72 hrs in San Sebastian
It’s no secret that many of our team are big foodies. If you look at the personal chats between us all, I would say a solid 85% of our discussions begin with what we’ve cooked recently, where we’ve eaten or swapping notes on foodie experiences. It’s in our DNA. For our CEO, Jess, it’s her biggest passion. When she’s not whipping up marketing strategies or growing The Doers, she’s cooking up a storm in her kitchen, trying the latest restaurants to hit London’s food scene or baking loaves of her famous sourdough. Jess has just got back from a few days away in one of the world’s most prolific foodie capitals, San Sebastian in North Spain. Here she shares how to spend 72 hours in San Sebastian; where to eat, what to see and drinks to order.
San Sebastian has been a city on my must-visit list for longer than I can remember. Whilst I had been told it’s known to foodies predominantly because the city is home to 16 Michelin stars, I didn’t quite realise how much more there was to it. Let’s call it a happy surprise.
The Logistics
We flew into Bilbao (though you can also fly into the French side) and spent a night/day in Bilbao before getting the bus over to San Sebastian. Bilbao is a nice city but you don’t really need longer than that to explore if you wanted to add it to your itinerary. The options for getting to San Sebastian are either to get on the bus or hire a car. Given how easy the bus was, I’d opt for the former. They run every hour, cost about €13 each way and take about an hour and a half. Given the size of San Sebastian, regardless of where you’re staying, it should be an easy enough walk or a short cab ride to get there. The buses and trams are also very accessible.
We stayed at SANSEbay Hotel, which I couldn’t recommend more highly. The staff were lovely, the ambience spot on and the rooms were a good size and very comfortable. The location is right next to the Old Town so couldn’t have been more ideal for exploring. I will say that aside from the odd siesta and obvious evenings, not much time was spent at the hotel. I’d recommend not putting too much emphasis on where you stay - focus on where you’ll be eating!
The City
I don’t think I expected the beaches and walks to be quite as lovely as they were. There are 3 big sandy beaches that in the sun, are absolutely glorious. The city is surrounded by two hills, one of which has a funicular that takes you up to a slightly bizarre “theme park”. It’s always fun doing a funicular but I would only recommend heading up there for the views of the city. The second hill is on the other side (and right by our hotel) and at the top of it sits the old Castello. It’s a deceptively steep walk up there but worth it, again for the views (and for working off the enormous amount of rich food).
The weather was mixed whilst we were there - alternating between beautiful sunshine and grey clouds with a sprinkling of rain. Think typical London summer weather - it’s akin to that. Plenty of water sports were available on the beaches, which we probably would’ve utilised had it been later in the year. If you’re a keen swimmer, the water was beautifully clear and the beach facilities were fantastic - lockers, toilets, showers aplenty.
It’s a very walkable city. Nothing is too far away but there’s plenty of things to be doing (mainly eating and drinking) in between! There are bikes that can be hired and plenty of transport options for those less mobile but for the most part, pack a pair of comfy shoes and you’ll be a ok.
The general vibe is very relaxed. It’s not somewhere you need to be dressed to the nines and I certainly wouldn’t recommend heeled shoes there. You’ll be bouncing from crowded pintxos bar to pintxos bar so you’ll want to be comfortable.
Where to eat in San Sebastian
La Cuchara De San Telmo
This was a chance find and fast became our favourite restaurant of them all. So much so we went back on three occasions to sample more of the menu. The fact this place is constantly busy is testament to how good it is. It’s compact but the slick service means that you get served speedily. Find a spot to perch inside or take your plates outside. Each dish comes in three different sizes: pintxos, half or raciones (platters). If you sit at a table outside, you have to order half or raciones portions.
I don’t think you could go wrong with any dish here but our favourites were the sautéed Foie Gras, suckling pig, veal cheeks and octopus.
La Rampa
At the far end of the harbour end of the city, just before the aquarium, La Rampa is a fantastic seafood restaurant. The menu is simple - sizeable platters of great fish dishes. We could’ve eaten everything but opted for the txipitos (crispy fried squid), octopus (smothered in the most delicious paprika) and a delicious buttery sole alongside a big, crunchy green salad. Washed down with a few glasses of vino blanco, it was the perfect spot for lunch in the sun.
Txpexta
Known as the anchovy place, we ordered a couple of pintxos here: the award-winning anchovy with blueberry jam and the sea urchin anchovy. Now, it’s safe to say I was skeptical about consuming an anchovy doused in blueberry jam but I stand corrected. It was nothing short of sensational and I could’ve devoured several more of them. The anchovies were huge and unlike any others I had had before.
Borda Berri
Admittedly it doesn’t look like much in a photo BUT Borda Berri is known best for it’s risotto - it’s cheesy, creamy and garlicky - like a hug in a bowl and was absolutely divine. We also had the beef cheek and white asparagus that were equally as good. This place is exceptionally popular and with good reason. The rioja was, like everywhere else, absolutely delicious.
Txuleta
We LOVED Txuleta. The atmosphere was fantastic, lovely staff and the food was outstanding. It was another one we returned multiple times to. The croquettes were possibly the best I’ve ever had - we had a simple jamon and cheese as well as a squid ink. They were rolled in semolina and perfectly crispy. We also bravely tried a new “local” drink here - a kalimotxo - red wine and coke. Verdict was that it was very drinkable (possible too much so) but a little sweet.
The best of the rest…
I haven’t done individual write ups of the rest of these but that’s not to say they weren’t as outstanding as the ones I’ve mentioned above. The nature of pintxos means you have a couple of plates and move on throughout the night, so there were some I didn’t get great photos of or I spent time enjoying the ambience of the place. I would return to all of the following in a heartbeat.
Bar Sport - we had the sea urchin, foie gras and black pudding - all outstanding
Sirimiri - I loved this place - great option for drinks too
Bell’s Bar - a lovely bar with a local vibe and a really friendly staff. They have a great selection of vermouths, which we worked our way through. We didn’t eat here but the food also looked good. I liked the fact we were the only tourists in here.
Kapidokia - we went for late night drinks where we got introduced to the joys of a Spanish classic rock playlist.
La Viña - you can’t come to San Sebastian without having many slices of basque cheesecake. Whilst there are few places in the city that wouldn’t serve up a great slice, La Viña is THE place to go.
Atari - this was super close to our hotel and constantly busy. We only opted for the cold pintxos here but all of them were outstanding. We wanted to return back for the hot plates but ran out of time (and tummy space).
Ssua - we only had a couple of plates here and mainly went for drinks but really loved what we had - onion soup with a cheese foam and beef cheek. The drinks and staff were fantastic.
