We arrive by train from Bilbao to San Sebastián aka Donastia and have some lunch in a small bar which is very busy with locals. We have a Bocadillo (sambo) and a glass of red (sure you’d have to!) and as expected, it’s delicious! We do notice that people are constantly leaving wine in their glasses when they leave… madness I tell you!!!
There are a group of old ladies having a drink behind us (some on beer, some on wine), they have a big plate of what looks like Iberico ham on the table and they are barely picking at it. It looks delicious! As we get up to leave, one of them accosts Shane and insists he taste the ham. It’s so funny they’re all trying to talk to him but we’ve no idea what they’re saying!!! We check in to Koka Hostel where we have a private en-suite room and it’s absolutely lovely. Time to check out our surroundings so we take a short walk to one of the 3 local beaches – Zurriola beach. This has plenty of waves and is popular for surfing.
Across the river is the old town and the new town! They are separated by one street!
From here you arrive suddenly at another beach which is Concha beach – this is very famous and we will definitely be coming back here for a swim. It’s an amazing beach to have right in the city.
As you’d imagine there are plenty of churches around – all seem to be giant! We nip into St Vincent’s which happens to be the oldest building in San Sebastián, the earliest construction dating to 1507!
It’s time for a little rest and we’ve found a craft beer bar – Mala Gissona, so we enjoy a beer (a radler for me) and we can’t resist some sausage – delish!
Moving on, it’s time for a pinxto…. they all look so good and honestly we didn’t have any that we didn’t like! We particularly liked Bar Gure Txoko and Shane even had some tripe!
Next morning as we walk through the old town it’s a lot quieter and we can appreciate the buildings.
We take a trip up Mount Urgill to the castle and statue of Jesus (concrete Jesus as we call him) that overlooks Concha beach and the city of San Sebastián. The views from the climb are fantastic.
Approaching Concrete Jesus!
The sweeping view of La Concha is spectacular.
We walk back down and decide to walk the length of the beach. It’s roasting but part of the walk is sheltered and it’s just lovely.
At the end of La Concha beach there’s a tunnel that leads to the 3rd beach of San Sebastián – Ondarreta beach.
Tonight we have booked a food tour. Our guide is called Dariya and there are 8 of us in total – 2 Scots, 1 English, an American lady with her son and an Aussie called Natalie. All women plus Shane! We get off to a great start at Kutixik where we have some amazing ham, local sheep’s cheese with quince and some very nice cider.
I even get to pour the cider… and only spill a little!!!
We continue to the next stop for Bacalao (salted cod), served in the most beautiful sauce with Verdejo white wine. Then it’s off to La Mejillonera for mussels in a number of difference sauces. We eat them direct from the shell and discard the shell on the floor in a trough under the bar! With the mussels we have a glass of Tzekolina which I’m loving! Next we move onto some beef cheeks and a Rioja Crianza at Mendaur – so good!
Our last stop on the tour is for dessert and a digestif just across the street at Bardulia. We go upstairs and have a really delicious bread pudding type thing (I can’t remember what it was called) and a glass of Patxaran which was absolutely delicious. I think I’ll be looking for this at the airport to bring home and hope I still like it (unlike the Becherovka from Bratislava!!) when I get it home!
It’s been a very nice group on this tour but clearly the coolest person we met is Natalie, so we grab her and head to another bar for a drink!! We have a few Riojas and a great chat and then have a final one with a gilda before calling it a night at midnight!
Next morning we head to Concha beach which is packed with people (it seems to be always busy) but it is absolutely gorgeous. No photos as we don’t want to risk leaving our phones on the beach while we’re in the water. It’s the Atlantic so it’s cold initially … well actually it’s the Cantabrian Sea, on the Bay of Biscay which is in the Atlantic Ocean!! It doesn’t take long to get used to though, and we stay in for ages. There are no big waves so it’s perfect for me and I’m actually able to swim around. Love it!
In the afternoon we decide on a late lunch and in one of our local restaurants we have a chuleta – a giant steak …. Oh my goodness, it is fantastic! We have it with a plate of tomatoes and some bread… oh and some red wine of course… so delicious.
We while away a couple of hours enjoying it, digesting it and taking in our surroundings. A delightful Sunday afternoon.
Next day we take a trip to Hondarribia. It’s a town very close to the French border and it’s only 30 minutes away by bus. It is absolutely gorgeous with these brightly painted houses and buildings.
We walk along the seafront and are actually looking across to France!
After a quick pitstop for a coffee and an orange juice (freshly squeezed and so good!), we climb upwards to the old town.
Great views from up here and a lovely small town to wander around.
As we walk through, what used to be the main entrance into Hondarribia’s old town, the Santa Maria Gate, we get a “Welcome to France” message from our mobile provider!!! Yep, that’s how close we are!
Puerta de Santa María
It’s time for a bit of lunch so we find a bar and have…. you’ve guessed it, some pinxtos!! I honestly don’t think I’ve met a pinxto I don’t like!!
We take the short bus journey back and as it’s our last day in San Sebastián we have a short wander around the old town so we can tick a few things off our list! There’s a magnet to be purchased, ✅
A mushroom with egg pinxto to try along with a glass of MACERACIÓN CARBÓNICA at Bar Itxaropena! ✅ and ✅
We still haven’t had some Basque Cheesecske so we get one from a delightful bakery close to where we live and another from a very fancy bakery that almost looks like a Prada shop!! Both are good. The high end one is gooey and really cheesy… either way, that’s a ✅
All the items ticked off our list, we head back for a rest before our last evening in town. We decide to walk along the coastline and it’s a beautiful evening to enjoy it.
We make our way all the way round Concrete Jesus and see the famous “Constructcion Vacia” sculpture.
And on to the Harbour at Concha beach..
Back in the old town, I really want to end this trip how we began – wandering around streets filled with bars and pointing at Pinxtos we want to try… that’s exactly what we do to finish off this fantastic trip.
The sky is beautiful as we walk home truly satisfied we have experienced what San Sebastián has to offer.
odohertyelaine 