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Learning Spanish in San Sebastian. The tourist guide to study your Spanish course.
Surf on Spanish northern beaches, learn Spanish at this coastal town in Spain and get the most of San Sebastian's great gastronomy.
General Information. 185,000 inhabitants. 540 kilometres north of Madrid. Donosti (in euskera, the Basque language) is the capital of Guipúzcoa, one of the provinces of the Basque Country, situated on the shores of the Bay of Biscay just 20 kilometres from the French border. San Sebastian is flanked by two promontories - Igueldo (184 metres) on the western side, and Urgull (135 metros) on the eastern side - which protect a superb bay with a beautiful beach and its seafront promenade: la Concha (the Shell), the city's most emblematic tourist attraction. Queen Isabella II chose San Sebastian as a summer holiday destination in the late 19th century, giving it the nickname of "Little Paris", owing to its elegance and refinement. Its main sources of income are trade and tourism, which are closely linked to cultural and gastronomic activity. San Sebastian is home to a number of higher education institutions: the public University of the Basque Country (Universidad del País Vasco); the private University of Navarre, with its faculties of engineering; the private Deusto University, with the ESTE faculty of economics and business studies; and the Musikene music conservatory. San Sebastian has two official languages: Spanish and euskera (Basque). San Sebastian is a very attractive place to study Spanish with some language schools offering a wide range of courses.
Surrounding Areas. Zarautz (20 kilometres), whose old quarter includes monuments of great historical and architectural value, and whose beaches are a must for surfers and tourists alike. Guetaria (25 kilometres), in the same direction, with its island called Monte de San Antón, popularly known as the "ratón de Guetaria" due its curious resemblance to a mouse. Hondarribia, 22 kilometres to the east and very close to the border with France, is a small coastal town with a partially fortified historic centre and a picturesque fishermen's quarter. Eleven kilometres further to the east lies the French border, with three beautiful towns within easy reach: Saint Jean de Luz (33 kilometres), Biarritz (51 kilometres) and Bayonne (58 kilometres). Pamplona (82 kilometres). Bilbao (100 kilometres). Vitoria (102 kilometres). Along the entire coast of Guipúzcoa there are numerous towns and villages worth visiting.
Main Sights. The "Wind Comb" (Peine del Viento), one of Eduardo Chillida's most emblematic sculptures and an excellent example of contemporary art. The "Sacred Heart" (Sagrado Corazón), the 12-metre-tall statue which keeps watch over the city from the summit of Mount Urgull. Chillida's Homenaje a Fleming, a granite monument to the famous scientist which stands on Paseo de la Concha, the seafront promenade. San Salvador, a 15th century parish church. The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Catedral del Buen Pastor). A market complex called Mercados de la Brecha y Pescadería, consisting of two buildings known as "La Brecha", where farm produce is sold, and "La Pescadería", a fish market. The Port Wall (Muralla del Puerto), the remnants of the wall which once surrounded most of the city. Palacio de Miramar, an English-style palace with gardens overlooking the bay. Puente de Zurriola, a stylishly illuminated concrete bridge built in 1921. The Mount Igueldo Amusement Park (Parque de Atracciones del Monte Igueldo, 6 kilometres) offers the best views of the bay and the city. Mount Urgull, an urban park in a privileged setting, is surrounded by emblematic buildings and attractive museums and includes a leisure, culture and shopping circuit. The Aquarium-Oceanographic Museum, at the foot of Mount Urgull.
Culture. The San Sebastian International Film Festival (September) is one of the four most important film festivals in Europe and highly regarded throughout the world; the internationally renowned San Sebastian Jazz Festival (July), currently called Heineken Jazzaldía. The most important museums are the Museo Chillida-Leku (8 kilometres), devoted to the work of the famous Basque sculptor; Museo de San Telmo, with its large collection of paintings and religious artefacts; the Diocesan Museum, containing an impressive range of religious works of art; and the Naval Museum, which focuses on the maritime history of the Basque people. It is also worth visiting Kutxaespacio, an interactive science and technology museum. The main performance venues are Teatro Victoria Eugenia (1912), Teatro Principal (1843) and the Kursaal, designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, which is both an auditorium and a conference centre; it is situated on a corner of one of the city's beaches, Playa de Zurriola, in the Gros neighbourhood.
Beaches. San Sebastián's famous bay, La Concha, features the beautiful 1,350-metre-long beach of the same name, as well as Ondarreta, a small beach opposite Isla de Santa Clara, the island which stands in the middle of the bay between the Urgull and Igueldo promontories. The city's newest beach, Playa Zurriola, is 800 metres long and situated next to the mouth of the Urumea River in the Gros neighbourhood. The beaches are a major attraction for the many students who decide to study Spanish in San Sebastian.
Shopping. The best places for shopping in San Sebastian are the city's main avenues and boulevards, including the seafront promenade, where you can choose from a wide selection of fashion outlets. The broad Avenida de la Libertad and the streets which cut across it constitute the busiest shopping area. Dotted among the bars and restaurants of the old quarter are various small establishments selling handicrafts, souvenirs, jewellery and footwear, as well as gastronomic products. The most important shopping centres are Arcco and Garbera. La Bretxa is an old refurbished market with a range of stalls selling all kinds of fresh produce.
Gastronomy. In a region justly famed for its gastronomy, San Sebastian is especially renowned for the dazzling quality and sheer variety of its pintxos (the Basque word for tapas); at lunchtime or at the end of the working day, it is customary for the locals to tuck into these exquisitely prepared morsels of everyday haute cuisine, which are usually accompanied by small measures of wine (txiquitos) or beer (zuritos) served in small, squat tumblers. The most popular pintxo areas are the old quarter, the city centre and Gros. San Sebastian and its environs enjoy a worldwide reputation as a gastronomic reference point; indeed, the area boasts more Michelin stars per square metre than anywhere else in the world (three restaurants with three Michelin stars, one two-star restaurant, and four one-star restaurants). There are also numerous restaurants specializing in roasted meat dishes (asadores), not to mention the traditional ‘cider houses' (sidrerías) nestled in the hills outside San Sebastian, many of which offer set meals with unlimited cider. Fish and seafood form the basis of the most typical dishes, although there are also plenty of options for meat lovers, including the huge wing rib beef chops known as chuletones. One of the most commonly drunk wines in this region is the slightly sparkling and very dry chacolí, which has it own designation of origin.
Sports. Ciudad Deportiva Anoeta, situated in the Amara neighbourhood, is a sports complex which includes the Anoeta stadium where the city's first division football team, La Real Sociedad, play their home games. The local basketball team, San Sebastian Guipuzkoa Basket Club, more commonly known as Lagun Aro, play in the national top-flight ACB league. The Hipódromo de San Sebastián, located in the Zubieta neighbourhood, is the second most important racecourse in Spain. San Sebastian also has numerous municipal swimming pools, sports centres where you can play or learn almost any sport, basketball courts and pelota courts (frontones), and there are six golf courses in the surrounding area.
Fiestas. San Sebastian's main fiesta is the ‘Big Week' (Semana Grande, middle of August), which includes an international fireworks competition, bullfights and the parade of gigantes and cabezudos, featuring elaborately costumed "giants" on stilts and thirteen "big-heads" sporting oversized papier-mâché head masks. One of the many organized events during these festivities is the Gold Cup (Copa de Oro) horse race (15th August). Another important fiesta is the Tamborrada (20th January); this deafening parade of drum and barrel playing locals dressed as chefs or soldiers celebrates the feast day of the patron saint after which San Sebastian is named. The uniforms worn by the marchers suggest that the festival's origins may go back to the Napoleonic Wars, when the people (and particularly chefs) would mock the occupying French soldiers by banging water butts in the streets at every opportunity.
Transport. San Sebastian has good rail links with Madrid and Barcelona. A city sightseeing bus, Donostitour, runs throughout the year except in February, and there is a recreational catamaran called "Ciudad de San Sebastián" which takes tourists on a trip round the bay, starting and finishing at the port. It is easy to get from San Sebastian to other Spanish cities by train or by using the various coach services.
Nightlife. Students who decide to study Spanish in San Sebastian will discover a very active nightlife. Thanks to a busy schedule of local fiestas and international festivals and a wide range of nightspots, San Sebastian has a very lively nightlife scene. The best places for partying are the old quarter, the streets around the Cathedral, particularly Calle de los Reyes Católicos, and the seafront discotheques dotted along La Concha and Playa de la Zurriola. On the top floor of the San Sebastian Royal Nautical Club building there is a discotheque called La Kabutzia, with splendid views across the bay.
General Information. 185,000 inhabitants. 540 kilometres north of Madrid. Donosti (in euskera, the Basque language) is the capital of Guipúzcoa, one of the provinces of the Basque Country, situated on the shores of the Bay of Biscay just 20 kilometres from the French border. San Sebastian is flanked by two promontories - Igueldo (184 metres) on the western side, and Urgull (135 metros) on the eastern side - which protect a superb bay with a beautiful beach and its seafront promenade: la Concha (the Shell), the city's most emblematic tourist attraction. Queen Isabella II chose San Sebastian as a summer holiday destination in the late 19th century, giving it the nickname of "Little Paris", owing to its elegance and refinement. Its main sources of income are trade and tourism, which are closely linked to cultural and gastronomic activity. San Sebastian is home to a number of higher education institutions: the public University of the Basque Country (Universidad del País Vasco); the private University of Navarre, with its faculties of engineering; the private Deusto University, with the ESTE faculty of economics and business studies; and the Musikene music conservatory. San Sebastian has two official languages: Spanish and euskera (Basque). San Sebastian is a very attractive place to study Spanish with some language schools offering a wide range of courses.
Surrounding Areas. Zarautz (20 kilometres), whose old quarter includes monuments of great historical and architectural value, and whose beaches are a must for surfers and tourists alike. Guetaria (25 kilometres), in the same direction, with its island called Monte de San Antón, popularly known as the "ratón de Guetaria" due its curious resemblance to a mouse. Hondarribia, 22 kilometres to the east and very close to the border with France, is a small coastal town with a partially fortified historic centre and a picturesque fishermen's quarter. Eleven kilometres further to the east lies the French border, with three beautiful towns within easy reach: Saint Jean de Luz (33 kilometres), Biarritz (51 kilometres) and Bayonne (58 kilometres). Pamplona (82 kilometres). Bilbao (100 kilometres). Vitoria (102 kilometres). Along the entire coast of Guipúzcoa there are numerous towns and villages worth visiting.
Main Sights. The "Wind Comb" (Peine del Viento), one of Eduardo Chillida's most emblematic sculptures and an excellent example of contemporary art. The "Sacred Heart" (Sagrado Corazón), the 12-metre-tall statue which keeps watch over the city from the summit of Mount Urgull. Chillida's Homenaje a Fleming, a granite monument to the famous scientist which stands on Paseo de la Concha, the seafront promenade. San Salvador, a 15th century parish church. The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd (Catedral del Buen Pastor). A market complex called Mercados de la Brecha y Pescadería, consisting of two buildings known as "La Brecha", where farm produce is sold, and "La Pescadería", a fish market. The Port Wall (Muralla del Puerto), the remnants of the wall which once surrounded most of the city. Palacio de Miramar, an English-style palace with gardens overlooking the bay. Puente de Zurriola, a stylishly illuminated concrete bridge built in 1921. The Mount Igueldo Amusement Park (Parque de Atracciones del Monte Igueldo, 6 kilometres) offers the best views of the bay and the city. Mount Urgull, an urban park in a privileged setting, is surrounded by emblematic buildings and attractive museums and includes a leisure, culture and shopping circuit. The Aquarium-Oceanographic Museum, at the foot of Mount Urgull.
Culture. The San Sebastian International Film Festival (September) is one of the four most important film festivals in Europe and highly regarded throughout the world; the internationally renowned San Sebastian Jazz Festival (July), currently called Heineken Jazzaldía. The most important museums are the Museo Chillida-Leku (8 kilometres), devoted to the work of the famous Basque sculptor; Museo de San Telmo, with its large collection of paintings and religious artefacts; the Diocesan Museum, containing an impressive range of religious works of art; and the Naval Museum, which focuses on the maritime history of the Basque people. It is also worth visiting Kutxaespacio, an interactive science and technology museum. The main performance venues are Teatro Victoria Eugenia (1912), Teatro Principal (1843) and the Kursaal, designed by the architect Rafael Moneo, which is both an auditorium and a conference centre; it is situated on a corner of one of the city's beaches, Playa de Zurriola, in the Gros neighbourhood.
Beaches. San Sebastián's famous bay, La Concha, features the beautiful 1,350-metre-long beach of the same name, as well as Ondarreta, a small beach opposite Isla de Santa Clara, the island which stands in the middle of the bay between the Urgull and Igueldo promontories. The city's newest beach, Playa Zurriola, is 800 metres long and situated next to the mouth of the Urumea River in the Gros neighbourhood. The beaches are a major attraction for the many students who decide to study Spanish in San Sebastian.
Shopping. The best places for shopping in San Sebastian are the city's main avenues and boulevards, including the seafront promenade, where you can choose from a wide selection of fashion outlets. The broad Avenida de la Libertad and the streets which cut across it constitute the busiest shopping area. Dotted among the bars and restaurants of the old quarter are various small establishments selling handicrafts, souvenirs, jewellery and footwear, as well as gastronomic products. The most important shopping centres are Arcco and Garbera. La Bretxa is an old refurbished market with a range of stalls selling all kinds of fresh produce.
Gastronomy. In a region justly famed for its gastronomy, San Sebastian is especially renowned for the dazzling quality and sheer variety of its pintxos (the Basque word for tapas); at lunchtime or at the end of the working day, it is customary for the locals to tuck into these exquisitely prepared morsels of everyday haute cuisine, which are usually accompanied by small measures of wine (txiquitos) or beer (zuritos) served in small, squat tumblers. The most popular pintxo areas are the old quarter, the city centre and Gros. San Sebastian and its environs enjoy a worldwide reputation as a gastronomic reference point; indeed, the area boasts more Michelin stars per square metre than anywhere else in the world (three restaurants with three Michelin stars, one two-star restaurant, and four one-star restaurants). There are also numerous restaurants specializing in roasted meat dishes (asadores), not to mention the traditional ‘cider houses' (sidrerías) nestled in the hills outside San Sebastian, many of which offer set meals with unlimited cider. Fish and seafood form the basis of the most typical dishes, although there are also plenty of options for meat lovers, including the huge wing rib beef chops known as chuletones. One of the most commonly drunk wines in this region is the slightly sparkling and very dry chacolí, which has it own designation of origin.
Sports. Ciudad Deportiva Anoeta, situated in the Amara neighbourhood, is a sports complex which includes the Anoeta stadium where the city's first division football team, La Real Sociedad, play their home games. The local basketball team, San Sebastian Guipuzkoa Basket Club, more commonly known as Lagun Aro, play in the national top-flight ACB league. The Hipódromo de San Sebastián, located in the Zubieta neighbourhood, is the second most important racecourse in Spain. San Sebastian also has numerous municipal swimming pools, sports centres where you can play or learn almost any sport, basketball courts and pelota courts (frontones), and there are six golf courses in the surrounding area.
Fiestas. San Sebastian's main fiesta is the ‘Big Week' (Semana Grande, middle of August), which includes an international fireworks competition, bullfights and the parade of gigantes and cabezudos, featuring elaborately costumed "giants" on stilts and thirteen "big-heads" sporting oversized papier-mâché head masks. One of the many organized events during these festivities is the Gold Cup (Copa de Oro) horse race (15th August). Another important fiesta is the Tamborrada (20th January); this deafening parade of drum and barrel playing locals dressed as chefs or soldiers celebrates the feast day of the patron saint after which San Sebastian is named. The uniforms worn by the marchers suggest that the festival's origins may go back to the Napoleonic Wars, when the people (and particularly chefs) would mock the occupying French soldiers by banging water butts in the streets at every opportunity.
Transport. San Sebastian has good rail links with Madrid and Barcelona. A city sightseeing bus, Donostitour, runs throughout the year except in February, and there is a recreational catamaran called "Ciudad de San Sebastián" which takes tourists on a trip round the bay, starting and finishing at the port. It is easy to get from San Sebastian to other Spanish cities by train or by using the various coach services.
Nightlife. Students who decide to study Spanish in San Sebastian will discover a very active nightlife. Thanks to a busy schedule of local fiestas and international festivals and a wide range of nightspots, San Sebastian has a very lively nightlife scene. The best places for partying are the old quarter, the streets around the Cathedral, particularly Calle de los Reyes Católicos, and the seafront discotheques dotted along La Concha and Playa de la Zurriola. On the top floor of the San Sebastian Royal Nautical Club building there is a discotheque called La Kabutzia, with splendid views across the bay.
© TEXT: SPANISH IN TOUR.
VIDEO: Patronato de Turismo de San Sebastián
VIDEO: Patronato de Turismo de San Sebastián
