Holirays

The city of San Sebastian or Donostia in the Basque country is the most fantastic place I’ve ever travelled to as a foodie. Although it boasts the most Michelin stars per square mile of any other place on the planet, the true joy comes from it’s many Pintxos bars within the old town.

When to go

Any time of the year! The city has two large crescent shaped beaches which are great in summer and one is renowned for surfing. Going in spring or autumn means you can enjoy some local hikes in lesser heat. In the winter, stick to the old town and hop from bar to bar.

How to get there

From London:

• Fly direct to San Sebastian from London City
• Fly with Ryan Air from Stansted to Biarritz in France, flights are daily. From here it’s around an hour’s drive, in a taxi it’s around EUR120 each way but the bus is much cheaper. I wouldn’t suggest hiring a car as you’ll have to pay to park it in San Sebastian and you don’t need it when there (we learned this the hard way!). Combine the trip with a stay in the lovely seaside town of Biarritz too.
• Fly to Bilbao and make your way across from here, it’s a bit further but there’s more flights to Bilbao and you can also extend your trip by staying in the Basque Country.

What to do

• Eat and drink! More on this later….
• Wander around the old town
• Walk along the Playa de la Concha – a 5km walk along the beach
• Go up Monte Igueldo on the funicular
• Visit Santa Clara island (summer only)
• Surf (or just watch) at La Zurriola surf beach
• Hike Mount Urgull for the views
• Visit the Gros neighbourhood

What to Eat

San Sebastian’s food scene can be split into three categories – Michelin Starred fine dining, relaxed seated restaurants and pintxos bars. My favourite by far was the pintxos bars. These are tiny bars where you can order a drink and a couple of small plates – a “pintxo” is a small snack typically served on bread – then move to the next bar. Some bars are so small they don’t even have seats or you can just stand outside. The bars here have speciality dishes and it’s worth checking out the prize winning dishes at each bar. Wash it down with a glass of Txakoli – a slightly sparkling white local wine which is served from a height.

My favourite bars and dishes:

• Bar Sport – sea urchin bisque, ribeye slider, beef skewer
• Betijai Berria – black pudding croquetta
• Casa Vergara – baked sea urchin
• La Cepa – jamon iberico
• Gandarias – anchovies
• Borda Berri – beef cheeks and kebab
• La cuchera de San Telmo – grilled octopus
• Portaletas – stuffed piquillo
• El Tamboril – tomato salad

If you’re after Michelin starred dining – try the famous Akelarre or Arzak that have 3 Michelin stars but a price tag to match.

For a seated restaurant experience go to the harbour for the freshest catch on the “Menu del dia” at Rampa.

Where to stay

Our visit here totally revolved around food so we stayed within walking distance of the old town at Room Mate Gorka which was excellent location as it’s quiet enough to rest but close enough to nip back in the afternoon. It’s also next door to an excellent tortillas La Zabalata for breakfast and Syra coffee.