We love San Sebastian! (Also known as Donostia in the local Basque language.) We were there in July of 2022 for a few days and knew we would return for a longer stay. The chaotic months of downsizing had us dreaming of spending a entire month in one place to relax. We knew this would be the perfect place. It is located on the north coast of Spain with ideal summer temperatures in the 70s. There are beautiful beaches, incredible food, and a dynamic culture. We stayed in the Centro area within easy walking distance to everything, but still quiet and peaceful at night. The house sale had closed in late July, so that stress was gone. A month in San Sebastian was just what we needed!
Celebrating Grand Week
We got to San Sebastian just as Grand Week (Semana Grande) was kicking off. It is focused on Basque culture and has many interesting activities.
International Fireworks Competition
Every night we went to the International Fireworks Competition on La Concha Beach where fireworks companies from across Europe try to outdo each other. It was spectacular! (Pictures don’t do it justice…you just have to go.)
Basque Traditions
Fortunately our Airbnb host provided us with a great Grand Week online schedule. We were able see some traditional Basque activities including human tower building. We watched several groups perform and held our breath as people climbed to form human pyramids. Look closely at the pictures below, the outer people formed a ring and they peeled away to reveal the single vertical tower. The young girl at the top was very nervous but she made it!
Professional handball is a popular and traditional fast-paced Basque sport.
The running of the fire bulls every night was one of the craziest things we saw. There are six fiberglass bulls that are run, one after another, through the streets letting off sparks and bangs along the way.
Traditional parades were going through town every day. Below the giants (gigantes) and big-heads (cabezudos) parade across a main bridge. The item hanging by the big-heads leg in the picture on the right is a pig’s bladder. They playfully whack bystanders with it; the sound is incredibly loud but is surprisingly painless. (We were both whacked a few times!)
There were also many local bands marching around town. It was fun find them, especially in the narrow alleyways of Old Town.
New Traditions
One fun event was a home made raft flotilla where the participants had to paddle across the bay.
There was so much going on and these were just a few of the activities we enjoyed. It was fun to just wander around and experience the giant party.
Exploring the Town
We took long walks to explore this beautiful town and never needed a car.
It is also very beautiful at night.
One week some big waves rolled in from the Atlantic which made for a dramatic show along the coast. We watched many people underestimate the waves and get soaked along the boardwalk.
The Beaches
It was fun to go to the beaches to people watch and swim in the warm water. They have floating platforms at La Concha Beach that add to the fun; swimming out and going down the slide was super fun. We also swam at Zurriola Beach, a popular spot for surfers due to the bigger waves.
They had a swim race off La Concha Beach while we were there. It was originally supposed to go around the island in the bay but the sea was too rough that day so they rerouted it for safety. The water was still incredibly choppy and we thought the people swimming were super human.
Wonderful Food
San Sebastian has an incredible restaurant scene and we seemed to have unlimited choices for our meals. Pintxos (Basque tapas) were everywhere with incredible variety. They have many Michelin rated restaurants and the overall quality is high. In the upper left picture we are trying txuleton which is tender beef from 8-18 year old cows. We had a locals Pintxos bar with a chatty bartender across the street from our AirBnB, Dave is ordering from the window in the picture on the right. We also enjoyed cooking at our Airbnb and having meals on our deck.
August the 31st Remembrance
On August 31, 1813 a British and Portuguese combined army liberated San Sebastian from Napoleon. However, the army then looted the city and a fire broke out destroying 95%+ of the town. Every year the citizens commemorate this historical tragedy and celebrate the city’s resilience and reconstruction. The event features historical reenactments, a parade of txistularis (Basque flute players) accompanied by torches, community bands, and a procession with candles through the Old Town. It is very impressive and we managed to get right in the mix of it.
A Quick Month
It was great to have a month to unwind, relax, and wrap up some of the details of our downsizing after selling the house. San Sebastian/Donostia was the perfect spot for us with plenty to do, no need for a car, and quiet when we wanted to get away from the crowds. It went by way too quickly, but it was time to move onto northern Italy and some hiking in the Dolomites!