San Sebastián (Donostia) is a charming town located in the North of Spain. It is part of the Basque Country, which is much larger in Spain than in France. San Sebastián (just like Biarritz) is situated in what is called the Bay of Biscay, a large bay in the Atlantic ocean, along the coast of France and Spain. The town is part of a mountainous region, which explains the gorgeous sceneries that you’ll see below. It is just a 50-minute drive from the town of Biarritz, France. Naturally, we then planned a day-trip to this wonderful place when travelling to the Basque Country earlier this month. The ride to get there is nice and fast (there’s going to be a ~€10 toll fee/roundtrip).

Once you get to San Sebastián, try to park as strategically as possible. We chose to park at La Concha parking lot in order to be in the heart of town. If you like seeing nice panoramas, you will be pleased in San Sebastián. There are two main ones: Monte Urgull and Monte Igueldo. They are located at opposite sides of town; the first one can only be accessed by foot, but the second one can easily be accessed by funicular. I suggest doing both, because they’re both stunning and worth it. At the top of Monte Urgull, there’s a nice fortress and a free museum. It’s a really nice walk to get there, and you can take this opportunity to wander around the old town when you get back. Then, we chose to walk along famous La Concha beach to get all the way to the funicular on the opposite side. Monte Igueldo is more popular and crowded, and has an easier access. There’s an attraction park on top of it, too.

I wish we would have had more time there, as it’s really gorgeous and we would have loved to get a feel of the city’s nightlife. We also didn’t have any time to enjoy local restaurants, which I heard are amazing. The Basque Country shall see us again ;)

*Bonus

On our way back to Biarritz, we decided to make a quick stop at Hondarribia. This village was recommended to us, and we’re glad we went. Its a fishing village located at the French border; it still has a colourful and well-preserved old town, and is surrounded by a fortified wall.