Amongst the places most beloved by friends on their Spanish adventures was San Sebastián, or Donostia as it is known in Basque. Heeding that, I decided to fly northward from Barcelona to Bilbao before taking a 1-hour bus to San Sebastian. The flight itself was only 1 hour gate-to-gate, and while I’m sure the train ride would have been interesting, I didn’t like the prospect of getting into San Sebastian at 9pm at night. Instead, I took the quick route, and enjoyed a view of Montesserat from my window seat on my way out.
Here are a few of my favourite experiences from my four day experience.
Feasting on Pinxtos in Old Town
If you’re going to San Sebastián, you’ve probably been told about the food. There’s a large number of Michelin star restaurants for you to open your wallet at. But, as a solo traveller, this felt like it might be a wasted experience as I had struggled to get through three tapas (woe is me!) on my own. So, I took part in the pinxtos experience instead, which are small, 1-3 bite-sized “snacks”- typically served on a toothpick and a small piece of bread – that are native to the Basque region. The idea is to go around to a few restaurants and have a few pinxtos and a small drink at each.
My first pinxtos experience in Old Town was a little overwhelming, as I arrived at peak dinner time, and each restaurant was packed with taller men who kept ordering over my 5’2 head (all while trying to Google translate cursive Spanish writing on a chalkboard on my phone from 20 feet away). However, as I later learned, if I’d gone at lunch or during mid-afternoon I would have fared better. But, because I was told that this was a seminal San Sebastián experience, I decided to do a food tour to ensure I didn’t miss out.
I signed up for a well-reviewed “Devour Tours: San Sebastian Ultimate Pintxos & Wine” tour, which landed me with a group of Americans and a Brit, shepherded by Gorka, a one-in-a-million Basque speaker, who offered insight into the Basque culture and history of the area as we went. Listening to Gorka speak Basque with fellow speakers was very interesting; it is one of the oldest languages in the world and is completely different to Spanish.
The food itself was amazing, and I relished having Gorka bring the food to us versus contending with the mob of pinxtos-starved people. I learned some more about the Iberian jamon I had been putting in my body for days, and had my first taste of the local txakoli (a kind of sparkling white wine), plus sidra, roija, and Basque-region reds (from Navarre). What I’m saying is I was definitely a tad tipsy by the end. And, I was definitely drunk after the giant G&T bought for me by one of the insistent Americans following the tour.
A few of the food highlights included local spider crab and beef cheeks at Bar Sport (as Gorka said “worst name, best pinxtos”), olive, anchovy and guindilla pepper skewer at Borda Berri (a delightful down-in-one mouthful which I’ve spent many sushi rolls training for), and sirloin steak at Gandarias.
Walking up Mount Urgull
After all that eating, you’re probably going to walk around. At least – I did. Mount Urgull sprouts up right out of Old Town, and is a great destination to walk to for a close view of Isla de Santa Clara, which is where some of the infected were sequestered during the Black Plague.
While I was admiring the view, a few American girls came down from some secluded steps behind me, and I asked them where they had come from. They told me that if I followed the stairs up they’d bring me to a “secret” cafe with an epic view. Heading up, I felt like I was marching into an enchanted land as castle ramparts began to appear amongst the trees. Sure enough, after making my way up some dark, “dungeon” stairs (the final boss), I reached the Urgulleko Polboriña cafe patio, which had a beautiful view of the bay, complete with European men singing over their red wine. The setting, and the serendipitous way of finding it, resulted in this being my most memorable San Sebastián experience.
Fueled by a tinto de verano (a refreshing red wine cocktail), I finished the journey up to Motako Gaztelua, a 12th century fortress on the hilltop, before winding my way down the northern side, which yielded an elevated view of Zurriola Beach.
Watching the surf at Zurriola Beach
One of my days in San Sebastián was very rainy and blustery, which was unfortunate for walking around, but great for watching the surfers at Zurriola Beach – both during the surfing phase and post-peeled-off-wetsuit phase. I enjoyed a wonderful sunset here on my final night, as I watched the sun fade into the horizon behind Mt. Urgull, casting the glass windows of Old Town into a fiery, golden glow. A perfect place from which to contemplate life…and eat a nectarine to stave off gout, as I did.
Wandering along La Concha Beach to Mount Igueldo
I enjoyed a stroll along La Concha Beach and looking at the interesting rocks jutting out from the headland. As you walk along to the southern side of the bay, you can go through a beautiful pedestrian tunnel that is lined with a blue tile pattern. Reaching the far side, I visited the Wind Comb art sculpture at the mouth of the bay (underwhelming) before heading up the funicular railway to old amusement park atop Mount Igueldo. The man in my carriage was losing his mind due to freshly-awoken funicular fear, but I was able to assure him that it was quite alright. At the top, the amusement park was closed, due to it having rained earlier in the day, but I was more interested in the views, anyways, which gave me Oregon coast vibes as you gazed down at the sweeping coastline to the South.
Experiencing Basque Culture at San Telmo Museum
Again, with the rain, I was seeking more indoor-learning adventures, so I opted to go to the San Telmo Museum, which has interesting exhibits of Basque culture, art, and clothing. As my food tour guide had explained, Basque culture is very “witchy”, which was evident in a lot of the art and sculptures. The hats were a highlight – they looked a bit like different settings of meringue. Walk, don’t run – something to do if you’re looking for a non-food, indoor experience.
Overall, I found four days in San Sebastián a touch long travelling solo and with drizzly, overcast conditions. I was ready to be onto the next. However, I was happy I got to savour the culinary experiences, although I was glad to not eat anything off a stick for many, many days following. I have to admit, the day after my pinxtos tour, I craved something simple and ended up at the Basque version of the “Olive Garden.” One of life’s greatest contradictions while visiting the densest Michelin starred restaurant region in the world. Alas.
Next, I was off to Bilbao for two nights, largely to chase a glimpse of Dragonstone (San Juan de Gaztelugatxe). Stay tuned!
