Plan two or three nights in San Sebastián, ideally in May, June, September or October, on the Basque coast about half an hour from the French border. Your licensed guide leads you through the pintxos bars of the old town, above the bay of La Concha and out to the fishing ports of Getaria and Hondarribia. Private journeys including San Sebastián start from $884 per person per day, based on double occupancy, excluding flights.
At a glance. Ideal stay: two or three nights · Best months: May, June, September and October · Nearest airports: San Sebastián (EAS), about 25 minutes from the center, or Bilbao (BIO), about an hour and a quarter by road · From $884 per person per day, double occupancy, excl. flights
Behind unmarked doors in the old town, the Basques cook for one another in gastronomic societies, known here as sociedades and in Bilbao as txokos. Members shop the market in the morning, cook at the club’s shared stoves in the evening and note what they took from the cellar on trust. Through a member’s invitation, and based on availability, you join an evening at the long tables while other members cook and dine around you. It is a club, not a restaurant, and few visitors ever see inside one.
What does a licensed guide show you in San Sebastián?
Your licensed guide, usually Xavi or June, shapes the days around what you love and knows which counter serves the best pintxo of the evening.
The old town and its pintxos bars
In the Parte Vieja, every bar lays out its pintxos along the counter and the locals move on after one bite and one glass. The Gilda, an anchovy, a green olive and a pickled guindilla pepper on a toothpick, was named in the 1940s for Rita Hayworth’s film, salty, green and a little spicy, like the character. Your guide orders the house specialty at each stop, and pours of txakoli, the young Basque white, arrive from a height to wake the bubbles.
La Concha and the two hills
La Concha curves between Monte Urgull and Monte Igueldo, with the small island of Santa Clara in the middle of the bay. A wooden funicular has climbed Igueldo since 1912 for the view over the shell-shaped beach. At the far end of Ondarreta beach, Eduardo Chillida’s steel sculptures, the Comb of the Wind, grip the rocks where the Atlantic breaks.
Getaria and the Basque coast
Half an hour west, the fishing port of Getaria grills whole turbot over charcoal in the street and grows txakoli on terraces above the sea. Juan Sebastián Elcano, who completed the first voyage around the world, was born here, and so was the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga, whose museum stands above the harbor.
Hondarribia, the walled town on the border
At the mouth of the Bidasoa, across the water from France, Hondarribia keeps its medieval walls and a fishermen’s quarter of balconied houses painted green, red and blue. A small boat crosses the river to Hendaye in a few minutes.
Where do Donostiarras eat and drink?
Three restaurants with three Michelin stars lie within about 20 minutes of the old town: Arzak, Akelarre on the slopes of Igueldo and Martín Berasategui in Lasarte. On request, your planner reserves the tables, which book months ahead.
From January to spring, the cider houses of Astigarraga open for txotx season. The cidermaker calls out “txotx”, a tap opens on a giant barrel, and guests line up to catch the stream in their glass before sitting down to salt cod omelet and a thick txuleta steak. On request, a market morning at La Bretxa with a local cook ends with a cooking class, and a tasting of Idiazabal, the sheep’s milk cheese of the Basque hills, sometimes lightly smoked, is easy to add.
What are the best hotels in San Sebastián?
The finest is the Hotel María Cristina, a five-star hotel opened in 1912 on the Urumea river, designed by Charles Mewès, the architect of the Ritz hotels in Paris and Madrid, and the address of film stars during the city’s film festival. For a four-star boutique stay at the edge of the old town, the Lasala Plaza Hotel fills a restored building of 1917 overlooking the fishing port, with a small rooftop pool looking over the bay. Your planner matches the hotel to your pace and your route.
How many days should you spend in San Sebastián?
Two or three nights. Two cover the old town, La Concha and an evening of pintxos with your guide. A third adds Getaria and the coast, a cider house, or a day across the border in Biarritz and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, keeping the same hotel.
When is the best time to visit San Sebastián?
May, June, September and October bring mild days from the upper 60s to the mid 70s°F and fewer crowds. July and August are the busiest months, with the jazz festival in July and a week of fireworks over the bay in August. In September the city hosts its international film festival and the traditional rowing regattas on La Concha. Rain falls in every season, which keeps the hills green. Hotels, like airlines, use dynamic pricing, so rates rise with demand. A higher price marks a popular week, not a poor time to travel.
Where can you hike near San Sebastián?
A cliff path leaves the city over Monte Ulía and follows the coast to Pasai San Pedro, where a small boat carries you across the harbor to the fishing village of Pasai Donibane. West of Getaria, the cliffs of Zumaia and Deba show millions of years of rock in tilted layers called flysch, part of a UNESCO Global Geopark. We know the light hiking trails with the finest views, timed to the tides so the rock shelves at Itzurun beach lie open below you.
How does San Sebastián fit a journey through Spain?
San Sebastián sits near the eastern end of the Spanish Basque coast. Bilbao is about an hour and a quarter by road, the Rioja Alavesa wine villages about an hour and three quarters, and Biarritz in France about 45 minutes. From Madrid or Barcelona, a short flight reaches San Sebastián or Bilbao, and your licensed driver handles every transfer from there. Many of our American travelers pair San Sebastián with Bilbao and La Rioja on one journey through northern Spain.
Private San Sebastián Journeys
Spain
10-Day Private Food and Wine Tour of Northern Spain: Basque Country, Rioja and Ribera del Duero
Pintxos in San Sebastián, Rioja in Laguardia, Ribera del Duero and Segovia’s cochinillo. 10 days from $12,484 pp.
Spain
22-Day Private Tour of Spain: Madrid, Andalusia, the Basque Country, Rioja and Barcelona
Madrid, Seville, the Alhambra, Málaga, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Rioja and Barcelona. 22 days from $24,484 pp.
Multi-Country
30-Day Spain and Portugal Private Tour: Azores to Barcelona
Azores, Porto, Lisbon, the Algarve, Andalusia, Madrid, the Basque coast and Barcelona. 30 days from $29,940 pp.
Swipe to see all three journeys
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Frequently asked questions about private San Sebastián tours
What are the top attractions in San Sebastián?
The pintxos bars of the Parte Vieja, La Concha beach, the views from Monte Igueldo and Monte Urgull, Chillida’s Comb of the Wind, the San Telmo Museum and the fishing ports of Getaria and Hondarribia.
What are the best off-the-beaten-path experiences in San Sebastián?
An evening at a gastronomic society, based on availability, a cider house during txotx season, a market morning and cooking class, the cliff walk to Pasai Donibane and the flysch coast at Zumaia.
What do most people not know about San Sebastián?
Its gastronomic societies date back to the nineteenth century and members still settle their bills on trust. The Gilda pintxo is named after a Rita Hayworth film. And three of Spain’s restaurants with three Michelin stars sit within about 20 minutes of the old town.
Why take a private tour of San Sebastián?
San Sebastián’s best bars and clubs are hard to find on your own. Our licensed guides know the counters and the owners, our local contacts open doors such as the gastronomic societies, based on availability, and your licensed driver handles the coast and the border.
Can a private San Sebastián tour include Bilbao and La Rioja?
Yes. Every journey is tailor-made, and San Sebastián, Bilbao and the Rioja wine country fit together naturally on a journey through northern Spain.
Plan your private San Sebastián journey
Our sample journeys are a starting point. The 10-Day Private Food and Wine Tour of Northern Spain travels from Madrid through Bilbao, San Sebastián and the Rioja from $12,484 per person. The 22-Day Private Tour of Spain joins Madrid and Andalusia to the Basque Country, the Rioja and Barcelona from $24,484. The 30-Day Spain and Portugal Private Tour runs from the Azores to Barcelona through San Sebastián from $29,940. Each is tailor-made, so your planner shapes the route, the hotels and the pace around you.
Since 2002, nearly 17,000 travelers have journeyed with us. Your journey is planned by our Spain team, led by founder Dan O’Beirne, an American in Europe since 1998, and Magical Private Travel maintains excellent ratings on Trustpilot and Google’s independent review platforms. Planned from Europe. American precision with local expertise.
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