kimhe

San Sebastián is a very special place, the culinary capital of Spain, one of the most beautiful cities in the country, great landscapes and three of the finest city beaches on the continent. And April/May is a perfect time of year to go, spring is here and the many summer vistors are still some weeks away. http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...stian-tourism/

And kja likes San Sebastián quite much, at least if we should take her own words seriously. After her brief encounter with San Sebastián she wrote about "wonderful breakfast pintxos", "the spectacular El Peine de los Vientos", "stunning views", "wonderful meal", "absolutely delicious lunch", "the excellent Museo San Telmo", "interesting people" and "spectacular scenery".

Apart from all that, here are some suggestions for things to do in and around San Sebastián, five or seven days would fly.

- The famous pintxos crawl in the Parte vieja/Old town is a must: http://www.euskoguide.com/food-drink...ntxos-pinchos/
http://todopintxos.com/home/home.php

- Feel the air of history and sample fantastic food in Calle 31 de Agosto: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...e-streets.html

- Go to the Reyes Católicos area behind the cathedral for great music bars, no fuss restaurants, as Casa Valles, and grown up nightlife. https://www.sansebastianturismo.com/...tian/nightlife

- Many of both the most cutting edge and classical pintxos bars are in the residential Gros district, just across the city river Urumea: https://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/bar-t...aa30-12375/en/

- I love the very local atmosphere Antiguo district, Calle Mátia is great, and several fine and no fuss pintxos bars and restaurants here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Se...C3%A1n#Antiguo

- Museo de San Telmo dedicated to Basque society and culture: https://www.santelmomuseoa.eus/index.php?lang=en

- The Aiete Palace with the park and the dictatorship history, Franco's old summer resident and government seat: https://tourism.euskadi.eus/en/cultu...aa30-12375/en/

- Perhaps take a walk along the coast to tiny and beautiful Donibane with great seafront restaurants: https://www.spain-holiday.com/San-Se...resque-pasajes

- The Cristina Enea park is the largest in town: http://www.donostiasansebastian.com/cristina_enea.html

- Climb the three small hills, Igueldo, Urgull and Ulía. Fabulous views, perfect for a picnic and also cafés close to the top in Igueldo and Ulía: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/s.../448319/360741

- Perhaps a lunch in beautiful Tolosa, the old capital, just inland from San Sebastián, especially known for the excellent Saturday market: http://www.euskoguide.com/places-bas...olosa-tourism/

- In Tolosa you also get what is arguably the best steaks in the world (Casa Julián and Casa Nicolás are the most famous): https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryol.../#25fdd4056a21

- Get a table in Urola, my favourite restaurant in San Sebastián since the late 80's, voted best restaurant in the region in 2015 by the major local newspaper El Diario Vasco, ahead of all the Michelin star restaurants, and much more affordable: http://www.casaurolajatetxea.es/en/portada/

And finally, three fantastic restaurants that are outside the radar of most vistors:
Ibai: https://www.andyhayler.com/restaurant/ibai
Agorregi: http://agorregi.com/
Xarma: http://xarmajatetxea.com/

...and the nine Michelin star restaurants (recommend three star Akelarre for lunch (outstanding views) and three star Arzak for dinner): https://www.sansebastianturismo.com/...michelin-stars

... could go on and on ;-)

danon

SS is lovely ...but three SUNNY days was enough for us.
Northern Spain is called
"green " for a reason....it rains a lot!

IMDonehere

Between the food, the Belle Epoque architecture, the language, the beach, and the water way that runs from the Bay into town, San Sebastián/Donostia is a most charming and attractive town.

It is on our list of places in Spain to which to return.

thursdaysd

I'm with the nay-sayers on Donostia/SS. Admittedly the weather wasn't great when I was there, but the place was absolutely slammed with visitors, and it's not my kind of coastline. I like rocks and breakers, not sand, so I much preferred Biarritz. There is good food all over the Basque country - both France and Spain - you don't have to go to SS for it. Plus, while I love a leisurely, multi-course meal in quiet surroundings, I really don't care for eating standing up in noisy, packed, tapas bars. Nor do I travel mainly for the food.

kimhe never passes up an opportunity to write long posts pushing SS, so take the input with a grain of salt.

kimhe

<kimhe never passes up an opportunity to write long posts pushing SS>

I push quite many places in Spain based on having lived here and some fifty short and long stays the past thirty years, and when it comes to San Sebastián, I'm not exactly alone.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/a.../san-sebastian
https://aboutbasquecountry.eus/en/20...mic-societies/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/tr...tin-spain.html
https://www.afar.com/travel-guides/s...ebastian/guide

And here's a fine video intro to San Sebastián, European Capital of Culture 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRWCdjw1C8Q

PalenQ

kimhe never passes up an opportunity to write long posts pushing SS, so take the input with a grain of salt.>

each has their own subjective reasons for liking or not liking a place and kimhe's input, for reasonshe/she gives above, I take with many grains of salt - you can disagree but no reason to insult others who may think differently.

Several folks above including one who said SS was the highlight of their trip would agree that SS can be nice to many, including me who has been there four times, though for me a few days was enough always.

thursdaysd

@PQ - A statement of fact is not an insult. Besides, you seem to agree with me.

kimhe

PalenQ

Oh my god, this forum is meant to give advice to people based on experience of, insight into and enthusiasm for different places. Posting here is hopefully first and foremost an enjoyable respite for all the regular contributors that can give some solid input, ideas and inspirations to people thinking about going to Spain. It works bad as a quarreling ground.

And oh my god is meant as a deep sigh and not as an insult.

PalenQ

PQ - A statement of fact is not an insult. Besides, you seem to agree with me.>

kimhe never passes up an opportunity to write long posts pushing SS, so take the input with a grain of salt.>

I do NOT agree with the above statement at all. Folks post what they really feel, I feel, and that it disagrees with your take so what?

Maybe I wrote it wrong - when I said <I take it with many grains of salt> I meant I put a lot of value into what he/she says and not a little as it may have been interpretted, based on his/her vast experience with SS and Spain and many previous posts.

Just as I respect your takes on things because of your vast travel experience in Europe.

enough said just to clarify what I actually said or meant to say.

cheska15

PalenQ I am happy to take all advice whether it is positive or negative. I accept that everyone has their favourite places in the world ( mine is Rome) and that what is my favourite isn't yours.

I think it is great that you all take the time to respond. I do a list of the positive and the negative as I don't want to arrive in a place and say 'nobody mentioned the ....' and then I research and read a bit more and then decide.

I am now off to work to pay for the trip!!!!

Thanks

isabel

cheska - I agree with you that it's important to have both the positives and the negatives about a place. I always try to do that in my trip reports and have often gotten a good deal of 'negative' comments about my 'negative' impressions. The vast majority of what I write about all the places I've gone have been positive (I love Europe, pretty much all of it) but it seems the majority of the comments are about the few negative comments I've said. It's like people only want to read how great everyplace is. But I do think it's important to know of things that might not be so great.

I also think people are influenced by numerous factors - the weather being a big one.

And further - just because someone says a place was not their favorite doesn't mean they didn't like it - just that they liked other places MORE.

IMDonehere

Kimhe has never said a harsh thing about another poster and yes he does have his preferences, but there is one thing him-he is in in the top 1,2,3 on this board who knows Spain.

I am cannot stand the people who have made one trip, maybe two and make a career of those trips. The problem is a new poster does not know who are the ones with deep experience and those with one anal retentive trip report.

As someone who loves Spain and has been there many times, I rather see the knowledge backed by passion, then those who know a fraction of what he does.

thursdaysd

All you have to do to see who has only made one trip is to look at posters' profiles. Visiting places multiple times does not necessarily change one's opinion of them. I have been to Bangkok more times than I care to count and I still don't care for it. I revisited Madrid recently in the hope it would change my initial opinion, and it did not.

kimhe may or may not have made harsh statements, so many of his posts are so long I don't read all the way through, but he is certainly unwilling to accept that San Sebastian is not everyone's favorite place.

IMDonehere

I do not read every word of kimhe's postings either, but the time and effort he extends to this board is laudatory.

But I do not read 99% of trip reports either, as most read like an anal accountant's expense report.

Oddly enough my wife had not visited Madrid in many years and our trip last October changed her mind. Now a friend is moving to Madrid, and we will spend at least two weeks there next Spring on an unexpected trip. We look forward to it and we do not even know which neighborhood she will choose.

I post less and less here, not because of the bickering but because of the "Mommy, monny, look at me," attitude of many of the posters. And I refuse to engage in such competition.

IMDonehere

BTW, how would someone know by going to my profile how many times I have visited Spain, how much time I have spent there, and whether I possess special knowledge of any region, cuisine, or activity?

And why should the burden be on a new poster to sift through the debris of others?

danon

"As someone who loves Spain and has been there many times, I rather see the knowledge backed by passion, then those who know a fraction of what he does."

Me too.
I don't agree with his enthusiasm for certain restaurants in Madrid
which is o.k.
Liking or not liking a place might depended on the number of times one visits .
Or not.

Last year- after nine visits - I walked to Manzanares ( yes, Madrid has a river)..and crossed Puente de Toledo.
Beautiful. Who knew.

kja

Wow -- this thread took some unexpected turns!

@ cheska: I appreciate your willingness to consider all the input you get, weigh it in light of what matters to you, and make your own decisions. I’m sure your trip will be wonderful and memorable!


Like isabel, I appreciate hearing input from ALL sides before making a decision. And as she notes (and as kimhe references, by quoting my words), saying that a place was not a favorite is quite different than saying it wasn’t enjoyed.

I respect kimhe for his passion and his expertise and willingness to share both with Fodorites, and I think we are incredibly fortunate to have his voice – even if I sometimes disagree with him. ;-) Thank you, kimhe! But I must take issue with IMDonehere – while kimhe is normally very noncritical in his responses and while I would like to think that he and I resolved our argument, it is not correct to say that he has never said a harsh thing about another poster.

Personally, I appreciate hearing from ANY Fodorite who chooses to comment on a proposed itinerary or on questions about places, whether expert or novice. People DO have different reactions to places, and thank goodness for that! Wouldn’t it be awful if we all had the same opinions? Or only heard from people who liked a place well enough to return time and time and time again? In fact, I believe that IMDoneHere has travelled extensively in Spain, and would welcome hearing more of his experience, even if he isn’t an expert.

I am not an expert on San Sebastian / Donostia or anywhere else, nor do I claim to be – but I believe that my opinion is valid, and I would also say that IMO, every other poster here, whether they have visited a place once or 500 times, has the right to express his/her opinion. As thursdaysd said, number of visits is irrelevant to OPINION. Maybe I would change my opinion about San Sebastian (or any other place) if I revisit it – but why would I do that given my initial reaction? I believe that OPs are able to make their own decisions, and are better positioned to do so if they receive honest input from all of us who choose to respond.


@ cheska: I sincerely hope that you find some value in these discussiions!

cheska15

I'm am rely enjoying everybody's responses. When we first started travelling in 2009 after children and mortgage etc we went to a so called expert travel agent and was horrified at the advice we received. The inteiary was so awful with a day in each place and 'you must do this or that' and we came away saying 'did he listen to what we were asking for' and have avoided so called travel experts since. I didn't know about travel forums then.

I believe that if you ask for opinions on a travel forum you will get a variety of answers from normal people who travel. That's what we want. People may travel differently and that doesn't make it right or wrong. Just different. Most importantly I find that these normal people will tell of their experience with good intentions. I am relatively new to this whole forum thing and as I love to read about others experiences for future reference I am getting a lot of value from the discussion.

kja

@ cheska15: What a great attitude! My guess is that ALL of your travels will be better because of your open and accepting approach. I can only thank that original travel agent for prompting you to plan you travels independently. ;-)

mikelg

San Sebastián 7 nights with a day trip to Bilbao

Bilbao deserves at least two nights, and I do believe that 7 nights in SS is too much. This is a rainy area and if weather is not that good, you may find with little to do in this beautiful city but with not many activities...In the middle between both cities, Getaria, Zumaia, Bermeo, Mundaka, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Plentzia...all a must with so much time to travel around the area. Near Bilbao, the Puente Colgante, funicular for the best views, Getxo, the best Rolls Royce museum in the world in a castle, also the castle of Butrón...

Pamplona 4 nights ( no bullfighting). Also, too much time, unless you go on the countryside and visit the Pyrenees area or go south and visit Olite and Javier. Pamplona has one or two days, maximum.

Leon 6 nights ( day trip to Oviedo) Same as with Pamplona. You have Santander on the way (prehistoric caves nearby, and I´m not referring to the replica of Altamira), Llanes, PIcos de Europa area with Potes as the main town there...

Salamanca 6 nights, maybe also too much time. With a car, you may visit Cáceres, Plasencia, La Alberca, Guadalupe...

Hope it helps!!