San Sebastian City Breaks and San Sebastian Hotels:

Also known by its Basque name of Donostia, San Sebastian is on the southern coast of the Bay of Biscay. With a picturesque location and excellent town beaches, it is Spain’s most fashionable seaside resort.

Most of the city dates from the 19th century and it is an elegant place without garish trimmings, curled around a horseshoe bay that contains a rocky isle of Santa Clara with its lighthouse and quay, a popular, summer playground. In the bustling Parte Vieja [Old Town], tamarisk-shaded Almeda de Calvo Sotelo is at the heart of city life, with its cafes, shops and restaurants. At one end is the quaint fishing harbour and town hall [formerly a casino], from whence the green Parque-Alderti-Eder leads to the curving beachfront. The more energetic can continue past the royal bathing pavilion and take the funicular up Mount Igueldo.

The dominant Cathedral spire is a pointer to the New Town. The Cathedral itself is an imposing late Victorian edifice. Another noteworthy building is the Palacio de la Diputacion, with an array of busts on the facade and pictures by local artist Ignacio Zuloaga within. Back in the Old Town, the fish market and arcaded plaza that was once used as a bullring are worth a visit, as is the early 16th century St Vincent’s Church, the oldest in town.

The Kursaal Bridge over the Urumea River leads to another beach, recently artificially extended, and a seaside promenade that runs to Mount Ulia, almost 8 Km [5 mi] away. The city has at least one fiesta in each month of the year, and there are half a dozen museums for the culturally inclined. But in truth, San Sebastian is a place for those who wish to enjoy the most refined of seaside holidays.

Location of San Sebastian:
Just 21km west of the French border, it lies against the Bay of Biscay.

San Sebastian Temperature Chart :

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Temp °C	7	7	11	13	16	22	24	24	20	16	10	7

Average daily temperature °C

Serving Airports:
San Sebastian [EAS]
[Connections from Madrid Barajas [MAD] : Flight time from the UK : 2 hours and 15 minutes, or Barcelona [BCN] : Flight time from the UK : 2 hours] onward to San Sebastian [EAS] and then 19km to San Sebastian

Biarritz [BIA]
Flight time from the UK: approximately 2 hours 30 minutes and then 50km to San Sebastian

Bilbao Sondika [BIO]
Flight time from the UK: approximately 2 hours 30 minutes and then 96km to San Sebastian

Beaches in San Sebastian:
San Sebastian has three beaches, La Concha, Ondarreta and La Zurriola. La Concha was made popular by Queen Isabel and is considered to be one of the most beautiful city beaches in Europe. Ondarreta beach stands at the foot of Mount Igeldo and has a more aristocratic feel to it because of the villas and gardens that lead to the sand. La Zurriola is to be found on the right bank of the river and has undergone a massive project to increase its size by reclaiming land from the sea. It is now much bigger than La Concha beach. All three beaches offer tourist changing rooms, parasols and sun beds. Standing in the centre of La Concha Bay is the tiny Santa Clara Island with a lighthouse and a small wharf. This island turns into the city's fourth beach in the summer with a ferry service from the harbour.

Shopping in San Sebastian:
Wandering round the shops will probably prompt you to indulge in one of the local Basque products such as cotton shirts and berets. Paseo de Muelle is the best shopping area where you will be able to buy almost anything.

Eating out in San Sebastian:
Originally founded in the 12th century, this glamorous city of Spain is a place where people live life to the fullest. Being the culinary capital of Spain, the people really appreciate and identify with their food . In fact, the city has more bars and restaurants per head of population than anywhere else on the planet!

A short stroll at the Farmers' Markets is the heart of San Sebastian cuisine - fresh local produce. One of the basic ingredients of Basque cooking is fresh seafood, with delectable dishes like Mediterranean bream chargrilled over hot coals.

The city of San Sebastian really comes alive at dusk, with the local custom called Poteo . Guess what the tradition involves? Yet more food , of course! Friends meet up after work and go bar hopping to eat, drink and be merry. Drinkers usually call it quits sometime between nine and midnight, when it's time for the last meal of the day. This meal is usually a more substantial one. A popular restaurant is the Aldamondo Restaurant , serving dishes like sirloin steak and red peppers. Anyone who has visited San Sebastian will no doubt say that the city is really is a food lover's paradise.

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Disclaimer:
By its very nature much of the information in our destination guides is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they are relying with the relevant authorities. Corona Holidays [UK] Limited cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.

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