle de Prim and Plaza de Bilbao you will find a late nightlife as chic and lively as any in Spain.
Cheap to Moderate La Perla P* *, Loyola, 10. Tel: 24 8123. Gran Bahia HsR*, Calle de Embletran, 16. Tel: 42 38 38. Fernando HsR**, Plaza de Guipuzcoa, 2. Tel: 42 55 75. La Concha P* *, Calle de San Martin, 5 1. Tel: 45 03 89. Alameda HsR**, Aida. del Boulevard, 23. Tel: 42 16 87. Smarter Options
Pellizar H R *, Boulevard de Intxaurrondo. Tel: 28 12 11. Codina H* *, Avenida Zurnalacarregui, 2 1. Tel: 21 22 00. Niza H***, Zubieta, 56. Tel: 42 66 63.
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A stunning bay, perfect sandy beaches and a chic, upbeat nightlife make San Sebastian one of the best seaside resorts in northern Spain. It has been firmly established as just that for over a hundred years and the broad avenues of the 19th century resort give it a stately grandeur and an air of cultivated, fashionable wealth. At the same time the atmosphere is never really exclusive although accommodation does tend to be more expensive than in other Spanish seaside towns. The only note of caution must be about the weather: like the rest of this northern coast, San Sebastian has considerable rainfall throughout the year. You can be unlucky, but during the summer the sun usually shines, with an average temperature of 22'C.
GETTING YOUR BEARINGS
The Old Town
The Harbour
Places to Stay