Walk along the coast of Donostia San Sebastian.

Meet the impressive promenade that runs along the coast of Donostia San Sebastian, enjoy the incredible gift that the mountains and beaches of Gipuzkoa give us.

Given the success of our article on the walk that connects Donostia with Pasaia, we have ventured to write about one of the most beautiful walks in the capital of Gipuzkoa, the coastal route that separates the mountains of Igeldo and Ulia, the two giants that protect the city. A route at sea level, which, in addition to lacking difficulty, leads us to visit some of the most beautiful corners of this magical corner of the Basque Country.

The wonderful geographical location of Donostia, invites us to walk along the seafront enjoying the stunning views of the city and its coastline, a walk with a taste of saltpetre, enjoyed daily by hundreds of Donostiarras. The coastal walk that we propose to you, is perfectly conditioned to walk comfortably, a simple and pleasant route, that we are going to crumble to the detail so that you enjoy it without any worry. Do you dare?

The itinerary that we describe below leads us along almost the entire coast of San Sebastian, a walk in which beaches, cliffs, mountains and urban centers make us fall in love as we pass by. This route can be easily divided into different stages or phases, taking advantage of each one of them to make a stop along the way, get strength and visit some of the tourist attractions that we propose. Here is a small appetizer of what we are going to show you next: A walk along Ondarreta beach, La Concha beach, Paseo Nuevo and a walk along Zurriola beach, a luxury. As we say in Euskal Herria, we are going to propose a “egun-pasa de aúpa”, an all-day plan, in which the 1-hour walk along the coast of San Sebastian is just an excuse to get to know the traditions, history and culture of the Basque people.

The major Basque cities are located next to remarkable natural areas; the Green Belt in Vitoria Gasteiz, the Nervion estuary in Bilbao or the coast in Donostia San Sebastian, all of them, great routes from which to know every corner of our most remarkable urban centers. As we did in our article“what to see in Bilbao“, we recommend that you let yourself be carried away by the main artery of the city, the coast. And the fact is that, touring every square meter of the sandy beaches and cliffs of San Sebastian gives us a different point of view from which to get to know what for many is the most beautiful city in Europe.

The sound of the sea accompanies us during this experience in which we will know from a different point of view the way of being of the Basque people. In Donostia San Sebastian, one of the most attractive cities in Euskadi, we find a beautiful number of spaces linked to our history and culture. We start with our perfect plan to get to know Donostia San Sebastian through a healthy coastal route.

Gastronomy: Donostia is the capital of world gastronomy. A city where eating badly is more difficult than eating well. Of course, prepare your wallet because it is also one of the most expensive. So, although it is practically impossible to eat badly, we are going to guide you on the gastronomic proposals to choose from.

We put point and aside to this section of restaurants, to focus on one of the most demanded gastronomic elements by tourists in Euskadi, the pintxos, the small great protagonists of the Basque gastronomy. Although practically all the bars in Donostia have a nice pintxo bar, we are going to focus on those in the Parte Vieja (Old Part), a place where prices are slightly higher, but well worth it.

For gastronomy lovers, for those people who want to live an elite gastronomic experience, Gipuzkoa has restaurants awarded with Michelin stars. Examples are Akelarre, Arzak, Martin Berasategui, Mugaritz, Amelia, Mirador de Ulia, Kokotxa, Zuberoa, Alameda or Elkano.

On the other hand, on the outskirts, in the coastal towns of Gipuzkoa, we find restaurants that work with fish in a very special way, a cultural work, which gives rise to some of the most demanded fish restaurants in the Basque Country. Here are some places where they handle the art of grilling and fish to perfection:

Beaches: It is here, in the capital of Gipuzkoa, where we find some of the best urban beaches in the world. And it is in Donostia, where La Concha beach, Zurriola beach and Ondarreta beach are located, 3 sandy beaches with a lot of personality, which offer us a long urban promenade next to the city. La Concha Bay and its beach are undoubtedly one of the most photographed areas of the city, a beach of more than a kilometer and a half, which shows off its sandy area from the City Hall to the so-called “Pico del Loro”, the space that marks the boundary with Ondarreta beach. To all these beaches we must add the most curious of all of them, the smallest, the beach of the Island of Santa Clara. A sandy area that fills with locals and strangers in summer.

Santa Clara Island: Santa Clara Island is another of the main protagonists of this urban walk. Located in the center of the Bay of La Concha, between the Aquarium and the Peine del Viento, this natural island of great presence, together with the bay and the mountains of Igeldo and Urgull, forms one of the most incredible landscapes of our coast. A unique place in the world. A scenery that transports the traveler to the interior of a fantasy movie. Santa Clara Island has a small beach with a lifeguard post, lighthouse, leisure area and bar, a small paradise, to which many people arrive by swimming or motorboat. We recommend you to reserve a place on one of the boat tours to get to know La Concha Bay and Santa Clara Island. Reservations here.

Urumea: The Urumea River was for centuries the most used way to transport all kinds of objects from the area of Astigarraga and Hernani to Donostia San Sebastian, among them, our beloved sagardoa (Basque cider). The wooden barges, narrow and elongated, transported from the sagardotegis (cider houses in Basque) those kupelas (barrels) in an effective way, bringing to the city the so precious broth that was obtained in the interior. This is how the Urumea River is known as the river of cider, an affectionate nickname that reminds us of its importance in the past. Here is a video (unedited and of short duration) showing the arrival of a barge on the right bank of the Urumea during the Sagardo Apurua festival.

Icons of Donostia San Sebastian: During this tour, we find some of the most important icons or emblems of Donostia San Sebastian. A nice list of spaces and objects that are photographed daily by thousands of travelers who choose this city as a holiday destination. Here are some of them.

Boat trips: We can merge this land tour with a nice sea tour, by boat. The destination of this tour depends on your tastes, budget and travel planning, but, among all of them there are 2 that stand out, the 2 routes made by the motor boats of the island. The island’s motorboat company is a family business that began in 1942 to provide regular passenger service in motorboats to Santa Clara Island. Today, they continue to perform the same function by means of 2 lines: Red Line (to and from the island) and the Blue Line (bay tour).

In summer, there is another maritime service to highlight, the coastal route Donostia – Pasaia, a service that promotes the region of Oarsoaldea to show the charms of their land (Errenteria, Lezo, Oiartzun and Pasaia) to anyone who feels like it. You can find more information about this service in our article “From Donostia to Pasaia by boat, maritime route in paradise”.

Mountains: The mountains Igeldo, Urgull and Ulía, the 3 giants that protect the city, are the giants of this route along the coast of Donostia San Sebastian. Nowadays, these 3 mountains have been reconverted into leisure and recreational areas, which is why they receive a large number of visitors throughout the year. These geographical alterations of Donostia, housed throughout its history military fortresses, watchtowers for whale watching or areas of enjoyment of the aristocracy among others.

What to see near Donostia San Sebastian: In Gipuzkoa we find some of the most important cultural projects of the Basque Country, among them we highlight Albaola, a museum-factory where it is being built by hand, as in the sixteenth century, the replica of the Whaler San Juan or the Igartubeiti Museum, a baserri (farmhouse in Basque) of the sixteenth century, a real architectural marvel, which show us everything linked to this type of traditional buildings of the Basque people. Here are some examples of places of great interest in the province of Gipuzkoa:

Route: The route can start at either end of the coast of Donostia San Sebastian, next to the Peine del Viento or Sagües, you choose. We chose the first of them, the Peine del Viento. This masterful work of Eduardo Chillida, fights day and night against the gigantic waves of the Cantabrian Sea. A work of art completed in 1976, which is formed by 3 pieces of steel of about 10 tons each. A sculptural set, that, located on a work of the architect Luis Peña Ganchegui surprises us in all the senses. And it is that, we must be careful with the holes that we find in their surroundings, they are air and water outlets in which the force of the sea is noted with the breaking of the waves. We recommend special caution on winter days, it would not be the first time that the sea gives a good scare to people who pass through this area.

We leave behind the Peine del Viento to continue our particular path along the coast of Donostia. And it is that, a few meters away, attached to the slope of Mount Igeldo, we find the funicular of the same name, a means of transport that accumulates in its entrails more than 100 years of history, which takes us to its summit, almost nothing. This funicular, the most popular transport of Igeldo, takes us back in time through its wooden wagons and its old machinery, a trip that, although it costs more than any common transport (3.15 € round trip) is 100% recommendable. At the end of the journey, at the top, we find the charming and retro amusement park of Igeldo, a very special space, which offers stunning views of the bay of Donostia San Sebastian. What a view! Remember that you can also climb Igeldo on foot or by road.

From here, we go back down to sea level to enter the promenade of Ondarreta beach, a route that surrounds the Antiguo neighborhood and through which we pass until we reach the “Pico del Loro”, the geographical boundary between Ondarreta beach and La Concha beach. After crossing the tunnel under the Miramar Palace, we arrive at La Concha, the most popular beach in Donostia San Sebastian.

We begin to skirt the bay of La Concha. Along the way, we find emblematic spaces such as the center of Thalasso Sport La Perla, “the area of the clocks” (the main access to this beach), the gardens of Alderdi Eder, the carousel, the cantilever or the City Hall among others. Spaces of obliged visit, that surely you will immortalize them in more than one occasion.

Further on, a few meters away, begins the port of Donostia, from where the aforementioned boats (the island’s motorboats) and the rest of the vessels that offer regular boat routes depart. It is in this same place where the Naval Museum and the Aquarium are also located, museum spaces of great value that accompany the “empty building”, the work of Jorge Oteiza in this particular cultural stretch of the Basque coast.

We step on the ground of the Paseo Nuevo under the watchful eye of Mount Urgull, moment in which we can choose to climb to its highest point to enjoy its views, the battery of Santiago and the Casa de la Historia (located in the Castillo de la Mota) or continue along the Paseo Nuevo enjoying the views until you reach the Kursaal. It all depends on the time you have and the tastes of each one.

Before reaching the Kursaal, on one of the slopes of Mount Urgull, we find the San Telmo Museum, a place where we are shown in detail every aspect of the culture and history of Euskal Herria.

Without realizing it, we have surrounded the old part of Donostia San Sebastian, that yes, if you do not have much time, we suggest you to cross it by “Portu Kalea”, the Plaza de la Constitución and Iñigo Kalea to get to the Kursaal directly, without any detour. On the other hand, it may be the best time to taste the famous pintxos of the old part of Donostia, visit the Bretxa market or any other space of this emblematic corner of Donostia.

We arrive at the Zurriola Bridge, where its incredible lampposts attract the attention of everyone who visits it. Next to it, the Kursaal (Congress Palace and Auditorium) stands out, from where we can directly access the Zurriola beach, the last sandy area of this idyllic coastal promenade.

We arrived at the foot of Mount Ulia, the point from which it is possible to access its summit and from which we say goodbye to this incredible walk along the coast of San Sebastian. It goes without saying that during the walk along the coast of Donostia you can and should make a stop for a refreshing swim, whatever the time of year, and if not, ask the brave men and women who can be seen in the water throughout the year.

What we have seen: Once we have finished the complete tour, we can conclude that in addition to enjoying a beautiful walk at sea level, we have known some of the most emblematic corners of Donostia San Sebastian, a two in one in all rules.

As you can see, the route that we propose around the coast of Donostia is a simple and pleasant route that gives us a nice collection of Basque spaces that we are sure you will love. A route that can also be done by bicycle. That is why we encourage you to read our article about bike rental in Donostia San Sebastian. We are sure you will like the idea.

Spectacles: The breaking of the waves or the sunsets that can be enjoyed from the Paseo Nuevo (promenade surrounding Monte Urgull) or from the Peine del Viento itself create spectacles worth admiring.

Once you have walked along the coast of Donostia San Sebastian and enjoyed the views of the Igeldo, Urgull and Ulia mountains, you will surely come to the same conclusion as most of the people who visit this city: Donostia is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Ondo pasa!