Is 4 nights too much in San Sebastian?
Jun 12th, 2009, 11:06 AM
#1
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Is 4 nights too much in San Sebastian?
Pension Bellas Artes normally has a 5 night minimum in July but agreed to 4 nights. I'm starting to worry that it's too much time in such a small city. I'm probably wrong as I prefer to absorb the culture of one city rather than hopping from town to town. I can always rent a car for daytrips and spend the night in SS, right?
Jun 12th, 2009, 11:14 AM
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I don't know it this helps:
we stayed in a small town across the Bay (Santander) for 6 days - it was fine although it wasn't even beach weather.
( I am a "big" city person when it comes to travel.).
We made two day trip , you can visit Bilbao and/or some place in France.
we stayed in a small town across the Bay (Santander) for 6 days - it was fine although it wasn't even beach weather.
( I am a "big" city person when it comes to travel.).
We made two day trip , you can visit Bilbao and/or some place in France.
Jun 12th, 2009, 12:17 PM
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If you are interested in food, and maybe even if you do not plan to set aside time to explore the eating options, I think four days is a good amount of time. We stayed there for 4 nights last time and took a daytrip by bus to Bilbao. You would have lots of choices for daytrips especially if you rent a car.
Do you also want beach time?
Do you also want beach time?
Jun 12th, 2009, 12:36 PM
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We stayed in San Sebastian for five nights and barely made a dent in all those bars... Although we had daytrips planned, except for Bilbao by bus, we never got around to them. San Sebastian is wonderful, four days will fly by.
Jun 17th, 2009, 03:05 PM
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Hi Egbert,
Now that you've been reassured, wanted to share this guide with you with a handful of great things to do/places to eat while you're there! Have a great trip,
http://www.ruba.com/guide/Chris_Gall..._San_Sebastian
Now that you've been reassured, wanted to share this guide with you with a handful of great things to do/places to eat while you're there! Have a great trip,
http://www.ruba.com/guide/Chris_Gall..._San_Sebastian
Jun 17th, 2009, 03:36 PM
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I've been in San Sebastián almost every year since the late 1980's and to me it's no wonder that the city has been a favourite for Spanish visitors for more than a century. Excellent food, great beaches, beautiful landscape and a living culture that people take great pride in.
Pensión Bellas Artes is a good choice.
Food:
Although San Sebastián can boast 18 Michelin Stars (Restaurante Arzak started it all and have had three stars ever since 1989), I would recommend going for pintxos (Basque tapas) either in the Old town (Parte vieja) or in the Gros district across the river. You must often ask for the warm and most interesting pintxos that is beeing constantly prepared in the kitchen. In the Parte vieja you can't do much wrong, but these bars/restaurants covers a variety and are sure bets: Goiz-Argi, Txepetxa, Cuchara de San Telmo, La Cepa and Astelehena. In the Gros district I would highly recommend Patio de Ramuntxo, Bar Bergara and Aloña Berri.
All about going for pintxos in San Sebastián, and more details on the places I mentioned above, can be found here: http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en
If you want a traditional Basque restaurant that has kept pace with the gastronomic development, but at the same time is a bit more low-key than the Michelin-restaurants, I would suggest you go to Restaurante Urola in C/Fermín Calbetón: http://www.restauranteurola.com/english/index.html
One of the world's most renowned chefs, Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Girona, suggested in 2005 that San Sebastián is no less than the best place to eat in the world "in terms of the average quality of the food, in terms of what you can get at any place you happen to walk into.": http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...rink.shopping2
I would also recommend that you go for a lunch in the nearby fishing village of Getaria, I had the meal of my life in one of the small restaurants in the harbour in 1996:
http://www.thepauperedchef.com/2007/...-in-getar.html
I could go on for ages but leave you with this: http://marshlands.blogstream.com/
Pensión Bellas Artes is a good choice.
Food:
Although San Sebastián can boast 18 Michelin Stars (Restaurante Arzak started it all and have had three stars ever since 1989), I would recommend going for pintxos (Basque tapas) either in the Old town (Parte vieja) or in the Gros district across the river. You must often ask for the warm and most interesting pintxos that is beeing constantly prepared in the kitchen. In the Parte vieja you can't do much wrong, but these bars/restaurants covers a variety and are sure bets: Goiz-Argi, Txepetxa, Cuchara de San Telmo, La Cepa and Astelehena. In the Gros district I would highly recommend Patio de Ramuntxo, Bar Bergara and Aloña Berri.
All about going for pintxos in San Sebastián, and more details on the places I mentioned above, can be found here: http://www.todopintxos.com/home/home.php?lang=en
If you want a traditional Basque restaurant that has kept pace with the gastronomic development, but at the same time is a bit more low-key than the Michelin-restaurants, I would suggest you go to Restaurante Urola in C/Fermín Calbetón: http://www.restauranteurola.com/english/index.html
One of the world's most renowned chefs, Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Girona, suggested in 2005 that San Sebastián is no less than the best place to eat in the world "in terms of the average quality of the food, in terms of what you can get at any place you happen to walk into.": http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandsty...rink.shopping2
I would also recommend that you go for a lunch in the nearby fishing village of Getaria, I had the meal of my life in one of the small restaurants in the harbour in 1996:
http://www.thepauperedchef.com/2007/...-in-getar.html
I could go on for ages but leave you with this: http://marshlands.blogstream.com/
Jun 17th, 2009, 04:04 PM
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Egbert,
Don't know how much you have in your budget for gourmet dining, but of all of the San Sebastián-Errentería-Hernani-Lasarte axis Michelin starred restaurants, the one that is actually within the budget of most visitors is its newest star, Restaurante Kokotxa, in the Old Quarter.
www.restaurantekokotxa.com
How?
Because on Tues.-Fri. chef owner Dani García serves a tremendous value menú del día for lunch that costs only 25 euros, with a very good bottle of house Rioja included. A great value. And for dinner the gourmet menu costs only €58, while at Arzak the degustation menu now costs €145.
Another "miniature haute cuisine" pintxos bar to add to your pintxos crawl in the Gros quarter is Mil Catas.
Two more to add to your list in the Parte Vieja: A Fuego Negro and Zeruko.
In the above, you don't help yourself to the groaning board of cold pintxos lining the counter, but instead order them tailor made for you, fresh, from the kitchen, as you do at the hopelessly-crowded-in-summer but fabulously good La Cuchara de San Telmo.
A thread was started by ekscrunchy recently about the wonders of the grill at Elkano in Getaria. I can highly second kimhe's recommendation. Order the turbot (rodaballo).
Will you be there the last half of July? The Jazz Festival will be going on from July 22-26.
We're going to the Joao Gilberto concert at the Kursaal. Buena Vista Social Club tix have already sold out.
www.jazzaldia.com
Don't know how much you have in your budget for gourmet dining, but of all of the San Sebastián-Errentería-Hernani-Lasarte axis Michelin starred restaurants, the one that is actually within the budget of most visitors is its newest star, Restaurante Kokotxa, in the Old Quarter.
www.restaurantekokotxa.com
How?
Because on Tues.-Fri. chef owner Dani García serves a tremendous value menú del día for lunch that costs only 25 euros, with a very good bottle of house Rioja included. A great value. And for dinner the gourmet menu costs only €58, while at Arzak the degustation menu now costs €145.
Another "miniature haute cuisine" pintxos bar to add to your pintxos crawl in the Gros quarter is Mil Catas.
Two more to add to your list in the Parte Vieja: A Fuego Negro and Zeruko.
In the above, you don't help yourself to the groaning board of cold pintxos lining the counter, but instead order them tailor made for you, fresh, from the kitchen, as you do at the hopelessly-crowded-in-summer but fabulously good La Cuchara de San Telmo.
A thread was started by ekscrunchy recently about the wonders of the grill at Elkano in Getaria. I can highly second kimhe's recommendation. Order the turbot (rodaballo).
Will you be there the last half of July? The Jazz Festival will be going on from July 22-26.
We're going to the Joao Gilberto concert at the Kursaal. Buena Vista Social Club tix have already sold out.
www.jazzaldia.com
Jun 18th, 2009, 07:10 AM
#10
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Thanks again for the incredible advice. This will be an expensive trip. My dream is to eat at Arzak,Akelarre,Extebarri,Zuberoa and Mugaritz but our budget won't allow it. We will be eating mostly tapas at the places you all have mentioned and probably hitting Kokotxa and Elkano or Kaia Kalpe for meals. For traditional Basque food should we try Casa Nicolasa or Urola? Do we need a car to get to Getaria or is there public transport?
Jun 18th, 2009, 08:15 AM
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Bus every hour from San Sebastián to Getaria; I think it still leaves from Avenida de la Libertad right in the centre.
Urola has been a favourite of mine ever since I sat foot there in 1987, and it's still very popular with the donostiarras themselves. Have never dined at Nicolasa but of course it is excellent.
Urola has been a favourite of mine ever since I sat foot there in 1987, and it's still very popular with the donostiarras themselves. Have never dined at Nicolasa but of course it is excellent.
Jun 18th, 2009, 09:09 AM
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And Casa Nicolasa is a favorite of mine, and is also very popular with the local elite. Very classic, very traditional, wonderful food. They're both in the Parte Vieja. Flip a coin!
We've been lucky to have eaten in all of the above, but now doing so is so very much more expensive. Kokotxa, thankfully, the one star newbie, is still happily well within our dining budget. If you do try it for lunch, you absolutely must reserve, maybe a week in advance, since it's a small place and that lunch a tremendous bargain.
We've been lucky to have eaten in all of the above, but now doing so is so very much more expensive. Kokotxa, thankfully, the one star newbie, is still happily well within our dining budget. If you do try it for lunch, you absolutely must reserve, maybe a week in advance, since it's a small place and that lunch a tremendous bargain.
Jun 20th, 2009, 01:48 AM
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I also recommend you go to the Antiguo area in the western end of La Concha Beach, near the former royal residence Palacio de Miramar (Today a center for Basque cultural studies under The University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU) and the Ondarreta beach. 20 mins meditating walk along the beach promenade.
In the barrio's "main street", Calle Matia, there are some great places that serves a three-course lunch with drinks included for abot 10-12€. Don't recall the names of the restaurants, but you would know by the clientele when you are in a good place. Food can be fantastic also in these more modest and local places, and it would be a different experience than the more touristy Old town.
In Calle Matia you can also enjoy a vasco-japonese fusion restaurant that I have been highly recommended. It was closed when we tried to go there in the end of last August, but it looks promising:
http://www.txubillo.com/Portada.asp?Idioma=en
And, whatever happens, be sure that you have the Sopa de pescado donostiarra (the local fish soup); the stuff that dreams are made of.
By the way, here is a calender of all cultural/sports activities in 2009: http://www.donostia.org/CAT/AgendaAnual.nsf/23F5B7B3A1885D5FC125754C002BE7D6/$File/Anual%20Agenda%20Ing-fra.pdf
In the barrio's "main street", Calle Matia, there are some great places that serves a three-course lunch with drinks included for abot 10-12€. Don't recall the names of the restaurants, but you would know by the clientele when you are in a good place. Food can be fantastic also in these more modest and local places, and it would be a different experience than the more touristy Old town.
In Calle Matia you can also enjoy a vasco-japonese fusion restaurant that I have been highly recommended. It was closed when we tried to go there in the end of last August, but it looks promising:
http://www.txubillo.com/Portada.asp?Idioma=en
And, whatever happens, be sure that you have the Sopa de pescado donostiarra (the local fish soup); the stuff that dreams are made of.
By the way, here is a calender of all cultural/sports activities in 2009: http://www.donostia.org/CAT/AgendaAnual.nsf/23F5B7B3A1885D5FC125754C002BE7D6/$File/Anual%20Agenda%20Ing-fra.pdf
Jun 20th, 2009, 07:02 AM
#14
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kimhe, thank you, I've copied all of that into my folder. It seems we'll be arriving in SS late Friday afternoon and leaving Tues. am. It looks like Kokotxa is closed for lunch Sat. Sun. & Mon. Should we go for dinner? Do you know if Elkano and Kaia will be closed as well during those days?
Jun 20th, 2009, 08:07 AM
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Sorry, Egbert, that you will miss out on the Kokotxa lunch. You could go to dinner there,
or...
go to dinner at Agorregi, which comes *very* highly recommended to me by a friend that does deluxe food and wine tours of the Basque Country for a living (she's quite well known).
She takes her clients here (as well as to all of the multiple Michelin starred places) because of its extremely good value along with its consistently fine cuisine. It doesn't get tourists due to its off the beaten path location.
www.agorregi.com/
In Getaria
Elkano is usually closed on Sun. night and Mon. but NOT in July-Aug. when it remains open.
www.restauranteelkano.com
Kai Kaipe closes on Mon. night ONLY in winter.
or...
go to dinner at Agorregi, which comes *very* highly recommended to me by a friend that does deluxe food and wine tours of the Basque Country for a living (she's quite well known).
She takes her clients here (as well as to all of the multiple Michelin starred places) because of its extremely good value along with its consistently fine cuisine. It doesn't get tourists due to its off the beaten path location.
www.agorregi.com/
In Getaria
Elkano is usually closed on Sun. night and Mon. but NOT in July-Aug. when it remains open.
www.restauranteelkano.com
Kai Kaipe closes on Mon. night ONLY in winter.
