I love San Sebastian (Gipuzkoa)! The moment I arrived there at Easter 1971, late at night, aged just 20, I was hooked. Forget the Day 2 hangover - the worst of my life - I decided Spain was for me.
San Sebastian by night [Photo: unattributed]
I spent six months there. I was studying Spanish at university and San Seb was where we were sent as an obligatory part of the degree course. I also got six months in Germany, as I was also studying German. But that's for another day.
San Sebastian - My Story
I returned to Donostia (the name in euskera - Basque - that the city is now officially known by) for three more summers. I loved it!
And I vowed to myself that one day I would emigrate to Spain to live. I eventually managed that 38 years later, but I chose Ronda (Malaga) not SanSe.
Bay of La Concha, San Sebastian [Spain.info]
There are many reasons for that choice, which I shan't list here, but I still have a soft spot for San Sebastian.
And now the international Press has declared that this Spanish city is the most perfect in the world.
I feel vindicated. I discovered it first!
La prensa internacional se rinde a esta ciudad española: "Es la más perfecta del mundo"
As reported in the Spanish daily La Razón, Spain is the second most-visited country in the world after France.
Yet, if you take out the visitors who flock to Disneyland Paris, Spain leaps into first place in the whole of the world.
Their reporter, known just as Nora, reports that:
Apart from a country's history, monuments, and so on, the truth is that its towns and cities are what count. That is why even the international press considers one Spanish city to be "the most perfect in the world," demonstrating its huge admiration for Spain and her islands.
[Kiosko.net]
From La Concha Beach to unbeatable cuisine: the international press highlights San Sebastián as 'the jewel of Spain and the world'.
Eddi Fiegel, a British journalist specializing in art, music, cinema, gastronomy, and of course, travel, considered it 'the perfect city' in an article in The Telegraph published in early 2025.
Rating a series of European cities she has visited, she gave San Sebastián a ten out of ten, the maximum score.
"This jewel of the Basque Country was one of the favorite vacation destinations of the Spanish royalty at the beginning of the 20th century, partly because of its large sandy beaches, its cool sea breezes, and its Belle Époque architecture, but above all because of its beauty," highlighted the journalist, citing as an example that "during the First World War, Maurice Ravel, Leon Trotsky, and Mata Hari visited San Sebastian; nowadays, it is film stars who go there."
"Especially during the San Sebastian annual film festival," adds Eddi. But she also highlights the city's gastronomy, which she describes as 'unbeatable.'
"San Seb has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants and top-notch pintxo bars in Spain."
[Screen Daily]
The U.S. travel website "Islands" also begins by talking about its gastronomy, highlighting that it is "a paradise, home to the most famous cheesecake in the world and twenty Michelin stars."
The website highlights the important culinary culture of San Sebastián, which "is not limited to high-end restaurants, but is also home to pintxos."
"Chefs in this city are always trying to outdo each other, but the classics are unbeatable."
[EL PAIS]
In another article from the same publication, journalist Rick Steves described San Sebastián as "the coastal city with the most beautiful golden sand beach in Europe."
"It enjoys a privileged location with a golden beach flanked by two peaks and a charming little island off the coast."
The Playa de La Concha received the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award for Best Beach in 2024.
[Civitatis]
Final thought
I haven't been to San Sebastian for years. High time I checked it out again! Maybe next year .....
© The Spanish Fly (Paul Whitelock)
Piccies:
Civitatis, EL PAIS, Kiosko.net, Screen Daily, Spain.info,
Thanks:
Google Translate, La Razon, Paul Whitelock, The Spanish Fly, Wikipedia
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Tags:
arquitectura Belle époque, Basque, Civitatis, Donostia, Eddi Fiegel, EL PAIS, euskera, Google Translate, Kiosko.net, La Razon, León Trotsky, Mata Hari, Maurice Ravel, Michelin, País Vasco, Paul Whitelock, pintxos, Playa de la Concha, Rick Steve, Screen Daily, Spain.info, The Spanish Fly, The Telegraph, Travelers' Choice, TripAdvisor,