San Sebastian Travel Guide

Getting There

From Madrid, Iberia Airlines (tel. 90-240-05-00) offers three to six daily flights to San Sebastián, plus three daily flights from Barcelona. The domestic airport is at nearby Fuenterrabía. From Fuenterrabía, buses run to the center of San Sebastián every 20 minutes Monday to Saturday from 6:45am to 9:05pm, and Sunday every 30 minutes from 7:40am to 9:05pm. Tickets are 1.70€ ($2.20). Contact Interbus (tel. 94-364-13-02) for more information.

From Madrid, RENFE runs trains to the French border at Irún, many of which stop in San Sebastián (a 6- to 8-hr. trip). RENFE also provides 9-hour overnight train service from Barcelona to San Sebastián and on to Bilbao. For RENFE information, call tel. 90-224-02-02 (www.renfe.es).

San Sebastián is well linked by a bus network to many of Spain's major cities, although if you're in Madrid, it's more convenient to take a train. Continental Auto, Av. de Sancho el Sabio 31 (tel. 94-346-90-74), runs seven to nine daily buses from Madrid, taking 6 hours and costing 29€ ($38). Vibasa, Po. De Vizcaya 16 (tel. 94-345-75-00), operates three buses from Barcelona, a 7-hour trip costing 27€ ($35) one-way. Finally, Transportes PESA, Av. de Sancho el Sabio 33 (tel. 90-210-12-10), runs buses from Bilbao every 30 minutes during the day, taking 1 1/4 hours and costing 9€ ($12) one-way.

From Madrid, take the N-I toll road north to Burgos, then follow A-1 to Miranda de Ebro. From here, continue on the A-68 north to Bilbao and then the A-8 east to San Sebastián. From Pamplona, take the A-15 north to the N-I route, which leads right into San Sebastián.

Visitor Information

The tourist office is at Calle Reina Regente 3 (tel. 94-348-11-66; www.sansebastianturismo.com). From June to September, it's open Monday to Saturday 8am to 8pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm; off-season hours are Monday to Saturday 9am to 1:30pm and 3:30 to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 2pm.

Special Events

Two weeklong events draw visitors from around the world. In mid-August, San Sebastián stages its annual party, Aste Nagusia, a joyous celebration of traditional Basque music and dance, along with fireworks, cooking competitions, and sports events. In mid-September, the San Sebastián International Film Festival draws luminaries from America and Europe. The actual dates of these festivals vary from year to year, so check with the tourist office . In the second half of July, San Sebastián hosts a jazz festival, Jazzaldia.