August 6, 2018

Strolling San Sebastián

I had just one day to spend in San Sebastián, so I battled a minor head cold and walked all over the seaside town, known locally in Basque as Donostia. 

(This town definitely has pharmacies, and Marc and I have since been thankfully cured by their Spanish medicines.)

Basically, if you're a fan of churches, parks, and beaches, you will love San Sebastián. I had an alright weather day, as you will see from my photos. The morning and evening both had cloud cover, but the entire afternoon the sky was bright blue.


The Puente Maria Cristina has four ornate pillar-towers with great horse sculptures on top. This is the furthest inland landmark and a good place to start your walk.


The Good Shepherd of San Sebastián Cathedral is a great walk around and through. It's not that old (late nineteenth century), but its Gothic-Revival style is well-done and interesting for every cathedral tourist.


Parts of San Sebastián reminded me very much of lovely Deauville, France. It has that same clean resort vibe, fancy hotels, and even also its own international film festival. La Concha beach has lots of space and activities along its 1,5 kilometers, and the views include mountains, an island, and the city.


You can go even further down the beach to the west for a climb up to a castle, an amusement park, and a lighthouse.


De Okendo Plaza is home to the Victoria Eugenia Antzokia performing arts theater. It's a fabulous location right smack in the middle of the town, and also where the San Sebastián city buses from the airport end.


Many of the parks in San Sebastián were filled with happy families and friends enjoying the warm weather with a picnic and outdoor fun.


I love this oblong gazebo at Kiosko Boulevard, just east of the City Hall. The stained glass framings along the top are beautifully set within the lacing ironwork.



Heading into the older part of town, the Koruko Andre Mariaren Basilika draws its visitors down the long Kale Nagusia street to its impressive façade.


I didn't have the time to head up to this lookout point, but I am sure the views will be awesome! The Begiratokiko Baluartea (because you'll be able to toss that around with a swell "¿Dónde está...?") can be accessed from behind the left side of the basilica or also around the corner from the San Telmo Museum.



The Iglesia de San Ignacio church was close to where I was staying. It is located very nicely at a curve in the road next to De Cataluña Plaza where many cafes and benches are set up to serve as a sort of main social area on the eastern half of the town.


I know there is a great food scene as well, but I only got around to some magnificent desserts at MEYVI Cafés y Pasteles on the other side of De Cataluña Plaza. It's not often I find a brownie that can beat my own home baked brownies. But this cheesecake brownie and the accompanying dulce de leche coconut bar were two of the best desserts I have ever had. Soft, moist, and full of complimenting flavors. Well done!


Another beautiful church to check out is San Bizente Eliza, also close to the San Telmo Museum.



I had planned to be in San Sebastián longer than just one day, but I changed my itinerary to return to Bavaria for a few days to surprise Marc for our tenth wedding anniversary. Totally. Best. Idea. Ever.

Hopefully when you get to go to San Sebastián, you'll have decent weather like I did and can really take your time walking around the different parts of the city. I'm already looking forward to the next chance I get to return to the Basque region of Spain!

Next up will be Bilbao!



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Find the rest of my navigational GPSmyCity app article cities HERE.