2 Days in San Sebastián: A First-Timer’s Itinerary

Two days is enough for San Sebastián if you plan it right, and my San Sebastián itinerary is the order I did it in: pintxos from ten in the morning, sightseeing while the bars are shut in the afternoon, then a second round of bars from seven. The order matters because the bars shut for a portion of the day and can catch you out.

I cover both of the best viewpoints in the city, the full length of the promenade, the Old Town and 17 pintxo bars named in the order I’d walk them, all of it on foot and all of it pinned on a map you can download to your phone.

I like to be busy when I travel, so I’ve marked the places to slow down if that’s more than you fancy. Follow it start to finish and there’s nothing left for you to work out.

Disclaimer: This article may feature affiliate links. If you click these links, and choose to book with that hotel or company, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I appreciate the support that allows me to continue providing this information.

The two days at a glance

Day 1: pintxos in Gros from 10:00, the Old Town bars until three, Monte Urgull in the afternoon, then a crawl through the Parte Vieja from seven.

Day 2: the home of the gilda, an optional cider house lunch out in Astigarraga, the La Concha promenade and the funicular up Monte Igueldo, then a second crawl in different bars.

If you’re trying to work out whether two days is enough, it definitely is. My recommendation if you have flexibility is to book three nights, it means you can go at a slower pace and enjoy the beach.

Downloadable map of this two-day route

Every bar, viewpoint and stop below, pinned in walking order. Download it to your phone before you fly.

How the days work in San Sebastián

Four names are worth knowing to get your bearings before you go. Monte Urgull is the green hill behind the Old Town at the eastern end, Monte Igueldo is the bigger hill at the western end, and La Concha is the beach that curves between the two of them. You’ll also see the Old Town called the Parte Vieja, which is what everyone here calls it.

Most of the best eating here is pintxos, which are small plates and bites on bread that you have standing at a bar with a drink. You have one or two, you pay, and you walk to the next place.

So you graze from mid-morning until about three, then everything closes, and it all starts again at seven and goes on late. Eat from 10:00, stop around 15:00, do something outdoors in the gap, then eat again from seven. What first-timers sometimes do is have breakfast at eight, sightsee all morning and turn up hungry as the kitchens are closing. My recommendation is to have nothing booked before ten and treat your first stop as breakfast.

My Top Tip! Don’t book a hotel with breakfast included. We deliberately left it off and I’d do the same again. Most hotels here charge for it separately and you will have plenty of great food over the weekend, you won’t need a breakfast buffet.

Getting in from Bilbao airport

Lots of travellers land at Bilbao rather than San Sebastián because it has far more flight options. The challenge is it’s about 100km away, so getting the transfer right can save a lot of money. There’s a direct bus from the airport, which is the best option.

We didn’t get it. Our flight landed late, the last bus had already gone, and we ended up in an Uber for about €190 (£160).

My Top Tip! Don’t plan your bus against the landing time on your booking. By the time you’ve taxied, got through the airport and collected your bags, you can easily be 45 minutes behind.

The city is also called Donostia, which is its Basque name, and you’ll often see it written as Donostia-San Sebastián. Departure boards and journey planners frequently use the Basque name on its own. Its own airport, code EAS, isn’t in the city either. It’s out at Hondarribia on the French border, about half an hour away.

Day 1: Gros, the Old Town and Monte Urgull

Day 1 at a glance

• 10:00, first pintxos in Gros before the Old Town wakes up
• Cross the river and work through the Old Town until the shutters come down
• Monte Urgull in the afternoon, up to the castle and the free viewpoint
• A drink in Plaza de la Constitución, then the beach
• A proper crawl from 19:00

Morning

Start in Gros rather than the Old Town. We were at Bodega Donostiarra just before 10:00 on our first morning, and it opens earlier than most places in the centre. Order the completo, which is a sandwich of tuna, anchovies and pickled chilli. It doesn’t sound like much, but it’s one of two or three things from the whole trip I’d tell anyone to eat. The tortilla is another good order, either classic or with cod. The kitchen here keeps going through the afternoon as well, which is worth remembering for later in the trip if you’re hungry and everywhere else has shut.

Then walk back over the bridge into the Old Town, about ten minutes.

The rule from here on is one drink and one or two pintxos at each bar, pay and move on. The bars in the Parte Vieja sit a minute or two apart, so a long morning covers four or five of them without much walking at all.

You’ll pass two churches as you go. I wouldn’t make a special trip for either, but five minutes and some photos as you pass is great if you’re interested. The Basilica de Santa María del Coro is at the top of the main street and the Iglesia de San Vicente is a couple of streets over.

Paco Bueno first. Order the gambas gabardina, deep-fried prawns in batter, and eat them standing at the bar. It’s a plain, no-fuss room and we were in and out in ten minutes every time, and I went three times in one weekend.

Ganbara next, and this will likely have a queue, it took us around twenty minutes at peak lunch. Order the surtido de setas, seared wild mushrooms with an egg yolk on top, and take a spot outside rather than holding out for room at the bar, which is what got us in faster.

A couple of minutes on to La Cuchara de San Telmo, where the order is the suckling pig. We queued for under twenty minutes on both visits, which for a bar with that reputation genuinely surprised me. They were only doing the larger portions when we went, so either arrive hungry or split it between you.

Last before the shutters, Casa Urola, for the Urola, a spoonful of lobster with garlic mayonnaise, vinaigrette and trout eggs. There was no queue at all when we went. Ask what’s good before you order, because the menu moves with the season and two of the five things we’d been told to get weren’t available, but they recommended some lovely specials.

Then dessert, because you’re two minutes from it. La Viña for the Basque cheesecake. Ask for the cheesecake to take away and you’ll get served faster, they box it up and hand you cutlery, and you eat it sitting on a wall two minutes later. Optional: La Cepa de Bernardo is right next door for jamón. If you’re hungry for more savoury, send one of you into the cheesecake queue and the other in for the ham, then meet in the middle.

My Top Tip! Decide what you’re doing with your afternoon while you’re still in the last bar. The bars all close within about twenty minutes of each other, so if you’re still debating it when it happens you’ll lose a chunk of the afternoon standing in the street looking at your phone.

Afternoon

Monte Urgull is free, it’s outdoors, and it’s a two-minute walk from where you’ve just finished eating.

Go up from behind the Basilica or from the Paseo Nuevo, the promenade that wraps round the base of the hill, and allow an hour and a half to two hours for the whole thing. It’s a light workout rather than a proper hike and you don’t need any special gear. We welcomed the walk after our morning of eating!

At the top you’ve got the Castillo de la Mota to walk around, the Christ statue, and a small free museum inside the House of History with a viewpoint. That viewpoint catches people out because it looks like a ticket office you’re supposed to pay at, and it isn’t. It’s free, go to the counter and they give you a slot rather than walking straight in, ask for yours the moment you reach the summit and look round the fortress while you wait. We stood about for ten minutes wondering before we worked that out.

Come down a different way to the way you went up. We took two or three different routes across the hill and dropped down the far side overlooking Zurriola beach, and I’d recommend you do the same.

If the climb doesn’t appeal, walk the Old Town instead. It’s a completely different place in the afternoon lull, bars shut and streets half empty, and most visitors only ever see it after seven when it’s heaving with hungry people.

Evening

Come down off the hill and head for Plaza de la Constitución for a drink first. We stopped for exactly that plus some people watching, and after a morning on our feet it was a good hour of doing very little. Look up while you’re sitting there, because the numbers painted above the balcony windows are seat numbers, from when the square was used as a bullring.

I wouldn’t eat here though. There are far too many better options within two minutes’ walk.

Then walk the beach before the bars reopen. We ended up doing that walk every single evening of the trip. It’s busy during the day in peak season, but lovely for sunset or post dinner strolls.

For pintxo round two four bars is a comfortable crawl on top of everything you’ve already eaten.

Go to Bar Sport first and be ready for it, because there’s no orderly queue, you push to the front and wave. Order the urchin soup, and the mini burgers made with txuleta, the big bone-in Basque ribeye, if you’ve got room. We waited about 25 minutes here on a Friday in the middle of the evening, so it’s worth being prepared for that.

Bar Goiz-Argi is on the same street and there was never a queue while we were there. Order the Mari Juli, smoked salmon with preserved anchovy and green pepper. Friends who live in the city sent us here, and it’s the bar I most happily send people to now.

Head back towards the square for Tamboril and the escabeche de atún, tuna with oil, vinegar and pepper. I’d put that tuna near the top of everything I ate all weekend. Service is brisk rather than friendly, and if there’s no room inside you take your plate out into the square like everyone else does.

Then slow the night down at Atari Gastrolekua. There’s proper seating and a better drinks list than most, order the brocheta de langostinos, langoustines on a skewer. If there’s no room, the basilica steps opposite are where everyone ends up.

If you’ve got room for a nightcap, Akerbeltz is worth knowing about. It sits above the port on the western edge of the Old Town with a terrace over the bay, and inside it’s low and dark in a way I liked far more than I expected to. It’s also a great option at sunset if you head there earlier.

Every bars I ate at, what to order in each, how long I queued and what it cost, are in my guide to pintxos in San Sebastián.

Day 2: A cider house lunch, La Concha and Monte Igueldo

Day 2 at a glance

• Morning pintxos near the centre, starting at the birthplace of the gilda
• Optional, and worth it: a taxi out to Astigarraga for a 13:30 cider house sitting
• The promenade and Miramar gardens from mid-afternoon
• The funicular up Monte Igueldo
• A break at the hotel, then a second crawl in different bars

Morning

Stay near the centre this time rather than crossing the river. We were at Casa Vallés first thing on our second morning and the place was full of locals, which is a good sign anywhere.

Order the gilda, which is an olive, an anchovy and a pickled guindilla pepper on a stick. This is where it was born, or at least named, and yes, ordering one here is a tourist move, but I’d do it anyway. Add the tomato salad or the ensaladilla rusa, a Spanish potato salad, if you’re staying for more than one.

Then walk on to Bar Antonio, unless it’s a Sunday, when it’s shut and you should go straight on to something else. It was the single bar that everyone told us to go to, friends and locals alike, and they were all right. Order the ventresca con anchoa, tuna belly with anchovies, tomato and pickled peppers, then the crispy fried oxtail pasta. Outside peak hours it’s a five-minute wait at most. Make sure you’ve got the right one though, because it’s this Antonio and not the sister place, Antonio Boulevard.

Keep this session short, because there’s a very large lunch coming and you don’t want to arrive full.

Afternoon

OPTIONAL: The cider house

We had a 13:30 sitting at Alorrenea, a working cider house out in Astigarraga about six kilometres into the hills, and apart from the bars themselves nothing else we did on the trip came close. It’s the one thing in this itinerary you need to book before you fly, and it’s also the one part I’d call optional.

We like to cram a lot into our days, so if you’d rather move more slowly or you want some proper downtime, this is the thing to save for another trip. We loved it, but it’s a cab ride and takes the middle of the day.

This is the slot we picked because it suited our friends who live there. The lunch sitting worked perfectly for us to get back at a good time to enjoy more of the city.

Get a taxi both ways, it’s about fifteen minutes door to door. We couldn’t get an Uber going out and our hotel booked us a taxi instead, and coming back the staff at Alorrenea rang one for us. They do it constantly, so they’re far better at it than you’ll be. What happens at one of these, what it costs and which of the three houses I’d pick is all in my guide to Basque cider houses near San Sebastián.

Afternoon back in town

Back into town, and the promenade. We were back just after four and went straight into the walk along La Concha. It takes about 40 minutes end to end at a normal pace, though with stops it filled an hour for us. The white railings alone are worth a look, and you’ll see them printed on keychains and sweets all over the city.

Miramar Palace gardens are right on the route, on the headland dividing La Concha from Ondarreta, so it’s a tiny climb off the promenade and no detour at all. The building’s closed to the public but the gardens are open and free, and I was very impressed with them.

Carry on past the headland onto Ondarreta, the smaller and usually quieter beach than La Concha. The Peine del Viento sculptures sit at the far end, three steel pieces bolted into the rocks where the waves come in.

Monte Igueldo funicular, a small railway that hauls carriages up a steep slope on a cable, and this one has been going since 1912 with the original wooden carriages still in use, so it takes a couple of minutes to reach the top. We paid €4.00 (£3.40) for a one-way ticket and walked back down. The return is €5.50 (£4.70) if you’d rather ride both ways.

The view from the top is the best we found anywhere in San Sebastián. There’s a small amusement park up there too, with basic rides you pay for individually on top of your fare. It was fun enough but nothing special. It would be good for anyone travelling with kids.

The log-style boat ride everyone queues for wasn’t worth the wait for me, though my other half enjoyed it for the view and the photos, so it does split opinion. If you’re coming outside summer, the rides only open at weekends and on holidays, and the whole hill has shut for winter works in recent years, so check your date on the official site before you go.

Evening

We went back to shower, have a 10 minute power nap and change before heading out again. We’d arrived at 1am two nights before and we’d walked a lot across the two days since. We were hot from coming down off Igueldo, and we knew Saturday night would be a late one with our friends, so wanted a proper recharge.

The pintxo spots of choice are up to you, visit some of your favourites or mix it up, we chose to try some new ones.

Start over at La Espiga, outside the Old Town, which is big enough that you’re not fighting for space. This is where our friends introduced us to a group of their Basque friends, and we picked up half a dozen more recommendations just from talking to the people standing next to us. Order la delicia, anchovies with egg, onion, parsley and mayonnaise. Add the fresh grilled guindillas if they’re in season, though be careful, because every so often you get a spicy one.

Cross into the Old Town for Txepetxa and order the anchovies with jardinera, a finely chopped vegetable topping. These are nothing like the salty strips you get on a pizza, so if you’ve written anchovies off, I strongly recommend you give them a try here.

Bar Haizea after that, for the langoustine and the pickled peppers with anchovies. It was full of locals both times we went and we were served straight away, and there’s enough space inside and out to prop yourself up somewhere rather than fighting for the bar.

If you didn’t try it on day one, finish at La Cepa de Bernardo with a jamón sharing plate. There are legs of ham hanging above the counter and someone carving to order.

Your last morning, if you’ve got one

We flew out of San Sebastián on the Sunday, late afternoon, so we had some more time to enjoy ourselves.

We did several more pintxo stops, then had a walk around Zurriola before heading for the airport. Zurriola is the surf beach over the river in Gros, rougher water and a younger crowd than the other two, and it’s a good last look at the city that doesn’t involve queuing for anything.

My Top Tip! One of the spots we did on Sunday was re-visiting Bar Sport. Going at opening got us served in under three minutes, in the spot that had taken 25 minutes on the Friday night.

How to handle closing times in San Sebastián

This was one of the most challenging things I found in the city. Closing times seemed to be very fluid and the sources I used before flying got at least one thing wrong (Google, the official pintxos app).

We loved Txepetxa enough to go back for more the next day. Shut. Google said open, the pintxos app said open. Bar Antonio is closed on Sundays and we found that out by turning up. Borda Berri was pencilled in and closed as well.

None of it cost us more than a two-minute walk, because we always had somewhere else on the list. This is my strong recommendation to avoid disappointment and having to replan:

• Build a longer list than you need for every pintxos crawl, so a closed door just means walking to the next one.
• Map them before you fly. Everything in the Old Town sits a minute or two apart, so switching costs you almost nothing if you can see the alternatives. Steal my mapped favourites above.
• Check by walking past rather than looking online. The bars are so close together that you’re passing them constantly anyway, and it’s the only method that never failed me.

What to skip if you want a slower pace

Two days at this pace won’t suit everybody, so here’s what I’d drop and the order I’d drop it in.

• The amusement park on Igueldo. You’re up there for the view rather than the rides, so cutting it saves you an hour and you lose very little.
• The cider house. We loved it, but losing it makes Day 2 a lot more comfortable.
• One of the two hills. Keep Igueldo, drop Urgull, and give that afternoon to the Old Town and the beach instead.
• Miramar gardens and Plaza de la Constitución. Both are lovely and both are short, and both are easy enough to just walk past.

What to do if it rains?

If it rains, both afternoons are a problem. On Day 1, walk the Old Town instead of Urgull, where you’re never more than thirty seconds from a doorway, or go to the San Telmo Museum if it’s really coming down. On Day 2, keep the cider house, because you’re indoors for three hours anyway and it’s the best wet-weather afternoon in the region, and drop the promenade and Igueldo instead, because there’s no view to go up for.

I’ve written a detailed guide of the best things to do in San Sebastián which gives a full list to choose from.

The best indoor swap options, none of which I needed because I got lucky with the weather:

• San Telmo Museum, Basque history and society in a former 16th-century Dominican convent at the foot of Urgull. €10 (£8.50), free every Tuesday, closed Mondays. Official site.
• San Sebastián Aquarium, down by the harbour, which doubles as a maritime museum on the city’s fishing history. €16 (£13.60) for adults, with a cheaper rate for children aged 4 to 12. Official site
• Tabakalera, an old tobacco factory in Egia turned into a culture centre with a free rooftop terrace. The exhibition spaces close between 13:00 and 16:00, so check before you build an afternoon on it.

Or do what everyone here does and make lunch last. Plenty of the best bars are indoors and standing only, and nobody minds if you arrive at one and are still there at four.

Where to stay in San Sebastián for two days

Three areas are worth booking: Centro, the Old Town and Gros. All three sit within about ten minutes of each other, so what you’re really choosing between is atmosphere and how loud your street gets at 2am.

Pick the Old Town if you want to fall out of bed into the bars and you don’t mind the noise. Choose Gros if you want the same money to go a bit further. Pick Centro if you want proper hotels and a quiet street. That’s what we wanted, it’s where I stayed, and it’s where I’d send most first-timers.

• Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes, Centro. A 1914 cinema converted with the original dome kept and the rooms built around the curved walls. About €245 (£210) a night, twelve minutes from the Old Town. This is where we stayed and I’d book it again without hesitating.
• Hotel SANSEbay, Old Town. Around €180 (£155) a night, three minutes from Plaza de la Constitución, so you walk out of the door and you’re in it.
• Pensión Kursaal, Gros. More budget friendly, around €145 (£125) a night, five minutes from the Old Town over the bridge.

Watch out for booking on how close a place looks to La Concha on a map, because the beach is nearly a mile and a half long and the far end is a proper walk from everywhere you’ll be eating. Check how many minutes it takes to walk to the Old Town and judge it on that instead.

If you want a more detailed breakdown of the areas and some of the best hotels read my full guide to where to stay in San Sebastián.

What these two days in San Sebastián cost

Day 1 is the cheaper one. Urgull is free, so is the viewpoint at the top, and so is everything from the square down to the beach, so your whole spend is the eating: roughly €30 to €45 per person for the evening crawl, and about the same again across the long morning session.

Day 2 is a little more expensive, depending what you choose. The cider house was about €45 (£38) each including the cider, plus around €12 (£10) each way for the taxi out to Astigarraga, then the funicular and your second evening on top of that. Cut the cider house and Day 2 costs not much more than Day 1.

Put together, I’d budget somewhere around €150 to €200 per person for the two days before your hotel, though it’s only a steer, because it depends on how much you eat and how fancy you order. A counter pintxo is a couple of euros, whereas a sharing plate off the board can cost as much as a whole bar’s worth of everything else. They’re often the best things in the building and I’d still order them, but look at the price when you order to avoid surprises.

Your hotel will cost more than all of that put together. Outside summer, budget roughly €160 to €190 (£135 to £160) a night for a mid-range double, and closer to €300 to €360 (£255 to £305) in July and August. A per-person nightly tourist tax is also expected across the Basque Country from 2027, so check where that’s got to when you book.

Would I spend it the same way again? Yes, almost exactly.

Is two days in San Sebastián enough?

Yes, and the plan above is what we did with ours. I’d still book three nights if you can, so the two days aren’t rushed and a late flight like ours doesn’t cost you your first night.

One day: do Day 1 and stop there. That’s a genuinely good day and you won’t feel short-changed.

Three days: the cider house moves into day three and gets an afternoon of its own. Failing that, day three is when I’d go out to Santa Clara Island, the small island in the middle of the bay with a lighthouse and a couple of walking trails, where boats go from the fishing port in the summer months only. Or Cristina Enea park over in Egia, said to be the best park in the city and quiet because most visitors skip it. I didn’t manage either, and I’d rather tell you that than pretend.

Four days: I wouldn’t add more sights, I’d add downtime, like a day at the beach.

If you’d rather have the full menu of options than a plan, with every sight ranked and the times and costs alongside, that’s what my guide to things to do in San Sebastián is for. I’d get on a plane back next week and do the same two days again. The one thing I’d fix is my arrival.

FAQ about San Sebastián

How do you order pintxos in San Sebastián?

Order a drink and one or two pintxos, and you pay at that bar before you move on to the next one. Most people eat standing at the bar. The counter display isn’t the full menu, so ask what’s good before you order, because the best things are often cooked to order rather than sitting out.

What time do the pintxo bars open in San Sebastián?

Bars open around 10:00 and shut at about three, then reopen at seven and go late. That afternoon gap is the single thing that decides how you plan a day here, so put your sightseeing in it rather than trying to eat through it.

Where should you stay in San Sebastián for a short trip?

Centro, for most first-timers. It has the widest choice of proper hotels and quiet streets, and it’s about ten minutes from both the Old Town and Gros. Pick the Old Town if you want to walk out of the door into the bars and don’t mind the noise at 2am.

Do you need a car in San Sebastián?

No. Everything in this itinerary is walkable, roughly 8km on Day 1 and 10 to 12km on Day 2, and the two exceptions, the funicular and the cider house, are handled by a ticket and a taxi. Most of the Old Town is pedestrianised anyway, so you’d mostly be paying to park it.

Can you visit San Sebastián as a day trip from Bilbao?

You can, and I wouldn’t. The bus takes just under an hour and a half each way, and you’d be commuting during exactly the hours the pintxo bars are at their best.

What does two days in San Sebastián cost?

As a steer, €150 to €200 per person before your hotel, depending on how much you eat and how fancy you order. The full breakdown is in the costs section above.