San Sebastián, Spain

Three summers ago, I was fortunate enough to study abroad in San Sebastián, Spain. I went alone and it ended up being one of the best experiences I've ever had. Ever since I left three years ago, I've been itching to get back and visit. San Sebastián is one of the most magical places in Europe. It has unreal surf, food, beaches, scenery, culture, and so much more. Although it's not a huge city, there is still plenty to do and keep busy with while visiting. If you are planning on traveling to Spain, San Sebastián is a must; you won't be disappointed.

Location: Castillo de La Mota, San Sebastián

San Sebastián is located in northern Basque country. This is one huge thing that sets the city apart from many other cities in Spain. Basque and Spanish are the two primary languages spoken in the city while both cultures are extremely prevalent as well. Basque cider is an extremely popular alcoholic beverage everywhere in the city. Located inland, there are many different cider tasting houses. My personal favorite is Sidrería Petritegi. They serve you a four course meal and also allow you to drink unlimited cider. Below are some photos of our Sidrería Petritegi Cider House experience.

As seen above, the barrels of cider are enormous and spray out cider in a thin but strong stream. The proper way to pour cider is to only pour a few ounces into a cup from as high as you can possibly hold the bottle. This ensures the carbonation and taste are just right. Pour too much in your cup and you will be drinking a non-carbonated cider.

First Course: a giant baguette along with some chorizo sausage.

Second Course: sautéed green peppers over a locally caught white fish.

Third Course: a delicious steak along with some of the fatty ends.

Fourth Course: walnuts, cookie wafers, and some fig jam with cheese.

Location: Sidrería Petritegi, San Sebastián

Another must if you are visiting San Sebastián is to hike to Castillo de La Mota on the top of Urgull Mountain. It has the most incredible view in all of San Sebastián and is the best place to picnic in the city. Below are some of the moments I captured during our hike up the mountain and some of the views along the way.

EPICNESS.

View of Santa Clara Island from Castillo de La Mota.

One of my personal favorite things to do while in San Sebastián is to rent a paddle surfboard, paddle it from La Concha Beach to Santa Clara Island, and grab some paella and Basque Cider at the Santa Clara Island Bar. While on the island, you can also do a bit of hiking and exploring to get some killer views. Below are some photos of the island as well as our paddle boarding journey to there. Sorry in advance for some of the blurry photos below. The GoPro was a bit wet from the paddle boarding journey.

Pouring the sweet Basque nectar.

Chicken paella.

Weaving through some boats.

As it is well known, Spain is the land of tapas. Tapas are small bites of food usually served on a sliced baguette that act as appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. The Basque country in Northern Spain has their own version of tapas called pintxos. A pintxo is a very similar to a tapa but is completely different at the same time according to locals. Basically, all you need to know is that pinxtos in San Sebastián are out of this world delicious. Words can't describe how amazing these pintxos really are. Below are some of our personal favorite pintxos.

My favorite pintxo bar in San Sebastián: Casa Vergara.

A lot going on here: steak skewer, two turkey meatball pintxos, a goat cheese and ham pintxo, as well as a goat cheese and grilled pepper pinxto.

A garlic mushroom pinxto. Always on the hunt for these.

Just too good/don't remember what kind of pintxos these were.

Two steak skewers, a turkey meatball pintxo, a goat cheese and grilled pepper pinxto, and a quail egg and beef burger pinxto.

Location: Restaurante Narru, San Sebastián

Steak. Steak. Steak.

Risotto.

Some peach girly drink with way more sugar than expected.

Beef cheek and mashed potatoes.

Location: Atari Gastroteka, San Sebastián

Lastly, below are some of my favorite shots of the landscape in San Sebastián. Enjoy.

Thank you so much for reading! Next stop: Ibiza, Spain.