What To Do In San Sebastián, Spain

Delve into the techniques of traditional Basque cooking, hit the beaches to catch some surf breaks, then head to the city’s outskirts to find larger-than-life artworks by San Sebastián artist Eduardo Chillida out among nature

San Sebastián is more than just delicious food. Tucked between mountains and ocean, in the home of Europe's oldest culture, the Basques, it pays to take time to visit the city outside pintxos bars.

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Mimo Bite The Experience

Searching for activities in between pintxos seems arduous when all that's on the brain is your next meal. In this food capital, time is best spent delving deeper into Basque cuisine. Enter Mimo, a cookery school offering classes covering everything from pintxos to paella. Learn how to recreate the city's most famous small bites, or join a show-cooking experience in a luxurious, low-lit private dining atmosphere.

Address

Okendo Kalea 1, 20004

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Chillida Leku

Substitute a museum for a farmhouse and its sweeping grounds, exchange some oil on canvas for towering rock and iron sculptures, and you have an idea of what Chillida Leku, the art space dedicated to artist Eduardo Chillida, is like. Take a city bus to the outskirts to see this native son's breathtaking work against green hills and stony mountains, as he intended.

Address

Barrio Jauregui 66, 20120

Surfers at sea with buildings in the background

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Pukas Surf Eskola

Zurriola is "the surfer's beach" because it has the best break in the city. Several schools offer one-off classes, but Pukas, which has been operating since 1982, is the most long-standing. Not fussed by boarding? In the summer, the waves settle down enough for swimmers to splash around here.

Address

Avenida de la Zurríola 24, 20004

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Monte Igueldo

Atop one of San Sebastián's three mountains sits an amusement park that time forgot. Dating back to 1912, the off-the-beaten-path fairground makes for a perfectly retro adventure. Chug along the funicular to the top of the mountain and set off on a nostalgic day out. Old-fashioned games, a tongue-in-cheek terror house and a ride on the "Swiss mountain" await.

Address

De Igeldo Ibilbidea 187, 20008

This article was updated 16 November 2022.

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