Day 1 Old Town
With it's narrow streets and no cars allowed, the Old Town of San Sebastián is so charming. Eat pinxos, do some shopping, enjoy the town ! My favorite place to eat in the Old Town is La Cepa. Order their bocadillo mixtos con jamón ibirico (Iberian ham and cheese sandwich) ! Eat it with a glass of crianza (red wine) or txakoli (sparkling white wine from the Basque region of Spain). This sandwich is not a pintxo, so if you're with someone, share it (or not. I usually eat a whole sandwich by myself).
When you're finished, head next door to La Viña and get some of their famous Basque cheesecake. It's delicious !
If you're looking to enjoy pintxos, I suggest Casa Vergara or Gandarias. In peak season, there is usually a line out the door !
A note - it is normal to stand while you eat in the Basque Country of Spain. The idea of pintxos was not to stay too long in one place but to quickly move to the next bar.
Find a pintxos tour here.
Boat ride
Take the boat to Santa Clara Island. You can catch the boat from the harbor in San Sebastián and you can find a kiosk here to buy your ticket and find the boat schedule. This is the island you see from the beach La Concha. This is a small island. It has a small beach during lowtide but at high tide, the beach disappears. There is a small restaurant on the island where you can eat or have a drink. If it is a nice day, you can walk around and explore the island. Mount Urgull
What better place to watch the sunset than a medieval fort ?? The earliest drawing of a fort on Mont Urgull dates to the Middle Ages. This fort was most recently used by the French during the Napolonic Wars. Mount Urgull is now a hangout place for young locals and a great place to watch the sunset. Day 2 Mount Igueldo
Take the funicular up Mount Igueldo. There is a small theme park on the top, so great if you're traveling with kids ! The roller coaster here (called a Swiss mountain - in French, it's Russian mountain) is the oldest wooden roller coaster in Europe ! And it is SO fun. I took my mom on it last summer, so it's great for all ages. Peine del Viento
After you come down from Mount Igueldo, walk to the sculptures by Eduardo Chillida. While here, you might notice some holes in the ground. If the tide is coming in, the waves will send a huge rush of air up the holes. Stand on the hole, but don't drop your phone ! Beach !
You can choose from two beaches that are at the foot of Mount Igueldo, the smaller Ondarreta or the main beach, La Concha. During peak season, the beaches are crowded ! But this is nice because you can kindly ask the people next to you to keep an eye on your things while you go swimming. Day 3 Pasajes
Pasajes is just a short bus ride from San Sebastián. Don't be confused, there are two parts to this neighborhood, Pasajes San Pedro and Pasajes San Juan. You can take a small boat from Pasajes San Pedro to Pasajes San Juan. (In case you're wondering, Pasai is Basque for Pasajes, so don't get confused !).
You can spend the day here exploring the town. Victor Hugo lived here. This was the last port of Lafayette before going to help the Americans in the American revolution
Take a tour of these two cities and Hondarribia here.
Do a hop-on hop-off tour here.
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