Donostia | San Sebastian
STAY Pension Iturriza in the old town or beachfront at Hotel Londres
EAT Pintxos at Bar Valles, Ganbarra, Gandarias, A Fuego Negro, and Borda Berri. Don't miss the cheesecake at La Viña
OUT Museo del Whisky
JULIO
Donostia (aka San Sebastian) is truly one of the crown jewels of the Basque region, which proudly has its own unique culture, cuisine and language. The city is physically beautiful and has been given the distinguished honor of being named Europe's cultural capital for 2016. Rightfully so! It delights around every corner and one simply cannot say enough about the FOOD!
Donostia boasts more stars and Michelin Guide recommendations than any country in Europe. World famous are the Pintxos (which are similar to Tapas) but usually have a toothpick and consist of a delicious and creative appetizer. Basque bars are chock full of these amazing treats and you simply indicate which one you would like or add it to your plate and a bartender or host keeps track. Sometimes, you can just eat to your heart's delight and the toothpicks are counted to add up your tab.
The drink of choice is Txakoli, a bittersweet sparkling white wine of the region which is refreshing and delightful. Most seem to be enjoying beer in small portions which paired with one pintxo would amount to about $5 USD. Many an evening is spent going from bar to bar and sampling the special pintxos of the house along with a wine or beer.
The Basque country has a long history of fighting for its independence and separating from Spain as its own autonomous region. You can feel and see this in the graffiti everywhere in support of ETA. There was a long history of terrorism and struggle to achieve independence and an eventual ceasefire that came in 2013. The language of the Basques Euskara sounds very unique and very vaguely resembles Spanish. The new culinary culture seems to be a unique fusion of French and Spanish. The actual Basque culture is unique to itself and boasts one of the oldest and richest history in Europe. It was fascinating.
christina
An idyllic place that we could easily settle into, Donostia is obviously the diamond of the Basque country and rightfully so. The food is absolutely delicious and the attention to detail and freshness is without a doubt world-class – and I’m not even a foodie. All of the pieces of this enchanting place fit together like a storybook – the mountains in the distance, the stone grid of the old town lined with pinxto bars, the new town that is bustling with locals, the beautiful La Concha Bay that is too perfect to be true and for me the amazing hiking just walkable outside of the city.
We did a day hike on the Camino de Santiago right outside of the town and it was as stunning as Big Sur – giant cliffs and pristine fields, lighthouses and small crossings by boat all alongside the majestic oceanfront – simply indescribable and stunning. It made us really consider hiking the whole Camino and hopefully one day we will.
