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Anyone who has ever walked through the streets of
Donosti
realizes that it is
a city with a special charm
. Because although the capital of Gipuzkoa - and the entire Basque Country in general - is especially
famous for its culinary offer
, perhaps the most varied and best valued in the entire national territory, San Sebastián is
much more than a gastronomic tourist destination
. And it is not only food that has fallen in love with icons of contemporary North American culture such as
Woody Allen and Bruce Springsteen
, who whenever they can visit a place that has also been important to them on a professional level, with massive concerts and shootings such as the one from the new yorker's last movie,
Rifkin Festival
(2020).
What is currently the
third city in the region according to the number of inhabitants
behind Bilbao and Vitoria, with
around 188,000
, is undoubtedly one of its main tourist attractions.
And it is surely a city that combines
everything that is sought when traveling in summer: beach, good food and a wide cultural and artistic offer.
THE FOOTPRINT OF CHILLIDA
The coast is precisely one of the strong points of Donosti.
Along the
Paseo de la Bahía de La Concha
, with the now famous white railing, you will find some of the most emblematic places of the city.
Right in the area that divides the two beaches of the city, La Concha and Ondarreta, is the
Miramar Palace, a building built by the Spanish Royal House in the 19th century during the reign of Isabel II
.
Supposedly, his doctor recommended that he bathe in the Cantabrian Sea to cure his herpes.
Image of the Comb of the Wind, the sculpture of Eduardo Chillida THE WORLD
Continuing along the promenade to the west and leaving the
Ondarreta beach
behind
, you
will reach another obligatory stop next to the coast,
El Peine del Viento
, which marks the end of the San Sebastián promenade.
Eduardo Chillida's
original
work
is made up of several steel structures (10 tons each) embedded in the rock. The area also has wind and water outlets that allow pedestrians to connect with the sea in a special way when the waves are strong.
Right at this point where Ondarreta beach ends and El Peine del Viento is located, you can access the
mountain that offers the best panoramic view of the city, the Igueldo
.
It is reached by funicular and once there, although the main
attraction
is the views, you can enjoy the historic
Monte Igueldo Amusement Park
, with ferris wheels, mountains and old-looking carousels that evoke nostalgia and from which you can appreciate unique sea and mountain landscapes.
SEA AND MOUNTAIN
Another of the coastal areas with more history in San Sebastián is the
La Perla spa
.
It also survives from the time of the
reign of Isabel II and the regency of María Cristina
, and the latter was, according to what is said, a regular user of hydrotherapy baths.
After being closed for decades, the spa is back in operation so that locals and visitors can enjoy the
therapeutic and relaxing effects of thalassotherapy in the Cantabrian Sea.
One of the facades of the Hotel María Cristina.ADOLFO RANCAÑO
Once in the inner part of the city, a
walk through the old part of the city is a must
. Art lovers will be able to find in the area how
all the architectural styles
that give San Sebastián such a picturesque aspect
are faced
. On the one hand, the
Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, of neo-Gothic style
and whose towers can be seen from almost anywhere in the city. Right at the other end of the old town, the
Basilica of Santa María del Coro
, with a façade that could be framed between the baroque and the rococo.
In addition to damaging a city in which tourism is one of the main sources of income, the pandemic has also caused
the Big Week not to be celebrated in the last two years
.
A week in which the taverns are full of people and you can enjoy concerts in the streets of El Antiguo and other types of shows throughout the historic center and the bay area.
CULTURAL OFFER: CINEMA AND JAZZ
But if there is something that stands out in the cultural offer of San Sebastián above all else, it is the
International Film Festival and the Jazz Festival (Jazzaldía)
.
The latter, combining free concerts with other paid concerts in closed venues, fills the streets of the city with music at the end of July.
Great myths of the genre such as
BB King, Ella Fitzgerald or Ray Charles
have passed through him
since it began to be celebrated in 1966.
The cinema is undoubtedly the most important of the festivals held in Spain
.
La Concha de Oro, the distinction for the best film of the festival has been collected by directors of the stature of
Francis Ford Coppola
or, in a national key, Fernando
León de Aranoa
.
The International Film Festival connects closely with another of the buildings that best represents the heritage of the
belle eqpoque
in San Sebastián, the
Hotel María Cristina
(another reference to the regent of Isabel II) now owned by
the Marriott group
.
A representation of the luxury and high
standing
with which the city is usually associated and in whose rooms great stars of the seventh art of all times such as
Brad Pitt or Alfred Hitchcock
have stayed
.
The Bette Davis Suite at the Hotel María Cristina.ADOLFO RANCAÑO
Special mention deserves the American actress
Bette Davis
.
In 1989 he collected the Donosti Award for his entire career
.
When she arrived in Donosti, the breast cancer that ended her life was already very advanced and a few days after her stay in Gupúzoa she died in Paris.
The room in which he stayed is named after the
Bette Davis Suite
in tribute to the protagonist of
Eva in the nude
.
ROUTE OF 'PINTXOS'
After a very hard year for the sector, the Hotel María Cristina,
a Luxury Collection Hotel
, has sought to reinvent itself by offering its clients new experiences that allow them to discover one of the great attractions of Donosti: gastronomy. In the same building is
Mimo Bite The Experience, a space specially designed to enjoy food in a special way.
It is a business with
three aspects
. On the one hand, there are the
gastronomic experiences and cooking classes
, which are very varied and which allow you to get to know Basque, Spanish and other world cuisine. Also within the hotel is the
Lukas Gourmet shop
, where it is possible to buy the first-rate products used in Mimo classes and events. And finally, the
gastronomic tours
, including one of
pintxos
that takes you through the places frequented by the locals with their crews.
And it is that, although it is obvious, it
never hurts to remember that going out for
pintxos
in San Sebastián is another of the things that must be done no matter how brief the visit is
.
The old part of the city has such a density of bars that you can enjoy a stroll through its streets with all kinds of snacks, from the
classic Gilda
to other
more elaborate meat and fish
pintxos
.
And to top it off, a portion of
cheese cake from La Viña
, one of the Donostiarras recipes that triumphs all over the world.
That said, it is no coincidence that Springsteen spends his summer in San Sebastián.
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