Tourists who can’t choose between spending their holidays tasting unforgettable meals, relaxing on a beautiful beach or visiting a vibrant and artistic city should look no further than San Sebastian.
This city in Spain‘s Basque Autonomous Community has it all, from historical streets with centuries-old buildings to three urban beaches just a walk away from the centre.
The proximity to the urban action, however, does not detract from the beauty of these beaches – with one of them being voted Spain’s best beach by retreat booking platform BookRetreats.
The organisation carried out an analysis of users’ reviews, safety rankings from the Global Peace Index and water quality information from the European Environment Agency about beaches across 16 European countries.
As a result of this study, La Concha was ranked in the top spot when it comes to Spanish beaches.
San Sebastian also exudes culture, with events including music and cinema festivals taking place regularly throughout the year.
Basque culture is fully displayed during Basque Week, celebrated every year at the beginning of September. During this week, tourists can admire traditional improvising poets and witness stone-lifting contests, as well as take part in a cider-tasting festival.
To take a further dive into Basque culture, holidaymakers should head to the San Telmo Museum, which includes the Museum of Basque Society and Citizenship.
But one aspect that makes San Sebastian unique in Europe is its passion for gastronomy.
In San Sebastian, good restaurants aren’t difficult to find, as it has the second-highest number of Michelin stars per capita in the world after Kyoto.
San Sebastian has 18 Michelin-starred venues to date, and among Spain’s nine restaurants with three Michelin stars, three are in this city and its surrounding area.
But it’s not necessary to go to one of these restaurants to eat extraordinary food in San Sebastian, as it is also home to beautiful bars offering some of the region’s best small plates – or pintxos, as they are known locally.
San Sebastian distances only a few miles from the French border. UK holidaymakers can reach the city from France or touch down at Bilbao airport and drive for around an hour.
While San Sebastian has its own airport, there are currently no direct flights on offer departing from Britain.
Unlike areas in southern Spain, San Sebastian enjoys more milder temperatures and gets around 200 days of rain – with most falling in April and November.
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