Are you visiting San Sebastian for just one day? These are the must-see spots

San Sebastian is one of the best cities you can visit in Spain, especially, during the summer time. This Basque city is already one of the main touristic capitals of Spain. The city is known for its beautiful beach la Concha, for its incredible gastronomy (in San Sebastian there are 17 restaurants with Michelin stars), for the cinema festival that is celebrated every year, for its art and architecture, and for its iconic mounts.

San Sebastian is a small city, which means you can visit most of it in a short time span. In this blog post we have prepared a list of places you must visit if you travel to San Sebastian for just one day.

THE OLD TOWN OF THE CITY

The Old Town of San Sebastian is probably one of the most beautiful parts of the city. In the Old Town of San Sebastian, you will be able to learn about San Sebastian’s history, visit unique monuments and eat the best pintxos.

The most iconic places you should visit in this part of the city are the Church of San Vicente, the Basilica of Santa Maria, the Constitution Square and the Street 31 de Agosto. The Street 31 de Agosto is the only street that survived to the big fire that in 1813 devastated the whole city of San Sebastian during the Independence War.

LA CONCHA

La Concha is probably the most iconic place of San Sebastian. It is very characteristic the turquoise-coloured water of the sea, the beautiful and unique handrail that surrounds the beach and its tides.

La Concha is located between two mounts: The Monte Urgull and the Monte Igueldo, and there is an island, called the island of Santa Clara in the bay, which makes the views from the beach unique. We highly recommend you to visit la Concha during the sunset.

MIRAMAR PALACE

Between the beaches of La Concha and Ondarreta, is located the beautiful palace of Miramar, which was built for queen Maria Cristina in 1893, as a residence for her holidays.

The palace was built following the English architectonic style, and it is surrounded by beautiful gardens. Moreover, from the palace, you will be able to enjoy views to the beach and the sea. We highly recommend you to visit this palace, as we think it is a magic place.

VISIT THE ARCHITECTURE FROM THE BELLE ÉPOQUE

During the Belle Époque, all the European elites used to meet in San Sebastian, that is why, the city now has a big European influence and influence from the Belle Époque, that can be seen in its buildings.

Next to the Urumea river, that crosses the city, you will be able to visit two iconic buildings of the Belle Époque: the Maria Cristina Hotel and the Victoria Eugenia Theatre. Also, the Maria Cristina Bridge is another icon of the city, you can use this bridge to cross the Urumea river.

Finally, another building that is worth to see, is the city hall. San Sebastian’s city hall used to be the city’s grand casino, where all elites would meet, however, the use of the building is now of the local administration. The building is beautiful, and contains a lot of history in it. A good option to visit all these places, is hiring a bike. As the city is not very big, you will be able to arrive to the different places you visit very fast. Moreover, we highly recommend you to go across the walk that is next to the beach with your bike.

After this day in San Sebastian, you will be probably willing to stay more days, as you will probably fall in love with the city. Because of that, you can look for hotels or apartments in San Sebastian, as you will find much more things to do the following days!

The author of this article is Leyre Ínigo Lázaro. She studied a double degree in International Relations and a bachelor in Global Communication at the University Of Comillas in Madrid. Leyre is a very creative and determined person. She always has new projects in mind and loves to overcome challenges.