San Sebastian Pier at sunset
Saint Sebastian It succeeded, of course, taking advantage of a kind geography that lent its three mountains, its three beaches and its perfect scallop-shaped bay to a project of a friendly city, converted into the best benchmark for holidays in the Bay of Biscay.
A RESTAURANT
Xarma (Tolosa Avenue, 123). Forget the farmhouses with dark wooden beams and gabled roofs. The best Basque gastronomy also has its place in a intimate room with few diners , painted in pale tones and with a flower on each table. The young and dynamic team led by r Aizpea Oihaneder and Xabier Díez has made its way into a city of proven competence in good food with a fresh and modern restaurant, based on the fresh seasonal produce , open to fusion and avant-garde.
starters They range from simple grilled prawns to vegetables on carpaccio of tomato, apple and creamy ham, and the main courses They have turbot, cod, baby squid or sirloin as a base, accompanied by surprising side dishes such as chilli powder or onion compote and crispy squid ink.
Pumpkin cream with fruit caviar
A WALK
The Mount Urgull stands on the ledge of land that separates the La Concha Bay of the Urumea River . This urban park is entirely pedestrianized and is criss-crossed by different walkways and paths that surround its perimeter by the sea and climb to the top, crowned by the Sacred Heart and the Castle of La Mota , which contains a historical museum of the city.
The paths of Mount Urgull pass through cannon batteries, old magazines and old cemeteries, but they also lead to the New Aquarium, the Naval Museum and the San Telmo Museum , in a 16th century convent with a beautiful cloister and an interesting art gallery. The best reason to climb Urgull, however, is the views.
AN EXPERIENCE
If the day has dawned sunny, you have to take advantage of it. Flat and with moderate traffic, San Sebastian is ideal for getting around on two wheels . In addition, it has an extensive network of bike lanes that covers the entire center, the streets of the Old Town, the banks of the Urumea and... of course, the Shell Walk . The bicycle multiplies the time and allows moving from the Wind Comb , an obligatory stop on a sunny Sunday, until Kursaal and the Gros beach in a while of pedaling, after having an aperitif in the taverns of the port. In this website there is a list of places to rent bikes by the hour.
If it dawns sunny, the Paseo de la Concha (by bike) is unforgivable
A HOTEL
With permission of the emblematic Maria Cristina and the Hotel London , we withdraw from the spotlight of the Film Festival and the beachfront to choose the Hotel Villa Soro (Ategorrieta Avenue, 61). We are left with this villa, nineteenth-century in body and soul, with its location on a quiet, tree-lined residential street, with its stately English-style facade, with its French garden, its fireplace lit in the main hall and its oak bar in the bar room.
The 25 rooms, focused on natural light, are distributed between the villa and the old stables, and include the rooms of the family that lived in the house, now converted into the Deluxe rooms. L to romantic decoration , marble bathrooms, hardwoods and works by Gipuzkoan artists like Jorge Oteiza they compose aesthetics; services include a gym, free parking and wifi, and bicycles and beach towels at guests' disposal.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Basque Country Guide
- Everything you need to know about San Sebastian
Nineteenth-century, Frenchified and above all, romantic
View of the city from Mount Igeldo