Season guide · San Sebastián · Spain
San Sebastián in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Spike, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Mild but rainy, with storm waves, the Tamborrada and cider houses; the lowest prices and the most local atmosphere in the bars. Expect highs up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 40 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 13°C (55°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 40
- Sea
- 12°C (54°F) to 14°C (57°F)
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 12°C (54°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 14 | 9.3 h | 2/5 |
| February | 12°C (54°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 12 | 10.4 h | 2/5 |
| December | 13°C (55°F) | 6°C (43°F) | 14 | 9 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 12°C (54°F) against a yearly 18°C (64°F), and 40 of the year's roughly 142 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Tamborrada — 24 hours of drumming parades for the city's saint's day (20 January)
- January: Cider season opening in the cider houses (usually mid-January)
- February: Caldereros — costumed parades with pans and kettles (usually early February)
- February: Carnival (February or early March)
- December: Santo Tomás fair — farmers' market with txistorra sausage stalls (21 December)
Good choices for winter
Religious site · Parte Vieja
Basilica of Santa María del Coro
Look back down Calle Mayor from the basilica steps to see the cathedral spire lined up at the far end.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Aquarium · Parte Vieja
San Sebastián Aquarium
At the end of the fishing port beneath Urgull, the aquarium combines a maritime museum on the city's whaling and seafaring history with tanks of Bay of Biscay species and a walk-through tunnel under a large oceanarium with sharks and rays.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Architecture · Egia
Tabakalera
Go up to the free rooftop viewpoint even if you skip the exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Views
- Rainy day
Museum · Miramón
Eureka! Zientzia Museoa
The city's science museum in the Miramón technology park has hands-on exhibits on physics, the human body and nature, a planetarium and simulators.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Parte Vieja
San Telmo Museoa
Leave time for the Renaissance cloister and the Sert murals in the church, which many visitors miss.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Day trips in winter
- Bilbao and the Guggenheim (About 1 hour 15 minutes by coach) — 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.
- Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Biarritz (About 1 hour by train) — 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.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit San Sebastián?
It is a trade-off: Mild but rainy, with storm waves, the Tamborrada and cider houses; the lowest prices and the most local atmosphere in the bars. The best months overall are June and September.
+What is the weather like in San Sebastián in winter?
Highs of up to 13°C (55°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 40 rainy days over the season.