Sun, sand and snacks in dog-friendly San Sebastian

San Sebastian was high on our wish list as we'd heard about its amazing beaches, culture and food and couldn't wait to get there and explore. It’s a very lively and vibrant town that is also incredibly dog-friendly. I think of all the places we've visited, it was probably the one that Beatle loved the most (mostly because of the ginormous beach!).

THINGS TO DO

Amazing Dog-Friendly Beaches!

San Sebastian has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen, and the three main ones in town are dog friendly and off leash. It is however, worth noting that these beaches are only officially open to dogs during some of the year (1 Oct to 30 May). I can see why dogs are not allowed as the combination of summer heat and huge crowds would be challenging. But as we were visiting during off peak it was absolutely fantastic as the beach felt quite empty - apart from the many doggo’s enjoying it.

La Concha is the main beach and at low tide is absolutely huge. The sand is a golden colour and nice and compact which makes it ideal for your dog to run at full speed down to the water. You can walk from one end to the other easily and there are plenty of places to enter / exit the beach. As it’s shared with swimmers, and others enjoying the space it’s important to monitor your dog and make sure you keep the beach clean of waste. Due to the shape of the bay, this beach is also quite protected from the elements, in terms of wind and waves and offers some safe swimming if your dog likes to get wet! The promenade itself is also a really pretty walk and has lots of space so you can take your time. There are some really interesting buildings between the walkway and the beach as you walk further around, including some of the beachside restaurants.
Ondaretta Beach is to the left of La Concha and separated by a large rock formation / lookout. From La Concha its about a 20 min walk to get there, but its the perfect stop if you're heading to or from Comb of the Wind or are just taking an extended walk.
Zurriola Beach is about 20 mins walk to the right of Old Town (and across the Urumea River). It’s also huge and has lots of space for your dog to run around. Zurriola is less sheltered and is a popular surf beach, so is more windy with bigger waves than the others - so take this into consideration if have a dog that likes swimming.

For more info about beach hours and restrictions visit SanSebastianTurismoa.esu

Town Hall and Alderdi Eder Park Area

Between La Concha Beach and Old Town is the beautiful Town Hall building, and in front of it is a mid-sized park called Alderdi Eder. Depending on the time of year, there might even be different events happening in this area (when we were visiting there was a ferris wheel and carousel). The park itself is also a nice spot to sit and relax after a long day of competitive pinxos eating.

Explore Old Town

There is a lot to see in Old Town, but we found the best route was to head towards City Hall and then just wing it! Old Town is set out in somewhat of a grid pattern which makes it quite easy to navigate. It’s packed full of busy bars and restaurants, as well as a range of shops and souvenir stores. In its centre is the large Plaza de la Constitucion which is really interesting and also has a number of restaurants around its edges. There are also a couple of pretty churches to find, including Basilica de Santa Maria del Coro (against the hillside) and Iglesia de San Vincente.

Pinxos Bars

No visit to San Sebastian would be complete without eating your bodyweight in Pinxos. These little bites are a part of the Basque lifestyle and are an inexpensive way to try lots of new flavour combinations - and they pair perfectly with a cold beer or wine. It was a lot of fun to head out in the evening not knowing what new place we'd stumble upon. While we visited a LOT of Pinxos Bars, (so many I can't even name them all), we found that not many had outdoor seating, but the good news was that quite a few allowed dogs inside. Beats loved watching all the food coming out and made sure she let us know that she needed to taste a few - purely for quality control. We found it was best to ask at the door (or point if language was a barrier) to ask if she was allowed inside. The Basque Country travel site also has a comprehensive list of dog friendly places to eat here We didn't travel in peak season, so there was more space inside for the fur kids, but I do think it would be difficult to do during summer as the small streets and alleys would be packed with people. Pinxos bars also tend to be small and noisy during busy times, so there is a risk that your dog could get stood on or just not enjoy the experience, and going outside of peak times would help mitigate this.

Downtown San Sebastian

While Old Town is extremely charming, if you get pinxo'd out or just want to do a bit of shopping, the main area is also quite compact and dog friendly to walk around. We didn't really venture into any stores with Beatle, but we did walk the streets and check out some of the main attractions in this part of town including; La Catedral del Buen Pastor - which is a huge cathedral that is really impressive and has quite a bit of space around it to explore.

Explore the Urumea River Area

We also really enjoyed exploring the riverfront area as it had a number of interesting buildings and other structures to check out. If you start at the Ocean end of the river you can look across to the impressive Kubo Kutxa building. From there you can also admire the pretty Zurriolako bridge with its sculptural pillars.

At the bridge, look to the right to see the impressive Teatro Victoria Eugenia (Theatre) and the pretty gardens surrounding it.

As you continue to follow the river you will eventually reach the Maria Cristina Bridge (third bridge from the Ocean). This bridge is particularly striking as it has two large white and gold statues / structures at each end as well as interesting street lamps. Don't forget to look over the edge to see more decorative sculptures on its support structures.

Cool structures on the Maria Cristina Bridge

Comb of the Wind Sculptures (Peine del Viento)

I highly recommend this walk if you and your dog have the energy as it’s about 40 mins each way from City Hall. The Comb of the Wind sculptures are a must see and the walk to get to them is just as interesting. From Town Hall (or La Concha Beach), follow the promenade all the way around the bay. As you approach the rocky outcrop, it’s a good opportunity to take a break and admire the vistas back towards the town and our to the small Santa Klara island.

From here continue on through the El Antiguo tunnel and don’t forget to look up at the beautifully decorated ceiling. When you come out the other side there are a couple of options. The first is to go right out to the viewing platform for a quick look before continuing back to the boardwalk.

Continuing along the boardwalk, you'll reach the rocks and sculptures. From here there are lots of different angles to choose from and we really enjoyed getting lots of great snaps before finding a spot to sit and watch (and listen to) the waves for a while. If you prefer to drive to Comb of the Wind instead of waking, it will take around 15 mins.

Comb of the Wind is amazing to see and a great walk

Miramar Palace and Park

The other option when you come out of the tunnel is to turn left and head up the hillside to Miramar Palace and its pretty grounds. From the dog-friendly front lawn you get great vistas over the bay and back to town. It’s a great spot to catch your breath and rest in the shade as its feels a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Old Town. You can then either then take the path back down to rejoin the boardwalk, or continue down the other side of the Palace gardens to meet up with the Jardines de Ondaretta park.

Parque de Urgull

This large park is located on the hill that sits behind Old Town. It offers great views back over the town, bay and out to sea - and at the top is the Castle of La Mota (which is more of a fortress). The park is very dog friendly and is also off lead at times (1800 - 1200 in winter and 1900 - 1000 in summer). To get there, walk from City Hall around the marina and then follow the signs. While we were keen to check it out, we got interrupted by rain, so instead we decided to follow the road around the bottom of the hill . As we walked around the marina, instead of going up, we headed to the Aquarium rooftop for some nice views back across the beach and town.

From there we walked another few minutes until we reached the 'Construccion Vacia' sculpture which sits at the entrance to the bay. As it was a bit of a stormy looking day, we got some great photos before heading back to town. From this spot back to Town Hall was only around 15-20 mins each way with a moderate incline as you go around the back of the marina. If you chose, you could keep walking right the way around the mountain, I think it would take about 30-40 mins from there to get back to Town Hall.

Its worth walking around the hill behind Old Town to get some great views out to sea

OTHER THINGS TO DO

Igeldo Funicular and Monte Igueldo Amusement Park

You and your dog can ride the bright red funicular over 100 metres up to the top of Monte Igueldo. It’s located by heading inland from the end of Ondarreta Beach. Once at the top, you'll get great views back over San Sebastian and there is an easy walk around the top to get different vistas across the bay and nearby mountains. Depending on the time of year, the Amusement Park might also be open and you can walk around this with your dog (they just can’t go on any rides).

EAT

On the chance that you’ve over indulged in pintos or feel like more of a sit down meal, there are plenty of other options to choose from around San Sebastian. Many are dog friendly and will have signs on their door advising if dogs are welcome, but it’s usually a given if they have an outdoor or a covered patio.

GETTING AROUND

We parked the car at the hotel and didn't use it at all to get around San Sebastian as it’s quite compact and very walkable.

IN SUMMARY

San Sebastian is a fantastic place to visit with your dog as there are so many amazing things to see and do. The absolutely amazing beaches alone would make a visit worthwhile, but if you want to be able to utilise these aim to travel outside of peak times - your fur kid will thank you for it! For more information about visiting San Sebastian with your best bud visit SanSebastianTurismoa.eus

Sun, sand and snacks in dog-friendly San Sebastian

Bustling dog-friendly Barcelona