If you’re considering a trip to San Sebastián in Spain’s Basque Country and wondering how many days to book, I’m here to help you figure it out. 

San Sebastián is a gorgeous city with a great deal to offer its visitors. Whether you’re planning on focusing your trip around the incredible pinxtos scene, culture & visiting museums, adventures & taking phenomenal day trips, or a little of everything, you’re going to have a great time.

This article is split into sections to outline what you might be able to manage with set amounts of time: 1 day | 2 – 4 days (a long weekend) | 1 week.

If I were pushed, I’d say that 4 days would be my ideal amount of time in San Sebastian but however long you have, you can make the most of it. Whether you have 1 day to explore, or a week in the city, you’ll easily find plenty to do.

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If you only have 1 day in San Sebastian (maybe you’re just planning on passing through on your way to somewhere else in Spain and need somewhere to stop for a night), I recommend beginning with a walking tour of the city. I have recently begun to fall in love with tours as I see now that they can offer so much information in a short time as well as ensuring you see the main attractions. 

→ Find a free walking tour here

→ Book a pintxos and wine tour here (various times of day available)

If you aren’t into tours then you can easily explore the narrow streets of the of the city centre on your own. San Sebastian’s casco viejo is a perfect place to wander around: dip in and out of the small shops, gaze up at the churches, stop in a pinxto bar for a coffee (or beer) and pintxo or two (pintxos, by the way, are the Basque version of tapas in the rest of Spain).

Beach time

There are 3 beaches in San Sebastian and even with just one day in the city you’re going to want to check out at least one of them, most likely La Concha beach, because it’s the biggest of the three and also the easiest to get to.

Best views of San Sebastian

One of the highlights of a visit to San Sebastian is looking down on the city and bay from above (see photo above). In order to find these incredible views over San Sebastian, I recommend either heading up Monte Igueldo or Monte Urgull. These flank La Concha Bay and the city of San Sebastian. While both are worth visiting, with just one day in the city, you’re unlikely to manage both.

Monte Igueldo – take the iconic funicular up the hill to the small amusement park and fabulous panoramic views over the bay (photo above).

Monte Urgull – take a walk up the hill through the forest for lovely (but lower) views over the city and bay.

And of course, if you can, try to squeeze another day into your itinerary because San Sebastian really is an awesome place to explore. 

2 – 4 days in San Sebastian

With a long weekend (or weekday break, of course) at your disposal you will be able to take things a little slower, relish the food scene and maybe even manage a day trip to the beautiful San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, one of the most fabulous places to visit in all of northern Spain. 

This is the ideal amount of time to spend in San Sebastian, in my opinion. I’ve written up 4 days worth of activities below, pick and choose to make your perfect itinerary for the amount of time you have in San Sebastian. 

Day 1 itinerary

Morning

Take a free walking tour around the charming old town

Hang out on the beach (in the summer months) or stroll along the promenade if it’s cooler weather – choose from Playa de la Concha, Zurriola beach or Playa Ondaretta 

Afternoon 

Visit the beautiful San Telmo Museum to learn about the history of the Basque region (or the aquarium if you have kids with you and you prefer that option)

Chill out on one of the many beautiful plazas with a coffee 

Evening

Eat dinner in one of the city’s numerous incredible restaurants (even book a place with michelin stars if you’re feeling so inclined).

Day 2 itinerary

Morning

Begin the day with a morning walk over to the Peine del Viento at the far end of Playa Ondaretta.
After you’ve admired the views here, take the iconic funicular railway up to the top of Monte Igualdo. If you have kids, enjoy the amusement park. If you don’t, I recommend focusing on the views before climbing the tower, Igeldoko Dorrea, for even better views over the city and the bay. 

Afternoon

Take a leisurely boat trip around the bay. The boat trips depart from the port and there are plenty of nice looking restaurants along here too where you can grab lunch first.

Evening

Take a pinxtos tour in San Sebastian – while it is perfectly possible to just wander into any pinxtos bar and order by pointing, if you don’t speak Spanish or know what’s what this could be overwhelming. The best way to deal with this is to simply book on a tour. This way you’ll be taken to some of the very best pintxos bars, someone will order for you and also ensure you try the most delicious pintxos.

(I speak Spanish and have zero fear of ordering the wrong thing and I was still grateful to have my hand held on my first pinxtos eating night in San Sebastian)

🍅 Vegetarian note – the tour linked to is adaptable to vegetarians. If you don’t want to take a tour, use my helpful guide to vegetarian food in Spain to help you navigate the basics of the meat heavy food scene.

Day 3 itinerary

Today’s the day to take the day trip of your choice. Perhaps you want to visit San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, made famous by Game of Thrones, explore the picturesque small villages near San Sebastian, head into the French Basque country, take a wine tour or check out the nearby cider houses. There are so many options for excellent day trips that I had to write an entire article dedicated to them.

I recommend renting a car or taking a tour if you’re planning on a day trip. It is possible to get around with public transportation but it’ll be slower than a tour or driving yourself.

🚗 Check out the rental car options

⭐️ Read more about the Mexico Cassie day trip recommendations

🔎 Search Get Your Guide for tour options

Day 4 itinerary

​Morning

Take a stroll around the local markets, or climb up Monte Urgull, to see the old fort and the gorgeous views over the city and its beaches. Definitely pick up a piece of Basque cheesecake while you explore.

Afternoon

Head down to one of the beautiful beaches, it would be a shame to spend time in San Sebastian and not make as much of the beach access as possible. Your choices are

🏖 La Concha beach – the biggest and main beach

🛝 Playa Onderatta – to the west, an easy walk along the main promenade and the beach becomes Onderatta. This is the most popular beach for families

🏄🏽 Playa Zuriola – this beach, in the Gros neighbourhood of San Sebastian is the ‘cool’ beach where people go to surf. If you choose this beach, be sure to also head into Gros, you could stay here for an evening meal – my favourite restaurant on this side of the river is called Geralds Bar. It’s very small so if you do want to eat here, it’s worth making a reservation.

Evening

Use your time to try txakoli if you haven’t had the opportunity already. This is a sparkling white wine made with grapes that grow only in this area. This is also a good time to walk around Mount Urgull to admire the Bay of Biscay at sunset.

1 week in San Sebastian 

If you have a week based in San Sebastian then you’re very lucky. You’ll get to see all the best things the city has to offer at a leisurely pace as well as take a few day trips. I’d recommend following my 4 day itinerary (above) and then adding more day trips. 

You could absolutely take the train (or bus) to the nearby towns of Hondarribia and Irun—in fact the San Sebastian airport is here— to explore all they have to offer. The same train actually crosses the French border into Hendaye, a delightful French beach town. I spend a lovely few days in these 3 small towns just wandering around.

So, as you see, no matter how many days you can manage in San Sebastian, you won’t be short of things to do. It’s possible to see the highlights in one day but longer will allow you to really get to know this gorgeous small city and to take day trips too.

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