San Sebastián in Brief: The ultimate Euromaxxing destination

Pintxos, beaches, and the art of doing nothing much at all

We flew into a drizzly Bilbao, and within half an hour, I had a local wine and a plate of pintxos in front of me. I snapped a picture and posted it to Instagram. The last time I would post for 8 days. With that first sip of Txakoli, the spirit of Eurosummer took over. It whispered to me to throw that cursed object (iPhone) into the sea (metaphorically). There’s something about this part of the world that calls for taking it easy – and taking it analogue. Walk. Take the scenic route. Drink wine, and get deep into conversation. Muddle through without a map. Spend your days at the beach and your nights at the bar. Watch the sunset with a beer. Get elbow to elbow with strangers. Forget you ever knew what macros are. Read tattered paperbacks. Let the sea be your therapy. Have it slap you in the face and wash your mouth out with salt. Wish.

I wished I could stay forever. I was so deeply relaxed. A lot of Europe can be busy, with things you must do and places you cannot miss. San Sebastián allows you to slow down. A city with a beach and a thousand places to eat. I have a feeling this list is just the beginning.

Where to stay in San Sebastián

We stayed at The Social Hub, which I would recommend doing if you are staying a while. If you stay for a week or more, you can benefit from the long-stay rate. We paid around 650 euros for 7 nights. You can also access free bike hire, a laundry room, a 24-hour gym, a rooftop pool, a huge community kitchen, and coworking. All of the communal areas are beautiful with great attention to detail, and the rooms are decent. Not luxury, but nice. The only downside is that it is about a 30-minute walk from the Old Town, the beach, and the Gros neighborhood. Most of the walk is through a gorgeous park or down by the river, so we didn’t really mind – except after a long day. But we are ‘refuse to quit and get an Uber’ people.

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Best coffee in San Sebastián

Simona Coffee

I had my first magic, and I get the hype.

Driper Coffee

Just utterly cool. I had coffee here a few times and also brunch.

Recommendations for pintxos in San Sebastián

We had quite a few friends who had visited the city before, so we could rely on genuine recommendations. While social media can be great for discovery, I feel like creators keep mentioning the same places and often overdo it a bit. Taking an unknown recco from a friend you trust is ultimate Euromaxxing. Deeply unoptimised (positive). Here are some to save for your trip, passed directly from traveller to traveller.

La Viña

The only cheesecake recommendation you will need. We stumbled on this place on our first day but discovered it also came recommended from friends. I think we got cheesecake from here every day. The man started to recognise me.

La Cepa

A favourite for sure. Busy, but not crazy most nights. Great food, nice wine. Sit at the bar, order lots.

Bar Sport

Very busy and usually quite full of Londoners — another very TikTok-famous one, but also recommended by friends. We kind of panic ordered, but I’d go back to try some other things.

Bar Borda Berri

Everything from here was delicious. I came for the orzo.

Bar Antonio

Famous for tortilla, but we were far too deep in our Euromaxxing to join a long queue early in the day. So we picked up some cheesecake for the walk home.

Bells Bar

This place has such an unusual menu, everything we ordered was great.

La Cuchara de San Telmo

Very famous, and we did actually queue for this one. It moved quickly, and the food was great.

Things to do

We took things pretty slow. Happy to spend time at the beach or simply wander. We probably missed a lot, which is all the more reason to go back.

Playa de Zurriola (Gros)

Lovely little beach, well-equipped with toilets and rental chairs, and packed with surfers. It’s also, excuse my knowledge of beach terms, but a short beach? What I mean is you are quite close to the ocean — it’s not a trek to cool off. Check out the surf shops and boutiques nearby.

Playa de La Concha

The big one. Known as one of the best urban beaches in the whole world. It offers great amenities, including changing rooms, clean bathrooms, and plenty of rental equipment. You can rent loungers, umbrellas, towels, etc., but the rental place doesn’t open until mid-June.

Day trip to Bilbao

Super easy by bus, takes about an hour, but BOOK IN ADVANCE.

Day trip to Biarritz

I will do a full In Brief on Biarritz. I absolutely loved it. Went two days in a row because one wasn’t enough. Just gorgeous. It involves two trains, but it’s so novel to pop to France. Truly a gorgeous, gorgeous place.

Monte Igueldo

Funicular, retro theme park, and stunning views. easy to walk to from the beach.

A quick note on flight options

We booked return flights from Edinburgh to Bilbao because they were relatively cheap. But we ended up rebooking our flight home. It was a 7 am flight, but we hadn’t considered how we would get from San Sebastián to Bilbao at that time of day (impossible by public transport). However, San Sebastián airport was an absolute breeze. Super close to the city, and it is tiny, which made security super easy. There are direct flights from Edinburgh in the summer, and if your city has them too, I would recommend doing that.

Have you ever visited San Sebastián? Where should I save for my next trip?