San Sebastian is in the north of Spain’s Basque Country, by the Bay of Biscay, it brims with sensory delights and is a fabulous place to stay for a few days (or longer). Here are just two of its outdoor highlights.
THE ARCHITECTURE
Complementing San Sebastian’s splendid scenery and artfully-presented dishes is its feast of ravishing architecture, many built with the buttery local limestone that gleams when the sun’s out. Finished in 1774, and gloriously baroque both inside and out, the Basilica of St Mary of Coro is perhaps the Old Town’s most visually-striking building, while the city’s neo-Gothic spired cathedral soars in the New Town, a district of wider, shop-lined boulevards and lovingly-groomed plazas and gardens.
Most were laid out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when San Sebastian had fully evolved from a rustic fishing village to a graceful resort beloved by Spanish royals and aristocrats from across Europe. Of the so-called “grand dame” hotels from that era, the Hotel Maria Cristina arguably remains the city’s most exclusive stay with room rates from about $1000 a night.
Other regal San Sebastian landmarks are more egalitarian. There’s free entry, for example, to the lovely grounds of the Palacio Miramar, which was a summer home for Queen Maria Cristina and designed by English architect Selden Wornum. The palace’s sloping, flowerbed-rich gardens provide a wonderful view over Concha and Ondarreta beaches and towards the tiny forested bay islet of Santa Clara, where boat tours call in, including those launched at the yacht-dotted harbour by the Old Town. Be sure to also admire the bridges that span the River Urumea, including the Art Deco Puente de la Zurriola, whose lampposts evoke lighthouses and dazzle when illuminated after dark.
THE WALKS
San Sebastian is blessed with flat, eminently strollable (and cyclable) waterfront promenades, both beside its river and beaches. But if you’re after more leg-straining, lung-testing routes — and somewhere to walk off the pintxos — you’re also spoiled with options.
Tree-shaded footpaths and stairways rise up the city’s three main wooded peaks. By the Old Town, Monte Urgull rises 123m and is capped with a giant statue of Jesus Christ and the remains of a castle with medieval roots. Expect terrific panoramas of San Sebastian from the miradors (lookouts) up here and also if you scale the other peaks: Monte Ulia (243m), at the far side of Zurriola Beach, and Monte Igueldo (181m), at the west end of Ondarreta Beach.
The latter has a funicular, which opened in 1912 and runs up to its old-fashioned amusement park and flamboyant lighthouse. If you fancy a longer hike, both Ulia and Igueldo have fantastic clifftop trails winding beyond the city limits and out into the coast-hugging countryside.
https://thewest.com.au/travel/san-sebastian-architecture-walks-c-20453739
