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Zarateman, CC0

San Sebastián

San Sebastián is a Basque seaside city on the Bay of La Concha, with an old town of pintxos bars and hills at either end of the bay.

Best things to do in San Sebastián

The one thing not to miss

Take the day trip to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, the modern and contemporary art museum on the Basque coast.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (day trip)
  1. Museo Guggenheim, Bilbao (31273245344)
    Naotake Murayama, CC BY 2.0

    Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (day trip)

    • A full day
    • Tickets needed
    • Couples
    • Rainy day

    A museum of modern and contemporary art in Bilbao, affiliated to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

    14,544 readers a month

    Sources
  2. Fontarrabie depuis Hendaye 2012
    JLPC, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Hondarribia (day trip)

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Couples

    A town on the west shore of the Bidasoa estuary, on the border with France.

    4,982 readers a month

    Sources
  3. Zarautz Vue Camping
    Jean Michel Etchecolonea, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Zarautz

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Families
    • Active

    A coastal town about 15 km west of San Sebastián.

    2,299 readers a month

    Sources
  4. Kontxa bay
    Kent Wang, CC BY-SA 4.0

    La Concha beach

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Families
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    The city's crescent-shaped beach on the Bay of La Concha, named for its regular shape.

    1,016 readers a month

    Sources
  5. Pasai Donibane, Euskal Herria
    FreeCat, CC BY 3.0

    Pasaia

    • Half a day
    • No booking needed
    • Couples

    A fishing community and port east of the city.

    917 readers a month

    Sources
  6. Catedral del Buen Pastor (9225828442)
    Juanedc from Zaragoza, España, CC BY 2.0

    San Sebastián Cathedral

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, seat of the diocese and the city's most remarkable religious building.

    816 readers a month

    Sources
  7. Haizearen orrazia 0006
    Alvaro Galve, CC BY-SA 2.0

    The Comb of the Wind

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    Three sculptures by Eduardo Chillida set into the rocks, arranged by the architect Luis Peña Ganchegui.

    800 readers a month

    Sources
  8. San Sebastian Palacio Miramar edited
    Generalpoteito, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Miramar Palace

    • 1 hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples

    A palace on La Concha Bay built in 1893 for the Spanish royal family.

    734 readers a month

    Sources
  9. San Sebastian Palacio Kursaal
    generalpoteito, CC BY-SA 2.5

    Kursaal Centre

    • Under an hour, or an evening
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • Rainy day

    Rafael Moneo's congress centre and auditorium, opened in 1999, with an 1,800-seat auditorium.

    490 readers a month

    Sources
  10. San Sebastian Basilica of Saint Mary of Coro 002 edited
    User Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Basilica of Santa María del Coro

    • Under an hour
    • No booking needed
    • Couples
    • No car needed

    A Baroque basilica completed in 1774 in the old town (Parte Vieja).

    476 readers a month

    Sources

Just missed the list: Monte Urgull (11th by readers); San Telmo Museoa (12th by readers)

How we ranked these

By how many people read about each place on English Wikipedia in a typical month, measured October 2026. It is a popularity measure, not our opinion. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (day trip) leads with about 14,544 readers a month. Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are on each photo.

Affiliate disclosure: We earn a commission if you book through links on this site. It costs you nothing extra and does not change what we recommend. How this works.