By admin My first visit to San Sebastián was a relatively last minute decision. My brother and I had planned to meet up for a long weekend in Nice in late July 2016. Then came the Bastille Day terrorist attack. It didn’t seem like an appropriate time for us to be whooping it up in a grieving city, so we pivoted and ended up in San Sebastián. At the time, my travel history was rather limited, but I loved San Sebastián. Not only was it beautiful, but its unique food culture felt incredibly special and fun. When I planned my Spain itinerary in 2019, I knew I needed to go back to Basque Country.
How to Get to San Sebastián and Where to Stay
San Sebastián is not the easiest place to get to, but it’s not the hardest either. There are no international flights to EAS, so nearly everyone has to fly through Madrid. I ended up getting stuck in Madrid for 24 hours after my first trip to San Sebastián when my Iberia EAS>MAD flight was delayed, but don’t let that dissuade you. The upside was that I got to spend an extra day in Spain, and then I got a surprise upgrade to Delta One on my return flight home. Life could be worse.
For my second trip, I was fortunate that the only other city with a nonstop flight to EAS was Barcelona, albeit limited options. Once again, my Vueling flight was uneventful, and I was in San Sebastián by 6:30pm.
On both visits to the city, I opted to stay at the Hotel Maria Cristina, part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection. It was the nicest hotel in town, and the location was impossible to beat. While pricey if paying with cash, I was able to book with points for my second stay (60k Marriott points per night).
Night One: Pintxos, Pintxos, Pintxos
Before I get into the fun of eating (and drinking) in San Sebastián, let me bring up how beautiful it is. I remembered the beach, but I forgot how lush and green the Basque countryside was. I would love to return to the region and spend a week or longer driving around the area, eating all the amazing local food.
Once I got settled in my hotel room, I was ready to get out and start enjoying the pintxos that the city had to offer. As I mentioned in my first post on Barcelona, pintxos were originally named after the Spanish word “pincho,” which translates to “spike” in English (similarly, the verb “pinchar” toughly translates to “to pinch,” or “to puncture”). Pintxos essentially began as small bites held together with a toothpick, although the definition has now become a lot more liberal.
My friend Chris from Paris had come down to San Sebastián to indulge with me, so I headed to the first bar where he had already gotten started: Gandarias.
After Gandarias, we headed to Borda Berri, where the scene was on fire.
From there, the night was a blur. Chris had a couple friends who were coincidentally in town, so we ended up with them at Bar Nestor, where we also somehow met a couple of local Spanish guys. I’m not sure how it happened; it was just one of those nights.
Day Two: More Pintxos and Exploring San Sebastián
I’ll admit, day two started pretty late. In my defense, I was just adjusting to the Spanish lifestyle. Long, late meals, siestas, a life of leisure… it was all starting to come together for me.
We started with lunch at La Cuchara de San Telmo, which was of course packed. I ordered a seared tuna dish, more peppers, and some Txakoli.
Then it was time for a walk along the sea. If you go to San Sebastián, you absolutely must walk up, down and around the paths surrounding the city’s ancient fortress. The views are unbelievable, and there is even a bar where you can stop for libations if you work hard enough to find it.
Dinner at Mugaritz
Basque Country is famously known for its large number of Michelin star restaurants. Since my first visit to San Sebastián occurred last minute, we were too late to secure reservations at any of the fine dining establishments. This wasn’t a huge deal given the high quality of food and unique experience on offer at the various pintxos bars in town. However, this time I had the luxury of being able to plan ahead, and I wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunity to eat at one of the best restaurants in the world.
While the region offered many options, I chose the two Michelin star Mugaritz, rated #7 in the world at the time. Why Mugaritz over all the other interesting restaurants in Basque Country? Honestly, I can’t provide a decisive answer. It just seemed to be the most interesting to me.
And it was incredible. I knew that it was experimental, and reviewers had complained about its small wine pours, so I went in with tempered expectations, but that wasn’t necessary.
Final Musings on San Sebastián
While San Sebastián wasn’t the first destination that I revisited on my 2019 tour (Milan, Florence, Rome, Nice, Paris and Barcelona were all on the list of repeat cities so far), it held a special position in my eyes. I was viewing the city with a new perspective, and I appreciated it even more for what it was now that I had the luxury of having seen and experienced so much more in the world. Perhaps it’s because it was a smaller city that wasn’t yet overwhelmed with McDonald’s and Starbucks that made it feel unique to me, but I could sense the lasting presence of a distinctive culture.
I was sad to leave, but I hoped to return again, and again, and again.
