Spend 3 days in San Sebastian
| VITAL INFORMATION | |
| Population | 183,308 |
| Languages spoken | Basque (dialect), Spanish, English |
| Currency | 1.00 Euro = 1.42 USD |
| Average temperature | Summer: 72F; winter: 47F |
| High season | Summer |
San Sebastian is a sprawling beach land of bikini-clad babes, tapas bars and chic Mediterranean fashion. Situated on the Bay of Biscay in the Basque Country, San Sebastian is small enough to be a walking city, and its cuisine is a sacred part of the locals’ coastal lifestyle. The city of Donostiplaya’s cooking sand for the afternoon, the bordering Old Quarter is chalk full of tapas bars. So if you like wine, sangria and fresh fish with an ocean view, this is the holiday destination for you -- and that’s before mentioning the nocturnal lifestyle with nightclubs and taverns to satisfy any appetite you need to feed. In short, this festive Spanish town is a refined way to party like it’s 1999.
(Donostia), as it is known in the Basque dialect, features mild winters, hot summers, lush rolling hills, and three stunning beaches. The Playa de la Concha, however, is where the party starts. And after lying on the
Day 1: Hotel Maria Christina
The simplest way to get to San Sebastian is to fly into Madrid, and then pick up an Iberia Airlines flight north. If you prefer to check out the Spanish countryside, bus service is frequent and efficient, while the train may get you there… eventually. If all goes according to plan, the road north should be a three to four-hour journey.However you arrive, it will be a short taxi ride to the Hotel Maria Christina. Bordering the Urumea River that slices the town in two, Maria Christina is surrounded by promenades and gardens, and it is conveniently situated between the two primary beaches, La Concha and La Zurriola. In addition to its ideal location, the hotel itself is a majestic stone mansion fashioned in a Belle Époque opulence. Vintage decor, monstrous marble pillars and endless red carpets are just a few of the hotel’s regal features that will make you feel like royalty.
If you arrive late, the hotel’s Easo Restaurant serves classic Basque cuisine and provides some of the city’s finest dining. If, on the other hand, you feel like gallivanting
through narrow streets and joining the caliente tapas train, dinner time is strictly set between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. A few blocks from the hotel is the Parte Vieja (the Old Quarter), where pintxos (the Basque version of tapas, served either hot or cold) can be found just about anywhere along the Paseo de la Concha beachside promenade.
San Sebastian, it should be noted, is best experienced by joining the collective rhythm of the culture. The town has yet to become a resort Mecca, despite accommodating waves of tourists throughout the year. Tapas bar excursions function somewhat like pub crawls, but without the excessive inebriation. Typically, the rhythm is to order a small glass of wine (txikiteo) along with a tapas, never forgetting to socialize with anyone and everyone. But the trick is to keep talking and keep moving. The tradition is to roam from bar to bar, sample food and wine and meet new people.
In terms of the wine, a general tip to keep in mind is that the local region of Rioja produces very good red wines, while Navarra is the way to go for rosés. Basque cider is another local tradition, and in terms of picking between the plethora of pintxos bars, Bar Ganbara, San Telmo, Gaztelu, and Senra are a few of the local favorites. Another good policy, though, is to follow locals who seem equipped with the most animated conversation.
After filling up, a short stroll along the banks of the Urumea will lead you back to your lavish digs, where comfort fit for a king awaits you in the form of a marble bathtub and a plush bed.
Day 2: Museo Guggenheim Bilbao
After a one-hour bus ride to Bilbao, an urban, industrial city and the only metropolis in the Basque region, you will see that the Guggenheim Bilbao is a brilliant monument of architectural ingenuity. Designed by Frank Gehry, this is architecture for art’s sake. With interconnecting, orthogonal limestone blocks with curved and bent titanium sheets, one end of the Guggenheim actually pierces through the immense Ponte de La Salve, while the Nervion river runs along another side of the building. This really is a miraculous combination of design and engineering.After arriving in Bilbao, getting to the museum is as simple as finding the Calle Iparraguirre, one of the city’s central streets that leads directly to the museum’s entrance. There is also a streetcar with a Guggenheim stop. If, however, the Guggenheim doesn’t sound like your cup of holiday tea, and you like the look of the beach paradise that is a stones throw from your hotel room, La Concha is the hot spot. Due to its conch-like shape, the beach is protected from the roughness of the sea. La Concha’s aqua waters are smooth, and if you don’t mind sharing your sand with countless other ogling dudes, the shoreline is like a Hawaii-themed house party, with bikinis lapping up the good life everywhere you look. Around the bay’s bend, the recently revamped La Zurriola has a little more elbow room and a little less spectacle.
By the time evening rolls around, a full day has perhaps dissuaded you from snacking on tapas to fill the belly. Which is a good thing since the fresh fish hawked by the mongers all day in the Old Quarter has, by now, found its way into Basque cuisine all over town.
East of the Old Quarter, Arzak is gastronomically legendary. One astounded traveler had this to say about his San Sebastian culinary orgasm, “Where to begin? What did me in? Was it the tomato-strawberry gazpacho? The sardine and melon starter? A mango won ton with duck liver mousse made me dizzy. It was, by far, the most pleasurable food item I had ever put into my mouth. By the time the house, signature dish came to the table, a plump duck egg that Arzak poaches in a sack with goose fat with lines of txistorra (sausage) and breadcrumbs on the side, I was barely lucid.” Lucid or not, Chef Juan Mari Arzak will have you primed and ready for a seductive night at The Bataplan.
The Bataplan is the best disco in town. The club opens at 2 a.m. and people arrive sometime around 3 a.m., and if you want a bar full of foxes where bathtubs are built into walls as seats, and Euro Techno and house has the whole floor bumpin’ and grindin’, then this is your battle plan. Otherwise, along the Paseo de la Concha, the Reyes Catolicos is behind the Baroque cathedral and has more of a bohemian feel to its vibe.
Day 3: Shopping and beaches
After sleeping in, you may want to revisit the best tapas you’ve found so far before sporting your Speedo down to the beach. And if your are actually planning on wearing a Speedo, you’ll likely fit right in. La Concha will, of course, be crawling with life and if you’re nursing a pounding head from the night before, a swim through the welcoming shores will shake out the cobwebs.But at some point, you may suddenly feel the irrational urge to pick up a new pair of knickerbockers. The Old Quarter, which seems to have it all, is also the shopping district. Between Basque handicrafts and that beret you always hoped you could pull off, small markets and progressive fashions are woven into the fabric of daily life. So if you’re in the market for unique shoes, women’s anything, or just a whole lot of window shopping, San Sebastian is so cutting edge that even a hand-crafted beret bought in the Old Quarter will prove to be a hip move.
spanish delights
If it’s high time for the Running of the Bulls, go to Pamplona (a one-hour bus trip) for this little piece of Spanish insanity. The running takes place each day during the week-long Fiesta de San Fermin that runs from July 7 to 14, yearly. Even if you don’t make it to Pamplona, this week is fiesta time throughout much of Spain, so many towns, including San Sebastian, promote spectacular celebrations.Or, in mid-August, the week-long Semena Grande (Aste Nagusia in Basque) is a fireworks competition held every night in La Concha Bay. And this week really is high tourist season.
In the off-season, the all-night La Tamborrada or the Procession of Drummers, is a wild nocturnal march that is a mocking tribute to the French army that occupied San Sebastian during the Napoleonic Wars. At root, Spanish tradesman aped the French procession and, to this day, adults and children carry out their drumming march dressed as cooks and soldiers. La Tamborrada begins at midnight on January 20, yearly.
But these fiestas are merely the tip of the iceberg. San Sebastian doesn’t miss a month without some sort of fiesta. Check their local listings upon arrival and you won’t miss a beat.
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://wikitravel.org/
http://spainguides.com/sansebastian.html
http://sansebastiansp.ags.myareaguide.com/?cityguide=eat_drink
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=86
http://www.guggenheim-bilbao.es/ingles/home.htm
http://www.idealspain.com/Pages/Places/SanSebastian.htm
www.sanfermin.com
www.pension-bellasartes.com
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