Beauty and Bars (San Sebastian)

Member Name: Cosmokat

Product:	San Sebastian
Date:	16/09/09 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorgeous City, superb food.

Disadvantages: Unpredictable weather, expensive.

San Sebastian, or Donostia, in Basque, is a Spanish City in Northern Spain. Popular with Spanish tourists, it has a gorgeous large bay with a beach, La Concha, and is a beautiful and interesting place to visit.

The Old Part of the City - Parte Vieja - has a bustling and laid back atmosphere, all at the same time. The narrow streets are crammed with hundreds of bars that offer good wine, or Tinto, at low prices. Many of the bars have a wondrous array of Tapas, or Pinxtos laid out, that you can help yourself to and then pay for what you have eaten - what a great way to eat. Most of the tapas are fish based, if you're vegetarian the potato omelettes are usually a safe bet.

The newer part of the City is less charming than the Old Part, for me, but is also very beautiful, with impressive architecture and a distinctive golden colouring to many buildings, I think this is sandstone from the surrounding mountains, but can't remember where I heard that. There is a stunning Cathedral complimented at the other end of town by a beauty of a Gothic Church.

I have visited San Sebastian a number of times, at different times of year, as a child, teen and adult, so hopefully can give a good insight into what to expect from it as a visitor.

As well as Hotels, there are loads of Hostels around - look for the sign 'Pension'. These are generally of a much higher standard of accommodation than what my preconception of a hostel is, and many have very nice hotel standard rooms with ensuites, just no communal areas that Hotels have as far as I can tell. Can't recall prices - maybe 30 euros-ish for a room per night in high season. There is one campsite but haven't stayed there.

One of the things I find noticeable about San Sebastian and Spain in general is that though people like to stay out late and always seem to be drinking, they always tend to have their kids with them instead of leaving them at home with babysitters.

Food is a major plus point for San Sebastian. It has a number of Michelin restaurants, although I haven't been to any, and is famous for the quality of the Tapas I mentioned, earning itself many mentions in food magazines and programmes. The bars and restaurants serve food to order as well as bar food, my favourite dish has to be fried green peppers with loads of salt. And I remember these amazing Lomo sandwiches from when I was little, a thick type of bacon in baguettes. Hot doughnut Churros are worth looking out for too. It can be difficult if you don't eat meat or fish, but there is at least one nice pizzeria and apparently there is a proper vegetarian restaurant, but I haven't managed to find it yet!

For shopping there are lots of boutiques in the main City, I imagine they are pretty pricey. There are tons of little gift shops and street vendors in the Old Part and along the waterfront and it's a lovely place to buy unusual clothes and jewellery. There are museums and art galleries, and for those into watersports there are some waves too.

Bars and Clubs are open late, in line with the Spanish way of life. A friend of my Mum's asked if I had arrived at '7 O'Clock in the afternoon' which made me smile. Local people are welcoming. There are a number of festivals and cultural events in the City, with a big fiesta in August, when the place has a great atmosphere but is very crowded. The huge fireworks are world-famous.

The surrounding area to San Sebastian is rural and mountainous and if you have the transport to explore there are lots of little village and some lovely restaurants. The hills are very lush and green thanks to the high annual rainfall, which might put some off as hot and sunny weather is never guaranteed.

ETA, Basque separatists are active in the area, and if visiting you might see a peaceful protest. San Sebastian is generally a safe place to visit, but it is a situation to be aware of.

Another reviewer described San Sebastian as cheap, but I find it expensive, apart from the wine - I guess it's all relative! I could spend a month wandering the bars and exploring San Sebastian but I can imagine that for many people a long weekend would be enough.

To get to San Sebastian you can fly to either Bilbao or Biarritz.

Summary: I'll never get tired of returning to San Sebastian!