Planning a trip to San Sebastian

Iberia (tel. 90-011-15-00) offers two or three daily flights to San Sebastián from Madrid, plus one or two flights most days from Barcelona through its regional subsidiaries. Vueling also cover this route. The airport is actually in the nearby town of Fuenterrabía (Hondarribia).

Airport buses (line E21) run to the Plaza Gipuzkoa stop in central San Sebastián every 45 minutes daily Monday to Friday (hourly on weekends and festivals) from 6:55am to 9:45pm. Tickets are 2.75€. Other lines (E20, E23, E25, E27 and E28) also connect, albeit with a slightly longer journey time. Contact Ekialdebus (tel. 90-030-03-40) for more information. If you’re arriving in the region from elsewhere in Europe, note that the international airport in Biarritz, France, is regularly connected to San Sebastián by direct bus (trip time 70 min.).

From Madrid, RENFE trains run direct to San Sebastián’s main train station, located east of the river (trip time 5‒7.5 hr.). RENFE also provides one direct train daily from Barcelona to San Sebastián (trip time 5.5 hr.). Trains for Bilbao are operated by Euskotren (tel. 94-433-33-33) and leave hourly from the Estación de Amara, west of the river. Note that bus service to Bilbao is quicker and more frequent than the train.

San Sebastián is linked by a bus network to many of Spain’s major cities, although Madrid is better reached by train. Alsa (tel. 90-242-22-42) runs more than a dozen daily to Madrid or Madrid Airport (trip time 6 hrs, average price 43€). Monbus (tel. 90-092-91-92) operates one or two buses daily to and from Barcelona, an 8-hour trip costing 39€ one-way. Finally, Transportes PESA/Lurraldebus (tel. 90-012-14-00) runs buses to and from Bilbao every 30 minutes during the daytime (trip time 1 1/4 hr) and costing 13€ one-way. All these operators have offices at the bus station, located underground on the east side of the river.

Driving from Madrid, take the A-1/E-5 toll road north to Burgos, and then follow the AP-1 to Miranda de Ebro. From here, continue on the AP-1/E-80 north to Elgoibar and then the AP-8 east to San Sebastián. From Pamplona, take the AP-15 toll road north then the A-15, which leads right into San Sebastián.

The tourist office is at Boulevard, 8 (tel. 94-348-11-66). The office opens in summer 9am‒8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am‒7pm Sunday; in winter 10am‒6pm Monday to Saturday, 10am‒2pm Sunday. Another office is located outside the bus station entrance, with similar hours, but operates only between June and September.

Special Events in San Sebastián

San Sebastián finds something to celebrate all year round. The year’s highlights begin with the drum-beating frenzy of January’s tamborrada. The second half of July brings the San Sebastián International Jazz Festival. In mid-August, the city stages its annual party, Aste Nagusia (“Big Week”), celebrating traditional Basque music and dance, along with fireworks, cooking competitions, and sports events. In mid-September, the San Sebastián International Film Festival draws luminaries from America and Europe. Exact dates vary from year to year, so check with the tourist office or on its website.