San Sebastian Travel Guide

21km (13 miles) W of the French border, 483km (299 miles) N of Madrid, 100km (62 miles) E of Bilbao

San Sebastián (Donostia in the Basque language) is the summer capital of Spain, and here the Belle Epoque lives on. Ideally situated on a choice spot on the Bay of Biscay, it's surrounded by green mountains. From June to September, the population swells as hundreds of Spanish bureaucrats escape the heat and head for this tasteful resort -- it has few of the tawdry trappings associated with major beachfront cities. San Sebastián is an ideal base for trips to some of the Basque country's most fascinating towns.

Queen Isabella II put San Sebastián on the map as a resort when she spent the summer of 1845 there. In time, it became the summer residence of the royal court. On July 8, 1912, Queen María Cristina inaugurated the grand hotel named after her, and the resort became very fashionable. In what's now the city hall, built in 1887, a casino opened, and European aristocrats gambled in safety here during World War I.

San Sebastián is the capital of Guipúzcoa province, the smallest in Spain, tucked in the far northeastern corner bordering France. It's said that Guipúzcoa has preserved Basque customs better than any other province. Half of the donostiarras -- residents of San Sebastián -- speak Euskera. The city is a major seat of Basque nationalism, so be advised that protests, sometimes violent, are frequent.

San Sebastián contains an old quarter, La Parte Vieja, with narrow streets, hidden plazas, and medieval houses, but it is primarily a modern city of elegant shops, wide boulevards, sidewalk cafes, and restaurants.

La Concha is the city's most famous beach -- especially in July and August, when it seems as if half the populations of Spain and France spend their days under striped canopies or in the cool waters of the bay. Shell-shaped La Concha is half-encircled by a promenade, where crowds mill during the evening. The adjoining beach is Playa de Ondarreta. The climate here is decidedly more Atlantic than Mediterranean.

San Sebastián has a good, though insufficient, choice of hotels in summer, plus many excellent restaurants, most of which are expensive. Its chief drawback is overcrowding in July and August. Bullfights, art and film festivals, sporting events, and cultural activities keep San Sebastián hopping during summer.