Donostia - city of beaches, pintxos and Michelin stars
- Celestyna
- 14 mar 2018
- 3 minut(y) czytania

San Sebastian in Spanish or Donostia in Basque is one of the most beautiful cities in Basque Country. In my opinion definitely number one! San Sebastian has not only the most amazing beaches in Spain, lovely old town, famous Film Festival but is also a home to a high concentration of restaurants boasting Michelin stars. The most popular are Arzak and Akelarre, both have three stars. It is the second city with the most Michelin stars per square metre in the world, beaten only by Kyoto in Japan. It is also the birthplace of Basque gastronomical societies, with the oldest recorded mention of such a "txoko" (is a Basque type of closed gastronomical society where people come together to cook, experiment with new ways of cooking, eat and socialize) back in 1870. And of course is well known for the best tapas (in Basque - pintxos) bar!
As I mentioned at the beggining the international showcase of San Sebastian, apart from one of the most important film festivals in the world, are great beaches. The most famous is La Concha located in the center of the city. It is surrounded by a stylish maritime promenade, which reminds of the aristocratic character of a summer resort in the past. La Concha is a place from which one can see the greater part of the city surrounded by hills and the Bay of Bahía de La Concha with the Isla the Santa Clara. It is an island in the bay of La Concha in San Sebastian, you can get there by ships which run on it from 1 June to 30 September (ships run on it without a stop on the island or with a stop). If you are on it and it is a nice and sunny day, it is worth to relax on a small beach which during the high tides is completely submerged. After visit on Santa Clara Island it is worth to go to The Monte Urgull hill which is opposite to the Monte Igueldo side of La Concha beach. It rises above the old town and the port of San Sebastian. It guarantees beautiful views of the city and is a great alternative If you like walks and resting on benches surrounded by greenery. At the top of the hill you will find Castillo de la Mota and museum (Museo de San Telmo dedicated to the culture of the Basque community) chapels and a great statue of Jesus. On the opposite side od San Sebastian you will see Monte Igueldo on which you can take your own car or taxi but in my opinion it is worth choose a less popular type of transport for example a roller coaster that runs continuously from 1912 from the foot of Monte Igueldo and is located near La Ondarreta beach. At the top there are view points from which you can capture the most beautiful panorama of the city, other attractions is Torreón de Igueldo (a lighthouse from the 18th century) and a funfair. My favorite part of San Sebastian is Casco Viejo. The Old Town is full of lovely tine streets which are full of people and live all day and night. You will find there also a nice, baroque church Basílica de Santa María del Coro However, the biggest attraction of the old town of San Sebasian are the bars where the Basque snacks - pintxos dominate. Street Calle 31 de Agosto is very often called the gastronomy temple. Just go to one of the bars next to it to find out. In the old town you will also find a small but nice square called Plaza de la Constitución. What is the most interesting about this place is that above each of the balcony you will find a number. In the past, corrida took place here, and for the possibility of watching the show like at the bullring, you had to pay for the view from the balcony. In my opinion the best way to know the new place is of course to discover it with locals. The Basques are very open and love to talk about their region, culture and gastronomy, which is amazing! But is there a better way to get to know people and places than through local cuisine?





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