The City Around Us

San Sebastian (also called Donostia in Euskara) is a cosmopolitan city, medium sized (around 180,000 inhabitants), facing the sea, and very famous for its beauty and aesthetic appeal. It’s a great city to live and study.

Located on the Cantabrian Sea coast, 20 kilometres from the French border, it enjoys a mild climate. La Concha Bay and its beach are a unique natural setting. In the middle of the bay sits the majestic island of Santa Clara framed by two hills which can be seen throughout the city: Mount and Mount Urgull Igueldo. Not far from San Sebastian you will find the Aralar range which are of huge interest to visitors with its Bronze Age monuments and Roman roads. The Aralar range is a wonderful place for hiking and winter cross country skiing.

The Pyrenees with its famous peaks and summits are within driving distance of the city and many ski-ing resorts are easily accessible by road. San Sebastián at the foothills of such famous mountains has a long history of mountain climbing and there are many clubs throughout the city. Many Basque expeditions have reached the highest peaks in the world in recent years (Everest and others).

Another tradition of the Basque Country is music. There are many choirs throughout the region with one of its particular highlights being the Orfeón Donostiarra singing competition, which has great international prestige.

San Sebastian is well linked to the rest of Spain and other European cities by both rail and by air. It is 468 Km from Madrid and just over 700 km from Paris. Pamplona which is only 90km from the city is where the Rector of the University of Navarra and most faculties are based. San Sebastian Airport is located 20 kilometers from the centre of the city. There are five daily flights to Madrid. Biarritz, France is only 45 minutes from the city and has daily flights to Paris

*Video: Turismo Donostia - San sebastián

*Video: Turismo Donostia - San sebastián