San Sebastián is home to the beaches, cider and pintxos

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San Sebastián Donostitia is the heartland of Basque country and in just a few days it will be the starting point of the 2023 Tour de France. Well actually Bilbao is going to be the starting point and stage 1 will weave its way through San Sebastian and back but it got me to thinking with Summer in Europe now in full swing it is time to put together a quick review of the best places to stop in this wonderful beachside town.

With a population just over 180,000 residents, San Sebastian lies just 20 kilometres from the French border and the edge of the Pyrenees mountains, to the east lies the Rioja wine region and to the South West the township of Santiago de Compostela (the end of the Camino trail). San Sebastian sits La Concha Bay, a protected beach and port that was burnt to the ground in 1489 this began the renaissance as buildings from this time were build with stone rather than timber and many of these buildings remain today, especially in the old quarter which is famed for its restaurants and many pintxos/tapas bars.

THE BEACHES

Zurriola

On the other side of the Urumea river is Zurriola a beach popular with surfers and youngsters. This where you find the hipsters posing and the music grooving. It has a very different feel to the beaches in La Concha and it is a great place for an early morning swim and a surf before breakfast.

La Concha

La Concha beach is the most protected of the San Sebastián beaches, a step down from the Kontxa Pasealekua boardwalk and onto the sand looking out onto Santa Klara Island, in summer this beach can get incredibly crowded but if you are just off season there is plenty of space to walk and swim.

Santa Klara Island

Not quite a beach per se but you can swim out to the island assuming that your swimming is strong enough, but do note it is quite a long way (500-700m) so don’t try it unless you are sure, there are a couple of swimming platforms on the way to stop for a rest. Once on the island you can wander the paths see the lighthouse or take a coffee, or maybe enjoy something stronger at the bar which operates in Summer months. During summer you can get a boat to take you back too!

Ondarreta

At the far end of La Concha Bay, is Ondarreta beach, here close to the tennis club you will find volleyball, and beach club sun beds it is a place to relax, soak up some sun and get yourself ready for the night of tapas bar hoping to come.

THE FOOD

There are eight Michelin starred restaurants in San Sebastián (three of them holding three Michelin stars) and another eight within a ten minute drive of the city. This puts San Sebastián second only to Kyoto, Japan in holding the greatest concentration of Michelin starred restaurant per square kilometre (now it has become obvious why these are two of my favourite places in the world).

Arzak (three stars)
Akelarre (three stars)
Martin Berasategui (three stars)
Mugaritz (two stars)
Amelia (two stars)
Kokotxa (one star)
Almameda (one star)
Elkano (one star)

When you are planning to eat you need to consider that in San Sebastián it is considered quite normal to sit down at 10pm for dinner. So start with pintxos/tapas at one of the many bars, a drink and a snack, wandering from one place to another and finding the best is just part of the fun. Book for dinner and arrive when the locals do (at least 9.30pm) and after dinner those bars are all still going (if you can still fit anything in).

ARZAK RESTAURANT

One of the best restaurants in San Sebastian (if not the world), Arzak has been operating since 1897 (with four generations of the same family) originally as a wine cellar and tavern, then focusing on traditional Basque dishes.

Since the 1990’s the restaurants cuisine has been shaped by the father and daughter team of Juan Mari and Elena Arzak who have continued to innovate using the traditional Basque ingredients and recipes with new methods and presentation. (Elena was named best female chef in the world in 2012).

The restaurant is known for the extraordinary creativity in design and plating of dishes, the Arzak lab is where the cooking alchemy creates special recipes with massive amounts of research and testing before anything is considered on the restaurant menu.

On average only 16 new dishes make it from the lab to the menu each year. One of those developed in the lab is now a menu standard of local mackerel with shio koji, served with sea grapes and a dried-tomato, nut and onion sauce; and an egg dish with tomato and corn candy.

Avda. Alcalde Elósegui 273
20015 Donostia – San Sebastián
TEL: (+34) 943 278 465

Tuesday – Saturday
Lunch 13.15 – 15.15
Dinner 20.45 – 22.30

GERALDS BAR

Geralds is an institution in Melbourne’s Carlton but after 9 years it has also become an institution in it’s second home San Sebastian. Gerald Diffey opened the restaurant in 2014 as a place where you can find brilliant wine from all over the world (but not all of it expensive premium labels, some unheard of, some just impossible to find). The food at Geralds is based on what ever is fresh and seasonal in the local markets, its not about a different tapas selection rather it is about what made the venue famous adapting to what can be found locally.

Expect Steak Tartare (15€), homemade Tagliatelle with Anchovies & Breadcrumbs (16€), Chicken Breast served with a red pepper sauce and fried guindilla peppers (25€) all delicious. There are also a range of local cheeses so you can keep sampling your way through the winelist.

“At Geralds, sometimes the music is too loud, sometimes the wine flows too freely, sometimes the food runs out, but have no fear, we’ll do it all again tomorrow and the next day and the day after…”
Geralds Bar

Iparragirre 13
20001 San Sebastian

Tel: (+34 ) 943 083 001

Tuesday – Sunday
Lunch 1pm – 5pm
Dinner 7.30-1.00

Bar Antonio

The Antonio is renowned for its Tortilla de Patata which is the best in the city possibly the best in the world. In the evenings it is a snack alongside ‘Antxoa’ (as salt marinated anchovy with green pepper on a slice of bread with olive oil). But for breakfast it is served with a chunk of white bread, black coffee and orange juice and it makes for a stunning breakfast after a big night in the tapas bars.

Down the stairs below the bar is a smart restaurant where chefs José Ramón Ezkurdia and Ana Uli create a delicious menu based on seasonal cuisine using market-fresh ingredients. Signature dishes include porcini mushrooms with egg yolk and foie gras, Atlantic bluefin tuna carpaccio, Wagyu carpaccio with parmesan and truffle oil, rice with Mediterranean red shrimps, and seasonal Atlantic bonito and truffle dishes.

Bergara Kalea, 3,
20005 Donostia,
Gipuzkoa, Spain

TEL: (+34) 943429815

Monday – Thursday 09.00 to 23.00
Friday – Saturday 09.00 to 24.00
Sunday – Closed

Monte Igueldo

It is worth heading upto Monte Igueldo just for the views alone, take the funicular railway up to a fairground amusement park with stunning views back over La Concha Bay. The grand location once housed a casino but today has a wooden rollercoaster, trampolines and other fairground rides.

CIDER

San Sebastián is more than beer and wine, it is a region famed for its cider predominately made from apples there are numerous cider houses around the city. Cider houses traditionally would allow the buyers an opportunity to taste the cider from different barrels (kupelas) before they chose which they would like to purchase.

In order to fend off the ill effect of drinking on an empty stomach people would bring food to eat as they tasted. This has evolved into what is todays traditional cider house menu salt cod omelette, fried green peppers, charcoal grilled beef rib, idazabal cheese with quince jelly and walnuts.

There are over 100 cider houses around San Sebastián, specifically in the surrounding towns of Astigarraga, Hermani, Umieta and Usurbil. Many of these are in the farm buildings attached to orchard and farmhouse. Food is usually eaten at long wooden share tables, though in some places you may find that there is more traditional approach of standing to eat!