Things to do in Donostia / San Sebastián
Old town pintxos, a fine-dining dinner, coastal txakoli, and no tourist traps.
This is a trip built around eating well without overspending, with just enough culture to feel the weight of the Basque Country before you go back for seconds. Days one and three are the strongest: a deep dive into Parte Vieja followed by a run up the coast to Getaria's vineyards and the Balenciaga museum. Day two stretches to Irun and Hondarribia, best suited to anyone with a car or happy to take the local train and walk.
Day 1: Parte Vieja: tortilla, art, and foie
The old town earns its reputation on day one: a legendary tortilla at opening, Basque history at San Telmo, the best-value hot pintxos counter in the city, a walk up Monte Urgull to clear your head, and a fine-dining dinner at Kokotxa to close it properly.
- 9:30 AM
Mercado de La Bretxa and Antonio Bar tortilla
Tortilla at Antonio Bar on Bergara street first thing, then the fish stalls downstairs at La Bretxa.
Map - 10:30 AM
San Telmo Museoa
16th-century convent turned museum answering who the Basques are, history, ethnography and art all in one tight loop.
Map - 12:30 PM
La Cuchara de San Telmo
Hot pintxos cooked to order from the blackboard, foie with apple, veal cheeks, suckling pig; the best value counter in the old town.
Map - 2:00 PM
Monte Urgull
Walk off lunch on the wooded paths of Monte Urgull, fortress, Christ statue and sweeping views over La Concha and the old town.
Map - 7:30 PM
Kokotxa
Old-town dining room cooking the day's market fish with modern Basque technique; book the tasting menu.
Map - 9:30 PM
La Cepa
Classic old-town bar for a proper cocktail or txakoli to close the night without going far.
Map
Day 2: Irun, Oiasso, and Hondarribia at dusk
A quieter day outside the city: Roman archaeology in Irun at the underrated Oiasso Museoa, then an early evening in Hondarribia's walled old town where dinner in a colourful fisher's house beats anything back in the capital for atmosphere.
- 10:30 AM
Oiasso Museoa
Explore Irun's Roman roots at this well-regarded local archaeology museum, the heart of the whole day.
Map - 4:30 PM
Day trip to Hondarribia and French Basque coast
Walk the walls of Hondarribia, up to the Parador on the Plaza de Armas and down to the painted Marina houses.
Map - 7:30 PM
Gran Sol
Prize-winning pintxos on San Pedro street in the Marina quarter; sit down in the back for a proper dinner.
Map
Day 3: Getaria coast: Balenciaga and bone-dry wine
Head west along the coast to Zarautz's compact photography museum, then Getaria for the genuinely world-class Balenciaga collection and a long, unhurried txakoli lunch above the fishing port.
- 10:00 AM
Photomuseum
Small museum of the history of photography in a Zarautz villa, from early cameras to Basque photographers.
Map - 11:00 AM
Cristóbal Balenciaga museoa
Getaria's tribute to its native son: Balenciaga gowns shown beside the Aldamar palace above the port.
Map - 12:30 PM
Txakoli wine tasting in Getaria vineyards
Family wineries terraced above the fishing port, bone-dry Txakoli with anchovies and tuna, the perfect Getaria lunch.
Map - 7:30 PM
Kaia Kaipe
Getaria grill above the port: whole turbot cooked over coals and a wine cellar dug into the rock.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Atari
Hotel Atari sits right on the edge of Parte Vieja, putting day one's entire itinerary on foot and the pintxos bars at the end of the street.
Hotel SANSEbay
Hotel SANSEbay is a half-block away and equally well-placed for the old town, with solid value for the price bracket if Atari is full.
Make Donostia / San Sebastián your trip
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