Chasing Rainbows

Donostia-San Sebastian
Our first visit to Basque Country in Northern Spain was for the BBK Music festival in Bilbao but we wanted to take a look at another city in the region during our short stay. So after landing at Bilbao airport we jumped straight on a coach to San Sebastian which sits on the Bay of Biscay just over an hour away from Bilbao. Donostia-San Sebastian is famous for it's beaches and Michelin starred restaurants, and it's also home to a couple of lighthouses.
The weather can be unpredictable - we encountered a couple of overcast days during our stay. This and the proximity to France exerts an influence and makes for a very different feel in comparison to an archetypal Spanish city.

Puente Del Kursaal, San Sebastian, Spain

The Urumea River runs through the city and the banks have some great spaces that are a delight for pedestrians and cyclists alike. It is traversed by some wonderfully imposing bridges.

Puente Maria Cristina, San Sebastian

Monte Igueldo is one of two hills that top and tail the famous crescent shaped beach of La Concah with the more surfer friendly beach Ondarreta Hondartza to be found east of Monte Urgull. In a leisurely couple of hours you can walk along the river towards the sea, around headway and take a good look around the harbour.

Monte Urgull (right) overlooking the Harbour at San Sebastian

Next, ascend Monte Urgull. It's a steep but pleasant green walk up to the free museum which has some nice exhibits of local history. From here you can gain access to the upper viewing platform for some great 360 views of San Sebastian and beyond. It's a great way to spend a morning and get familiar with the layout of the town.

La Concha Beach, San Sebastian

The Old Town of San Sebastian is known as La Parte Vieja and is centred around the pretty Plaza de la Constitución. Naturally enclosed by the river, the sea and Monte Urgull, the Old Town is famous for the huge number of bars and restaurants crammed into this small area.
Nearly all are the local Pintxos bars (pronounced “pinchos”, which means ‘tapas’ in Basque) and the idea is to graze, one pintxos - one drink, and move from bar to bar. There are some which allow a more formal sit down experience, which can make for an easier choice for vegetarians. The Spanish interpretation of vegetarian can vary massively from bar to bar, so to avoid any unpleasant surprises choose from a menu as opposed to the bar top. But there should always be some veggie croquets to be had at most places.

La Concah Beach, San Sebastian

La Concha Beach is considered one of the best city beaches in Europe, and if that's your thing it has some great facilities to match the golden sands and fabulous views.

Just up from the beach is the San Sebastian City Hall and it's ornate gardens, which is a nice place to relax and watch the world go by with a sandwich or a coffee.

San Sebastian City Hall and Fun Fair, San Sebastian

La Concha Beach is deceptively long, and it's a very pleasant walk across the crescent to the lighthouse at Monte Igueldo. The quickest (and recommended!) way up is via the funicular and you'll arrive at a bizarre fun fair perched on the top of the hill, although it was partly closed when we visited. There are lots of great viewing platforms dotted around and these offer great views of the beach below. The road to the lighthouse isn't the easiest to locate and when you do find it you'll be charged 2 euros for the pleasure of walking along it. But it was 2 euros well spent! The lighthouse, on the other side of Monte Igueldo perches over the Atlantic ocean amongst a sea of greenery. It's a good one.

Faro del Monte Igueldo, San Sebastian

The sunshine that had been threatening for a few days finally broke through and the clear blue skies were perfect for our visit to Santa Clara Island which is the centre piece of the bay of Donostia. It's a short ten minute boat trip from the harbour to the island which is home to a busy water sports school. Most passengers are there for that reason so you'll have the lighthouse pretty much to yourself. The Isla de Santa Clara Lighthouse is visible from most of San Sebastian but up close it's serene wooded setting above some serious rocky outcrops makes it a must visit for lighthouse fans.

Isla de Santa Clara Lighthouse, San Sebastian

So that was our brief three days in San Sebastian which was enough time acclimatise to the Basque Country and see what the city had to offer. Food highlight was the hectic Bodega Donostierra restaurant, which is well worth the wait for a table. Just grab a beer and watch the hustle and bustle of great food coming out of the kitchen thick and fast. The chicken wings are to die for!

San Sebastian has a very nice feel to it. And the price of beer and food don't reflect the high concentration of Michelin starred restaurants. And it certainly isn't ostentatious.

Next stop Bilbao.

San Sebastian