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Let's dive into details!

We not only share the most interesting city insides on this page but are also ready to show them to you personally.  Our guides will take you through the most picturesque places in the city explaining who the Basques are, how they glorified their lands and how a small fishing village turned into a royal getaway and then into the gastro-capital of Europe.  We offer a pincho tour for gourmets in which we reflect on the mysterious pinchos, tell you how they appeared and what they are eaten with.  Finally, for nature lovers, hiking tour along the rocky coast of Cantabria overlooking the ocean would be a perfect choice.  It is sure more interesting and quite delicious to discover San Sebastián with us!  BOOK A TOUR HERE!

Gastronomic Journey Around the World

People from all over the world gather in San Sebastián and bring something new to the city's vibe and gastronomic diversity. There are also Basques who embark on journeys around the world and want to share their experiences with the locals upon their return. That's how a new restaurant Aitana was created in the city center. Its owners infused it with the cosmopolitanism of Miami, Mexican passion with zest for life and certainly Basque traditions. Here you'll find cuisine from around the world: from Japanese sashimi to Basque chuletón. Make sure to try the crispy cone with fresh tuna, sushi-style rice and guacamole. Fans of Mexican cuisine will appreciate tacos with crispy duck bits and tamarind sauce or with suckling pig meat. The venue also respects local traditions, so you can try San Sebastian classics such as freshly caught fish from the Cantabrian Sea cooked on charcoal and a traditional bone-in steak. You can dine in the elegant restaurant area on the -1 floor or enjoy appetizers at the stylish bar accompanied by modern music. If you want some seclusion to celebrate a private event, Aitana has a quiet corner for that purpose: a cozy patio-style area. Original cocktails are offered at venue's terrace making it a great way to start or end the evening. You won’t miss this place as it is located on the liveliest street in the city center. It's convenient to visit after the beach, shopping or before a night out in the Old Town.
Address | Photos | Website

Cocktails from unbeatable experience

Lost among the streets of the Old Town, Arraun Bar is different from most of the noisy places in this part of San Sebastian. It is intended for those who want to have a undisturbed conversation, listen to a pleasant music and make a trip to the bright world of cocktail tastes. The owner of the establishment Mikel himself mixes drinks, accompanying the process with the bartender show by masterly handling bottles, glasses, shots and shakers. He is ready to give insights about any cocktail whether it’s a favorite classic or an author’s mix. After spending 15 years traveling around the world, he brought a unique bartender experience from Barcelona, Singapore, Sydney, London and Dubai. So among his ingredients are creamy rum with spices, matcha green tea, gold dust and calvados infused with banana. The menu has 20 house cocktails and pretty much any classic cocktail desired. As in the high cuisine restaurants, Arraun’s house cocktails change frequently to keep astonishing those who think that they have already tried everything.
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A cozy bar with great seafood variety

This is best place in the Old Town for seafood fantástica. This bar stands far from Michelin stars and white tablecloths, it rather attracts with its simplicity and relaxed atmosphere. However it's not as simple as it seems. Here you can try almost all the seafood off the Atlantic coast: from sea urchins and local scallops (zamburinhas) to the mysterious persebes, which look like dragon paws. However, the pearl of the establishment is oysters. Magic shells, brought directly from La Rochelle, mesmerize with the fresh scents of the ocean and sea salts. Bar owner Kamal has been working with seafood for 15 years, so he knows how to delight the most sophisticated gourmet.
Another signature dish of this bar is octopus prepared in a Galician style (pulpo a la gallega). Sliced ​​boiled octopus tentacles are served with potatoes and seasoned with olive oil, salt and paprika. These are just few dishes that are most popular among visitors in this bar. Here you can also try local shrimp of all sizes: from standard gambas and langostines to huge gambones. And we recommend combining all these delights with local wines.  Sparkling Basque txakoli would be a perfect choice!
Address | Website

Pistacho style morning: breakfast masterpieces and coffee treasures

A new café with a flirtatious name Pistacho Coffee & Brunch has perfectly blended into the trendy atmosphere of Zabaleta Street in the heart of Gros. A stylish design of the place sets a tone and prepares visitors for creative servings of gourmet breakfasts. Their signature sugar free carrot and oat pancakes with fresh fruit, slices of almonds and topping of Nutella, honey or agave are truly worth trying!  And adding an Oreo latte garnished with chocolate chips around the rim of the glass — will make your day! Those who like a denser yet healthy breakfast would probably enjoy their toasts. Our favorite is the whole wheat bread with walnuts, mashed avocado and sliced almond. The breakfast becomes especially chic when served Michelin style on a wide platter with a sauce pattern and an elegant fruit bouquet. However, this place will surprise you not only with their stylish breakfasts. It is quite suitable for a brunch with colleagues, a healthy lunch with fitness friends and Sunday family outings. Cozy areas have been created where you can choose a seat either at small tables on the first floor or in privacy on the upper level. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and flavor on their terrace during the sunny weather.
Address | Website

Enjoy most spectacular views from the top of the mountain

 

The five hundred meters tall Mount Igeldo, located on the west side of the city, offers the most breathtaking view of San Sebastian. Igeldo was once a village inhabited by farmers, who breed poultry and cattle, but in times of local “belle époque”, in the early 20th century, several remarkable landmarks such as the funicular, gardens, casino and luxury hotel appeared here. Many of these developments, like the funicular, survive to the present day and have barely changed. The hotel was renovated in the late 60's, and since then time seems to have stopped here. To us, the hotel resembles Wes Anderson's "Hotel Budapest" and the mysterious hotel "Dolphin" from Haruki Murakami’s book "Dance, Dance, Dance" by the personalities of its guests, the musical accompaniment in the restaurant, and the color of the sofas in the lobby. When the French network of hotels, Accor, acquired Monte Igueldo hotel, it was awarded another star for the view from huge windows in the lobby which is truly magnificent. Travel through time here taking in the views of the endless ocean with a glass of wine in hand.
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Authentic and traditional

Not many bars in the Old Town of San Sebastián preserved the traditional style. If you want to see an authentic establishment founded in 1948, this is the place for you. After the pandemic, La Cepa obtained a new owner who was very eager to keep the original style and menu of the place. Everything looks pretty much the same as it did 75 years ago: massive tables, interesting decor and a sturdy wooden bar counter adorned with famous "pinchos" (bite-size snacks). Be sure to try the hake pincho stuffed with crab and grilled mushrooms. Traditionally, cured pork legs hang from the ceiling above the bar. These are the world-famous "jamón" that can be sliced right in front of you. The main menu highlights include wild boar and oxtail in red wine, as well as fresh fish and seafood straight from the ocean. You can taste everything that the Cantabrian coast has to offer in the restaurant section of La Cepa.
Address: 31 de Agosto Kalea, 7-9, 20003
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Basque Flavor and Design

If you're looking for a traditional Basque bar with a cozy atmosphere and delicious pintxos made from local ingredients, then this is the place for you. The bar-tavern is located in the heart of the old town on the famous gastronomic street of 31 de Agosto, so it's easy to find. Besides this year Karrika tavern has been awarded for its original Champi velero pintxo, which can be translated as a mushroom sailboat. Experts were impressed by the creativity of its presentation and the bold combination of flavors. The boat's hull is made of a mushroom cap filled with bechamel sauce and chunks of ham, and the sail is a strip of bacon skewered on a toothpick. However that's not the only thing that will catch your attention here. Try other premium pintxos such as fried foie gras pieces on an apple puree pillow, Cantabrian chipirons brochette, or original mini-burgers with duck meat slow-cooked in its own fat. You can drop by the bar-tavern for a light gastronomic snack or spend an evening here trying the traditional Basque bone-in steak called chuleta. The owner of the bar would be happy to recommend a local wine that pairs perfectly with the local delicacies. Karrika is a family-owned business, so you're likely to always find one of the owners on site ensuring an authentic experience.
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Where is the best cheesecake prepared?

 

One of the most known streets in the Old Town of San Sebastian - the world-famous gastronomy street "31 de Agosto" - hosts a family restaurant La Viña with the traditional Basque cuisine.It was opened in 1959, and in 1960 the current owner and chef of the restaurant Santiago Ribera was born. According to him, he preserves recipes handed down from generation to generation, and refines traditional dishes following the trends of the New Basque cuisine. In the menu of the restaurant there are classic dishes such as the monkfish and donostiarra style crab Changurro, and at the bar - unique pincho-snacks. In 2016, the restaurant received Más Gastronomía award as the best pincho bar. Be sure to try the chef's recommendation: a waffle cone filled with mousse from the tenderest young cheese and topped with a piquant anchovy.
However, locals and hundreds of tourists from different parts of the world have been coming to this place for several decades to eat the most famous dish of La Viña - its cheesecake.  A unique recipe of this cheesecake makes its texture unusually light & creamy inside with light caramel crust outside. Thanks to the mastery of the chef, this sweet dish is one of the top 10 Spanish cheesecakes in the ABC edition.
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Where to try the best ice cream in town?

 

Carlos Arribas ice cream is not an ordinary dessert but a culinary artwork. The obsession of Basques with gastronomy affected even the creation of ice cream. Carlos has been creating ice cream from natural products with unique flavors for nearly 30 years. In his shop, one won’t find a usual display with all sorts of colorful ice cream. This shop uses the technology of closed containers, so that the contents won’t dry out or oxidize. This method of storage came from Italy, reviving the traditions of last century ice cream. It is not necessary to see the contents of the container for the selection of taste. A visual menu on the wall of the store and a sommelier-seller will help you choose your favorite sort of ice cream or the one that you wanted to try for a long time but did not dare. Here you will find ice cream with taste of the traditional Basque rice with milk (arroz con leche) with pieces of rice and cinnamon powder as well as flavors like Oreo cookies, Kinder chocolate and condensed milk. A real highlight is the ice cream with the taste of cuajada dessert that is loved by all Basques and is made with sheep's milk directly from the farm in Navarra. Fruit sorbets here also have a fantastic taste and contain pieces of fruits from which they are made: from mango and passion fruit to raspberry and lemon - a total of 48 flavors of fun! To try them out, stop by at one of the two shops of Carlos Arribas in the old town of San Sebastián or the main shop in the charming coastal village of Zarautz.
Address:
Portu Kalea, 20
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Let rare meat melt in your mouth

Many San Sebastian tourists are interested in the question: what, if not pintxos? Tired of sandwiches and snacks at the end of the third day in the city, they start planning a real dinner. Perhaps the most popular option here, if you don’t choose fresh fish and seafood, is chuleta. The most common version is the beefsteak on the bone prepared on charcoals. Traditionally chuleta is served rare. Of course, it is possible to order it well-done, but the chef (and the waiter) would be skeptical of this idea and immediately guess that you are ordering chuleta for the third time in your life and haven’t had a chance to really taste it.
How do you make sure that rare meat is delicious and melts in your mouth? The owner of Nestor Bar said that it is important to have two components: meat quality and the way it must be hung for several days to develop a deep red color and juicy texture. Many restaurants in the Old Part work mainly with local produce. For the Basques it is a question of prestige and quality. Nestor Bar on Pescaderia Street in the old town is a truly unique place. In the menu: unbeatable tortilla, traditional tomato salad with sea salt flakes and olive oil, chuleta, and fried green peppers of Gipuzkoa. There's only one table in the bar - people are ready to eat standing up.  The secret here is quality and, in some sense,  the quantity: tortilla is prepared twice a day and sold only to those who made a reservation one hour prior to serving.  Fashionable French writer Begbedder and Olsen twins stand in line here for chuleta. Come and see for yourself.
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Attend an internationally renowned jazz festival

 

At the height of summer, in San Sebastian, all the street corners are filled with the sound of jazz. One of the oldest European jazz festivals, ‘Jazzaldia’, (nowadays with an added sponsor title Heineken) is held here annually and is internationally renowned. Famous (and some not so famous) bands from Europe, Asia, Africa and America perform in many, sometimes unexpected, places in the city. Among others is the ‘Plaza Trinidad’, a stage in the heart of the old town at the foot of Mount Urgul, where the festival was launched in 1966. Natural acoustics can be experienced here. This is what makes this spot the most romantic of the festival. The glass cubes of the expo center Kursal with its adjoining terrace and Zuriola beach, is a very spacious area where people can come with their families and friends. The magical patio of San Telmo museum (an architectural masterpiece of the 16th century) is a must to visit at night. Here, you can usually attend concerts with sophisticated Scandinavian experimentalists. The famous stage of the Victoria Eugenia Theater features professional musicians. 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of Jazzaldia.  There was an impressive collection of headlining artists, such as British pop jazz musician Jamie Calm, American avant-garde player John Zorn, as well as Norwegian jazz and Basque experimentalists in the joint project PUNKT.
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San Sebastian is not only a great vacation city but also a place for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.  View this video for more details: