Photo: Josep Thomas i Bigas (185…, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
The 3-day plan, rearranged for 2 days: the best-ranked places stay, and each day keeps to one part of town.
Dishes the travel guides name for this place, and the restaurants they list for them.
Small-plate dishes, the Basque Country's version of tapas, eaten at the bars of the Old Town, with cold ones on the bar and hot ones cooked
Cured ham, usually seen hanging from the ceiling in whole legs, served at the pintxos bars.
From Wikivoyage and Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Listings are what the guides list, not a ranking, and places change, so check before you go. Photos: Cantabrucu, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The market square at the edge of the Old Town, where the city’s food shopping has gone on for generations. Come to see the produce, fish and cheese the cooks here build their meals from.
Go when Mid morning, once the stalls are set up and before the lunch hour.
Local tip Treat it as a tasting walk: buy a little cheese, a few olives and some bread, and ask what is in season. Check ahead for the days the market is busiest.
The old arcaded square at the heart of the Old Town, its balconies still numbered from the days when it held a bullring. A good place to sit and watch the day go by.
Go when Midday, when the arcades give shade and the cafes fill with a slow crowd.
Local tip Look up at the balconies. The numbers are left over from when the square was a bullring and each balcony sold seats.
A long, easy lunch of a thick potato tortilla, creamy croquettes and a glass of txakoli, the local, lightly sparkling white wine that is poured from a height.
Local tip Share a few plates between you and order in rounds rather than all at once.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A museum of Basque history and culture, set in a former convent beside the Old Town, with a cloister and a church. A cool, quiet stop between a long lunch and the evening.
Go when Mid afternoon, when the lunch crowds thin out and you want somewhere quiet.
Local tip Start in the cloister and church, then choose just one or two of the galleries. Check ahead for the days it is closed.
The Old Town, a tight grid of narrow streets rebuilt after the 1813 fire and packed with pintxo bars. The whole point is to wander from bar to bar rather than settle in one.
Go when Early evening, when the bars start filling and the counters are stacked with fresh pintxos.
Local tip Stand at the bar, order one or two bites and a small drink, then move on. The pintxo crawl is a way of walking, not a way of sitting.
The Old Town’s way of eating: move from bar to bar and have one or two pintxos in each. Look for the hot ones chalked on the board, grilled mushrooms and seared foie gras on toast, and the cold ones lined on the bar.
Local tip Take what is on the counter, then order the hot ones fresh. Keep a toothpick with every bite so you can tally up at the end.
Hours change, so check before you go.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
The shell-shaped beach that made the city famous, with a wide, elegant promenade along its whole curve. Walk it slowly, one end to the other, with a stop for a coffee on the way.
Go when Morning, when the beach is quiet and the light is soft on the water.
Local tip Walk the promenade with the bay on your right all the way along, then come back on the sand if the tide allows.
The old fort on top of Monte Urgull, reached by a shady walk up through the trees. The view over the Old Town, the bay and the harbor is the best in the city.
Go when Morning, before the heat, for the walk up and the view.
Local tip The path winds up through the trees from the harbor side of the Old Town, so wear shoes with a good grip. The summit looks over the Old Town, the bay and the sea.
A set of three steel sculptures by Eduardo Chillida, anchored to the rocks at the far end of the beach. On a windy day the sea crashes through the blowholes below.
Go when Late afternoon, or on a stormy day when the waves send spray through the blowholes.
Local tip Walk right to the edge of the platform for the sound, and keep an eye on the waves when the sea is rough. The paving gets wet.
A vintage funicular carries you up Monte Igueldo to a lookout over the whole bay. The ride is short and the view is the reward, best as the light softens.
Go when Early evening, before sunset, when the bay glows.
Local tip The old funicular is part of the charm, so take it up instead of driving. Stay on top for the lights coming on below.
Txuleta is the thick, bone-in rib steak of the Basque grill houses: seared over embers, sliced at the table, and served with just salt and perhaps a few piquillo peppers.
Local tip Order it for two and split it, because one steak is plenty. It is served rare to medium-rare.
Hours change, so check before you go.
It covers 2 days in San Sebastián, planned for mid September. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 0.5 to 2.6 kilometers between its stops, and 3.1 kilometers in all across 2 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
4 days at San Fermín in PamplonaAbout 60 km awayAn easy add-on
4 days in MadridAbout 350 km away
3 days in BarcelonaAbout 400 km awayOther guides with a page about San Sebastián. Each one opens in a new tab.
Photo: Gonzalomauleon, CC BY-SA 3.0 es on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Kent Wang, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
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