I live in San Sebastián AMA

[EspanaPorfavor]

I often see San Sebastián recommended for holidays on here. If you’re thinking of coming and have any questions AMA! I’ve lived here 14 years.

My son was in the marathon that was cancelled last year at fairly short notice …we were on a coach crossing Spain when the announcement was made ,our flight was diverted to Barcelona from Bilbao 🤦‍♀️We actually had a really lovely couple of days in San Sebastian and loads of marathon runners just ran the route including my son .
The tapas bars were amazing and loved the architecture. Your very lucky to have live there

Oh no! I was signed up to the 10k in the same race too. It wasn’t even that windy in the end (for here) so very disappointing! I’m glad you had a good time and your son still ran it!

What’s the best time of year for nice but not crazy hot weather but decent atmosphere. Busy but not too packed or would you recommend winter?
where would you recommend staying? We can do high-end from a budget perspective, but maybe there’s an area that is just particularly nice.

it very rarely gets proper “Spain hot” here so you can come at any time. All year round has its charm, I love Christmas time in particular as the light is beautiful, but also high summer sunsets from the beach.. It does rain a lot so be prepared for that - the tourists are often caught out in shorts and flip flops.

Its a small and walkable city so you can stay anywhere, but I really like the Gros neighborhood as it has a lot of local life, or Antiguo is a bit calmer.

Is Col D’Ibardin still going? Fondly remember a terrifying drive up there in the 90s.

I haven’t heard of it! Is it a mountain? I don’t go to the mountains nearly enough

It’s a hair pin drive up a mountain to a kind of duty free supermarket in the middle of the mountains. Blew my mind!

I’m visiting first week of September. Can you recommend any good walks/hikes please? Also I’m a solo traveller are the bars/restaurants female friendly?

Are there lockers near/on the beach to store valuables when swimming please?

Definitely the hike from Pasaia back to San Sebastián - it’s This one but I would recommend it in reverse - get the metro to the station Herrera then walk to the end of Pasaia San Pedro, maybe stop in at the Albaola museum if you want to extend the day and then hike back over the Ulia mountain into San Sebastián. This is my Xmas tradition and this is one of my photos from the bit just before coming down back into San Sebastián.

As for travelling solo, yes it’s really safe and the Basques are fierce feminists. It feels safe walking home at night for example, it’s busy and well lit.

Yes, all three beaches have an area with lockers, loos and freshwater (warm!) showers which are open from 1 June to sometime in September

@EspanaPorfavor great photo! Thank you. I was going to join a day tour but it looks very easy to follow and 7km plus the prom back to old town and my hotel is about the right distance for me. Are there any things you recommended seeing or doing please?

Oh and I’m on the look out for new art, is there an area or gallery that you would recommended please?

Is the metro tap and go or do you have to purchase tickets please?

I have a travel card - I think you can tap and go with a debit card but I’m not sure, but there are ticket machines in the stations.

For art, San Sebastián isn’t great, but it’s worth a day trip to Bilbao if you have time. You can get the bus (about an hour) and visit the Guggenheim and the other art museum, as well as the old part very easily in a day. There are temporary exhibitions in the Tabakalera in San Sebastián but not much more.

Thanks for your time OP appreciate it. I would like to buy art but a day trip to Bilbao means I would get to view art even if there are no local artists selling in my budget. Thanks again.

Would you mind telling me if this location is ok ? We are avid walkers regardless. Thank you so much.
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We are just back, loved San Sebastián. My last night was on my own and I was meant to stay in Bilbao but it seemed so much safer to be alone in San Seb that I came back there for the night.

What restaurants and local spots do you recommend for local food? Any dishes in particular?

Went to a fab spa in San Sebastián and can confirm the rain caught the tourist (me) out.

@number1of7 which spa was it please?

Do they still do bocadillos de jamon Serrano?

And do they still do the best cafe con leche?

God I miss those

Although talking about Spain in general really

How would I get there from London? I’ve looked into it as DH keeps on about going but I couldn’t see flights … what is the nearest airport or station.

@MyballsareSandy2015 I can answer that one having just come back. We flew direct from Edinburgh to San Sebastián but it’s a tiny airport with infrequent buses to and from it, so most people fly to Bilbao which has a bus every hour directly from the airport to San Sebastián and takes about an hour.