Car hire San Sebastian

Introduction

San Sebastián is the capital of the province of Gipuzkoa in the Spanish Basque Country. The official name of the city is Donostia and therefore its inhabitants call themselves donostiarras. It has one of Europe's best city beaches and with the surf of the Bay of Biscay surfers can have a lot of fun here. The city consists of three parts: the Old Town (Parte Vieja, with historic buildings and churches), Gros and Centro. San Sebastián is renowned for its excellent restaurants, which are specialized in everything the fishermen fish. There are several restaurants with one or more Michelin stars. Furthermore there are many tapas restaurants (called pintxos in Basque Country), especially in the Old Town.

Population

The city has a population of more than In 200,000, but the urban area of San Sebastián has twice as many inhabitants.

Location

San Sebastián is located in the north of Spain, in Basque Country, on the Bay of Biscay and near the border with France. The city lies on the mouth of the river Urumea. The area is hilly, with the river Urgull in the center of town, just east of the town lies Mount Ulia, extending south to Pasaia and west lies Mount Adarra.

Economy

Nowadays, the port in the center of San Sebastián is only used by fishermen and pleasure cruising. The commercial port has moved to the suburb of Pasajes, just east of the city. This port is not nearly as big as Bilbao's port. Mechanical engineering is an important industry in the province of Gipuzkoa. The company CAF, which makes train cars, underground trains and locomotives is located there. High tech companies are located at Technology Park Miramon.

Airports

The city's airport is located 22 kilometers northeast of the center, right on the French border. San Sebastián Airport is easily accessible by rental car. From the center of town, first take the N-1 and then the N-638. The way to the airport is clearly indicated.

Public Transport

San Sebastián has good public transport, provided by the company D-Bus. If you're staying in the city for a longer period of time and use the bus a lot, it pays to buy a Kutxa smartcard. This way you will pay half for each bus trip.

Traffic and Parking

San Sebastián is a relatively small town and the center is best explored on foot. In summer and during holidays (Christmas, Easter) it can be very busy. The best places to park your rental car are the P+R areas on the outskirts of town (in Antiguo and Amara) and continue by public transport. In the city center there are several underground car parks (such as la Concha, Boulevard and Kursaal), but these are full very quickly. Often, you will see a lot of cars waiting until a space becomes available. You'll have to pay for parking in the street form 9am until 8pm, except on Sundays.

A rental car is ideal for excursions to the area. San Sebastián has excellent connections to the rest of Spain via highways A8 (to Bilbao) and A1 (to the French border and to Burgos and Madrid).

Hotels

There is a wide range of accommodations in and around San Sebastián: from five star hotels to simple guesthouses and nearby summer cottages and campsites. Outside the summer season and holiday seasons like Christmas and Easter there are always rooms available. If you would like to visit San Sebastián during high season, then we recommend you to book your accommodation in advance.

External Sources

For more information about San Sebastián we recommend Google and the following sources:

• Wikipedia, San Sebastián
• Official website San Sebastián (multilingual)
• Tourist Information San Sebastián (multilingual)