San Sebastian - a stylish, chic gateway to a different Spain

Thursday, 03 June 2010 16:59

Written by Administrator

by Andrea Maclean

The volcanic ash cloud seems to have blown over for the moment, but many holiday makers could be forgiven this year for choosing to "staycation" - holiday in your home country.

For UK holidaymakers the real downside can be the weather - in Spain we don´t have to worry about summer sun.  In Andalucia the real problem is often keeping cool. We have beaches and glorious cities like Granada, Seville and Cordoba. So for those of us who live here the real question is why we need to bother to go anywhere else.

Which is a shame. Because the rest of Spain has so much to offer for those who might want to take a break from the searing Andalucian sun. Good quality main roads offer comfortable driving conditions and the AVE train links are terrific. So where to go? If you want temperatures that are just that bit more comfortable both during the day and at night, why not do what a lot of Madridileños do - head North.

Driving from Malaga to San Sebastian is easy - fabulous scenery along the way and no need to break your journey with an overnight stay. This is the undisputed Queen of the Basque resorts -a chic town with an elegant French-style feel...not surprising as it is just 20 km from the French border. It has long been the resort of choice for those escaping the overpowering heat of the Spanish interior. And it offers culture too should you plan a stay during the internationally known jazz and film festivals, or want to visit the fabulous Guggenheim Museum at nearby Bilbao.

It's also called Donostia - the Basque for San Sebastian, and the language is spoken by 35 per cent of the city's residents. But Castillian is the second official language, the road signs are in both, and being understood is not a problem.

The resort is sprawled around the glittering La Concha Bay, with its broad swathe of gently shelving sand. And while Tapas might have been invented in Andalucia, they were perfected here. A stroll through the narrow streets of the old town will reveal why. This ancient quarter hosts the biggest concentration of bars in the whole country, each one bursting with a staggering range of tapas. The tradition is the txikiteo - the bar crawl in which you stop for a drink and pintxos- Basque for tapas - and move on. But if tapas bores you after a while then fear not - San Sebastian is home to the largest number of Michelin starred restaurants in Spain. There are though plenty of good restaurants where the food is good and the bill won´t break the bank.

As a resort it became particularly fashionable in 1902 after Queen Maria Cristina opened a hotel in her name, and it's a great base from which to discover the whole of the Pais Vasco. Jazz lovers will head for the festival in the second half of July, while movie A listers hit the red carpet in September. Semana Grande in August is a spectacular street party with music, sport and fireworks and on August 31st a candlelit ceremony is held in Semana Grande Street to commemorate the devastating fire of 1813.

So, a stylish city with elegant architecture, great for gourmets and basking in the sun without sizzling - San Sebastian is a gateway to another beautiful part of Spain and well worth putting on the To-visit list.