The 3 viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian.

Meet the best viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, enjoy the 3 mountains of the capital of Gipuzkoa.

 

The best viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian are located in the highest points of the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the mountains that protect it. And the fact is that the Ulía, Urgull and Igeldo mountains provide everyone who visits them with incredible views over the city. A fact that has made these 3 Basque spaces in the 3 most visited points by people looking to enjoy stunning views of Donostia San Sebastian. Panoramic views suitable for any postcard. The mountains of Donostia San Sebastian protect the city flanking it by all possible spaces. If we focus the view on the sea, we will find Mount Ulía on the right, while Mount Igeldo on the left and Mount Urgull in the center. A trident of natural watchtowers that make people who reach their summits enjoy some of the best views of all Gipuzkoa. These mountains, in addition to being the best viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, are also currently some of the most popular places of leisure for the people of Gipuzkoa. Spaces covered by a large layer of vegetation, which, accompanied by a good ration of history, perfectly complement any other plan that we make on the Basque coast. The different mountains that are part of the best viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, hide a much more striking story inside. Did you know that from one of them fishermen used to watch the whales they would later hunt? Did you know that one of them houses a military fortress that can be visited today? Did you know that one of them has one of the most picturesque amusement parks in the world?

There are hundreds of viewpoints in the city of Donostia San Sebastian, but undoubtedly the most striking, the ones that offer the best views of the city are the highest ones. The viewpoints located in the mountains. That is why, although we have decided to title this article as the 4 viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, we could have perfectly chosen to title it “the 3 mountains of Donostia San Sebastian”. Remember that you can visit these 3 viewpoints by renting a bicycle, a practical, cheap and fast transport to know the best corners of the capital of Gizpuakoana. You can rent bicycles in Donostia San Sebastian from our reservation center, from here.

 

 

The 3 mountains that we show you today, are 3 authentic emblems of the city, 3 very Donostian spaces. Although they are not the only places from where we can enjoy a beautiful view of the city, in our humble opinion, they represent the best places from where to see Donostia San Sebastian from the heights. In fact, the views from these viewpoints are so impressive that it is impossible for us to choose one of them. In your opinion, which of these mountains gives us the best viewpoint of Donostia San Sebastian? We are waiting for your impressions.

 

Monte Ulía: This mountain, besides representing one of the great viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, also hosts some of the most important leisure areas of the city. And is that, in this place we find among others a Natural Park, a restaurant awarded with 1 Michelin star and a hostel. A series of spaces, which, although at first seem totally different from each other, give us a wide range of experiences to enjoy. It is not the first time we talk about this enclave, and is that, during our route from Donostia to Pasaia through the lighthouse of La Plata, we were fortunate to know in detail each and every one of the nooks and crannies that keeps this giant of our coast. Mount Ulía, known for being one of the natural watchtowers from where the arrantzales (fishermen in Basque) controlled and watched the whales of our coast, currently covers more than 310,000 square meters of natural space. What was once the leisure park of the aristocracy, is today one of the most popular places for Basque men and women to go hiking while enjoying one of the best views of Donostia San Sebastian. To all of the above, we must add the fact that the Camino de Santiago runs through its interior, a fact that makes the pilgrims who cross it fall in love with this place. Located on the eastern coast of the capital of Gipuzkoa, this mountain has at its feet the beautiful beach of Zurriola, a sandy area where surfing and the Kursaal take center stage. The different viewpoints offered by Mount Ulía have a special attraction, and is that, on sunny days, it is possible to see the Zurriola beach, the Kursaal, Mount Urgull, La Concha beach, Ondarreta beach and Mount Igeldo at a glance, one after the other. Simply spectacular. Undoubtedly, the most complete view of the city. Of course, it is also the viewpoint that requires the most effort to reach it.

 

Mount UrgullThis natural viewpoint located in the center of the city, offers an impressive view of all Donostia San Sebastian. Located in a strategic enclave, it houses a 12th century military fortress. The castle, the walls and the batteries that are still preserved today, are the only vestiges that remain of that walled Donostia San Sebastian. The Castillo de la Mota is one of the emblems of Gipuzkoa, a military building, which, located on the top of this mountain was key to the defense of the city. Today, the battery of the Ladies, the battery of the Governor, the Powder Magazine, the cemetery of the English or the House of History, show us the history of the capital of Gipuzkoa while we walk through the mountain on foot. A kind of open-air museum that invites us to learn about the history of this space and everything that surrounds it, completely free of charge. With the Old Town at its feet, flanked by the Paseo Nuevo and the sea, this mountain captained by the Sacred Heart gives us dozens of viewpoints scattered throughout its slopes. You could not ask for more variety and quality. Currently there are 4 paths that lead us to the top, winding routes that give us more than one surprise. On the other hand, if you can not or do not want to climb the slopes of Mount Urgull, in summer there is the option of using the minibus that goes up to one of its viewpoints. In our opinion, it is worth walking up, the views are amazing wherever you look and the vegetation that accompanies us along the entire route helps to beautify, if possible, the route to the top. The location of this viewpoint allows us to enjoy many of the attractions of the city without wasting time in displacements. Examples are the Aquarium, the port, the Naval Museum, the Paseo Nuevo, the Kursaal, the San Telmo Museum or the Old Part, all within a radius of less than 10 minutes walking.

 

Mount IgeldoThis natural viewpoint located at one end of the Bay of La Concha, has more than one charm around it. Igeldo, besides having one of the most picturesque and curious amusement parks in Europe, also has the oldest funicular in the Basque Country. Next to the lower station of the funicular we find the Peine de los Vientos, a sculpture, which, located at its feet, surprises us playing with the sea. The views of Donostia from some of the attractions of Monte Igeldo are simply spectacular, especially if we take advantage of the photo to portray some of its centenary elements. Although you can climb on foot or by car to this incredible space of the Basque coast, we recommend making the ascent in its mythical transport, the Igeldo funicular. The oldest (1912) of all the funiculars found in the Basque Country. It is at this very top where we find a large tower of the eighteenth century, a space, although in its beginnings was used as a lighthouse, now performs the functions of viewpoint. Nowadays we find another lighthouse on its western side, built in 1855 by the engineer Manuel Peironcely. We emphasize again the importance of the picturesque, coquettish and historical amusement park that hides this incredible natural viewpoint. Different and curious to say the least. Igeldo Park has managed to maintain its original charm since it was built, an amusement park of those that no longer exist. A little trip to the past, which, together with the views and history of this space, make it a must-see place on any trip to Euskadi. We must not forget the Hotel Mercure Monte Igeldo, and it is possible to enjoy a bath with luxury views from its swimming pool. Ondarreta beach, the island of Santa Clara and La Concha beach take center stage in the panoramic view of this Basque mountain.

If you do not have much time to enjoy all the viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian that we discover today, we recommend you to visit either Monte Igeldo or Monte Urgull. Of course, deciding on one of the two is not an easy task, and is that both have notorious pros and cons. The first one, Mount Igeldo, is easy to climb thanks to the funicular or the road that runs along it, but it is paid. While the second, Mount Urgull, requires more effort to climb to the top but is totally free. It all depends on your preferences.

 

Tabakalera viewpoint: Although the Tabakalera viewpoint cannot be compared to the Igeldo, Urgull or Ulía mountains, we believe that it is another point from where you can contemplate the beauty of Donostia San Sebastián from the heights. Another vantage point. We must bear in mind that Tabakalera currently represents one of the most emblematic spaces in the city. A cultural and social space that we recommend visiting during any trip to the capital of Gipuzkoa. By the way, this viewpoint is totally free. This is how, without mentioning it in the title of this article, we show you one more viewpoint of Donostia San Sebastian, 3 + 1 surprise. We hope you like it. Although the views have nothing to do with those we have mentioned previously, this viewpoint brings us closer to the city, to the urban center from one of the ends of the city. We leave you a photo so that you can see the views that you can contemplate from this space.

 

Route of the viewpoints of Donostia San SebastiánThe coastal route that links these 3 viewpoints of the capital of Gipuzkoa is one of the most beautiful that we can find on the Basque coast. Bordering the beaches of the city and climbing the slopes of these stone giants, we find a unique family route in the world. Thanks to this beautiful coastal route, it is possible to get to know all the beaches of Donostia San Sebastian while enjoying them. In addition, during this urban route, it is possible to visit various museums of the city, thus learning part of the history and culture of our town. Examples are the Aquarium, the Naval Museum or the San Telmo Museum, all located on the slopes of Mount Urgull. The gastronomy is another of the attractions of this route, and is that when passing through the Old Part of the city, it is common to enjoy its famous pintxos, a small delicacy that we invite you to taste. We recommend you to follow the indications of our article “Walk along the coast of Donostia San Sebastian“, a text, in which we tell you everything you need to enjoy the charms of this route. This route is presented as an ideal plan for those who do not have much time to visit this part of the Basque coast, and all the people who travel to Donostia San Sebastian to enjoy a magical weekend, thank us for having recommended this incredible plan to know much of the city. A route that could perfectly be called the route of the mountains and beaches of Donostia San Sebastian, and is that, interspersed with each other, they achieve a route for all tastes. In this case, the typical question “what do you like more the beach or the mountains?” makes no sense, since we can enjoy all of them without any problem. Here is the suggested route: Mount Igeldo, Ondarreta Beach, La Concha Beach, Mount Urgull, Zurriola Beach and Mount Ulía. Of course, for the bravest, there is one more stretch, the path that runs along Ulía to take us to know the Faro de la Plata, Albaola and the rest of the charms of the charming town of Pasaia.

 

Boat tours in Donostia San Sebastian: We recommend that you complement this land route with one of the different boat tours that exist in the Bay of La Concha. A great option to get to know Santa Clara Island, the island of the capital of Gipuzkoa. A really striking experience. You can learn more in detail about these maritime routes by reading our article: Boat routes in Donostia San Sebastian. In case you want to book your place online you can do it here. Fast, safe and without commissions.

 

Recommendations: When it comes to enjoying these natural viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian, we recommend you to be prepared with everything you need to turn this small route through the mountains of the city into an unforgettable experience.

 

What to see in Donostia San Sebastian: The capital of Gipuzkoa is one of those cities that are not easily forgotten. And the fact is that both its beaches and the rest of the spaces that we find distributed among its domains, provide us with a great gift for the senses. We recommend you to know some of the tourist attractions of Donostia San Sebastian and the towns that surround it, here is a small representation. We hope you like it.

 

Videos: Once again, we have uploaded a few videos to our YouTube channel so that you can know in detail each of these Basque spaces. We hope you find them helpful. On the other hand, we would like to remind you that you can subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up to date with each of our adventures in our land. We are sure you will find more than one video that catches your attention.

As you have been able to see, the different mountains surrounding the city, represent some of the best viewpoints of Donostia San Sebastian. Natural watchtowers, which we recommend you to visit and enjoy in style. Although for us these spaces are the most significant, we must not lose sight of the terraces of more than one building located on the beachfront, and is that these places represent other great options to enjoy Donostia San Sebastian from the heights. An example of this are the hotels in the city, spaces where we usually find terraces carefully designed to enjoy a long drink while watching the sunset, or simply contemplate the immensity and beauty of the sea. Among all the hotels that we find in the city, the one that in our opinion has the best views is the Hotel Mercure Monte Igeldo. Due to the altitude at which it is located, it allows us to enjoy a privileged view of the capital of Gipuzkoa. Of course, the unique views of the Hotel La Galería did not go unnoticed during our last visit to Donostia. Which one do you like the most? We look forward to your comments.