6 best day trips from San Sebastián

Day trips compared

The day trips

20 km · About 35–45 minutes by bus

1.Hondarribia

A walled medieval town on the Bidasoa estuary facing France, with a steep Parte Alta of painted balconies and a castle-turned-parador, and the fishermen's quarter of La Marina lined with pintxo bars. A small ferry crosses to Hendaye in France.

Getting there

Lurraldebus coach from the city centre

Best for

Couples, Food lovers, Culture

25 km · About 30–45 minutes by bus

2.Getaria and Zarautz

Getaria is a fishing port famous for whole turbot grilled over charcoal outside its asadores, terraced txakoli vineyards and the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum. Zarautz next door has one of the longest beaches on the Basque coast and a popular surf scene; a coastal path links the two in about an hour.

Getting there

Lurraldebus coach along the coast

Best for

Food lovers, Beach, Couples

35 km · About 45 minutes–1 hour by bus or train

3.Zumaia flysch cliffs

Around Itzurun beach and the chapel of San Telmo, the cliffs of the Basque Coast Geopark expose millions of years of tilted rock layers known as flysch. Low tide reveals the rock platforms, and boat trips and guided walks run along the coast to Deba.

Getting there

Lurraldebus coach or Euskotren

Best for

Quiet stays, Culture, Families

100 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by coach

4.Bilbao and the Guggenheim

Frank Gehry's titanium-clad Guggenheim Museum transformed Bilbao's riverfront and anchors a day of contemporary art, the Casco Viejo's Siete Calles pintxo bars and the large covered Ribera market.

Getting there

Frequent coaches from the San Sebastián bus station

Best for

Culture, First-timers, Food lovers

35 km · About 1 hour by train

5.Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz

Across the border in the French Basque Country, Saint-Jean-de-Luz has a sheltered beach, a fishing harbour and the church where Louis XIV married. Biarritz, a little further on, is a belle-époque surf resort with the Rocher de la Vierge and a grand seafront.

Getting there

Euskotren to Hendaye, then SNCF regional train

Best for

Couples, Beach, Culture

7 km · About 20 minutes by bus, or 2–3 hours on foot

6.Pasai Donibane

A one-street fishing village of tall, colourful houses squeezed between the hillside and the harbour, where Victor Hugo once lodged. Albaola, a shipyard museum, is building a full-size replica of a 16th-century Basque whaling ship, the San Juan.

Getting there

Bus to Pasai San Pedro and the passenger boat, or the coastal walk

Best for

Quiet stays, Food lovers, Culture

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Pay by contactless card on board or use a Mugi transport card for cheaper fares across buses and trains.
• Euskotren suburban trains run east to Pasaia, Irun and Hendaye on the French border and west towards Bilbao; Renfe trains use the main Donostia station in Egia.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask