Parte Vieja

If you’re hungry, this is the place in San Sebastian to go. It’s the older downtown area of San Sebastian filled with tons of bars, restaurants, gift shops, botiques and ice cream shops. The bars start «snack time» around 2 pm and end around 7 pm. Many of the bars sell pintxos (translates to small bites) for around 1.80 Euro. You can also get beer for around 2 Euro. My suggestion is to walk around, find the bar with the biggest crowd (the locals know best), walk in, ask the bartender for a plate, pick up as many or as few pintxos as you want and then you pay. Some places have better pintxos than others so you can either eat a ton at one place and fill up or eat 2 – 3 at each place and just bar hop. At night some of the bars turn into a club of sorts, many of which play American music, to my liking.
Basically, if you’re in San Sebastian, you can;t miss this area and the best times to go are in the late afternoon (3−5ish) and in the wee hours of the night (11−3am).

San Sebastian is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever set my eyes on. It is even better to walk around and eat in. It is a destination for for those who love food as the Pintxos to Michelin star eateries are abundant. The architecture a mix of Basque, Spanish, full of one of the most enthusiastic eating societies ever. Going from bar to bar hunting down Pintxos in the old town is a great way to experience the culinary offerings that are hidden through the many nooks and alleys. The Basque culture one of the most unique I’ve ever experience and the breadth of it can be had here in the Parte VIeja

It’s a given that if you’re in San Sebastian you’re going to have to check out the old part, Parte Vieja. Tiny little alleyways filled with bars, restaurants and boutiques of all kinds.
It fills up with all kinds of people after dark which only adds to the excitement and the energy… local singles, families with kids, seniors, and loads of tourists from all over the world.
Tons of history and culture and all that, it’s pretty much a must see if you’re in that part of the world.

Protecting the narrow streets of Old Town (Parte Vieja) is the solid bulk of Monte Urgull, which also shelters the small harbour area. This is where San Sebastian was born about 1000 years ago. Because the Town burned down in 1813 (as Spain, Portugal, and England fought the French to get Napoleon’s brother off the Spanish Throne), the architecture is generally Neoclassical and uniform. Still, this dense street grid hides heavy Baroque and Gothic Churches, surprise plazas, delicious pastry shops, lots of Pintxos (Tapas) bars, various Basque cultural items, and interesting places to shop.
Gayle and I particularly enjoyed seeing the Basilica of Santa María as it faces the Iglesia de Buen Pastor (in New Town) across the Calle Mayor. We also walked along the water on both the Puerto Pequero and Kursaal Bridge sides, and with a nice hike up Monte Urgull in between. The Camino de Santiago (Northern Route) also follows Av. Zurriola (and towards La Concha Beach), and adjacent park was a nice place to hang out and watch this part of the World go by. Our other activities included a wonderful Tapas Lunch, a not as impressive dinner, relaxing at La Bretxa Plaza over a drink, marveling at Constitución Square and the nearby Town Hall and Kursaal Conference Center buildings, venturing into Calle Juan de Bilbao for a short lesson in Basque politics, enjoying the outlying areas of El Muelle, Monte Urgull, and Gros, and doing a lot of walking, including trying to get lost. It’s all compact and doable in a reasonable amount of time.