LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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San Sebastián is perhaps not the most obvious place for a stag party. When most people hear the name San Sebastián, they will almost certainly imagine scenes of up market seafood restaurants, yachting and a large foodie culture. However all these things combined can make a truly excellent stag party. While true San Sebastián is also a huge student city, both domestically and for foreign students on the Erasmus scheme, and there is a nightlife scene to cater to them, making this a party city with pockets of activity match Barcelona. I will discuss in this article whether San Sebastián is a good stag/buck’s bachelor destination?

Where is San Sebastián?

San Sebastián is located in north east Spain, a short hop from the French border and is often mistaken for actually being in France. Aloo known in Basque as Donostia San Sebastián and has a population of 185,000 in 2018. This is about half the size of Bilbao but a similar size to Santander, all cities further along the coast.

What is the weather like in San Sebastián?

The climate in San Sebastián has hot dry summers and wet winters. Temperatures range throughout the year between 5C to 33C on average.

When is the best time to visit San Sebastián?

Summer naturally is a pleasant time to visit San Sebastián. It rains on average most in November so if you want to take advantage of the al fresco drinking and eating in San Sebastián then don’t book a stag bachelor party during this month. I went in November and it rained non stop the whole time we were there.

How to get to San Sebastián?

Flights from the London, U.K take just under two hours and return flights can be bought for around £80. These are flights prices in March. For more accurate prices see here at Skyscanner.

How to get from San Sebastián airport to the center?

The airport is located 20km from the centre of San Sebastián where you can catch the E20 or E21 buses which take around 40 minutes. A taxi will only take 20 minutes but expect to be charged 40 euros.

Where can I get a sim card?

Need a sim card on landing or about to fly off? Rather than the hassle of finding/getting a physical sim card, an easier method these days is to get an e-sim. Simply select the country or region you are in and get data and calls on your phone. More info can be found here.

Prices are reasonable, usually only $25 for 20GB of data. We now always use this method when travelling as it just saves so much time and bother!

What is San Sebastián known for?

San Sebastián is most famous for its food a famously has the most Michelin star restaurants per capita behind Kyoto. Away from the food it has two enormous beaches to hang out on during the day which are renowned for surfing. We explored San Sebastián’s nightlife to see whether it would be a good destination for a stag/bucks bachelor party.

Is San Sebastián expensive?

San Sebastián has places to stay and eat at a range of prices and is nowhere near as expensive as cities like Monaco or NYC. You can easily get a plate of pinchos for two euros and a large beer for three euros in the old town. Accommodation is something I spent more on, a hotel room for two people at a 2/3 star hotel won’t come less that 100 euros a night in summer, although this may drop during the quieter winter months. I would strongly recommend booking ahead for the busier months. Considering all this you will likely need to budget around 400/500 euros for the weekend per person.

Does San Sebastián have good nightlife?

San Sebastian has tonnes of good places to eat and drink that go on late into the night. If you only staying here for short time then your best bet is to head straight for the Old Town in the center of the city as that is where the action is.

What are the best bars in San Sebastián?

Here are the best bars we found in San Sebastian.

1/ Cafe Burunda

2/ Cote Bar Donostia San Sebastian

3/ Altxerri Bar & Jazz

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A post shared by Altxerri jazz&bar (@altxerribar)

4/ Picachilla

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A post shared by Bar Picachilla (@picachilla)

5/ Pub Argia Donostia

With these amazing bars San Sebastian is a good destination for a stag buck’s bachelor party.

Can you drink outside in San Sebastián?

Yes you can drink outside in San Sebastian. There are numerous bars where people will buy bottles of beer and sit outside on steps or walls. Drinking is also tolerated on the beaches. The old town in San Sebastian also has large number of pinchos bars where you can perch outside taking in the street life.

What stag activities can you do in San Sebastián?

Here are some awesome ideas for activities in San Sebastian:

1/ One of the most unusual activities you can do on a stag party to San Sebastian is go to a surf school. Zurriola beach is where the best waves can be found and naturally one the best surf school is here, Zurriola Surf Eskola. You can choose to have lessons here or just rent a board.

2/ Take a large speedboat cruise around the bay with meal and alochol included. More details can be found on Trip Advisor here.

3/ Museo del Whisky – if you are into your whisky this could be a good place to hangout with an amazing collection. However it is pricey compared to local drinks.

What is the famous San Sebastian drink?

White wine called Txakoli is one of San Sebastians most famous drinks it’s refreshingly dry and light bodied, between 9-11% alcohol. lt can be bought at all bars and costs around 2 euros for a small glass. It became my firm favourite while I was there.

What are the famous foods in San Sebastian?

Here are the best foods to try while on bachelor party in San Sebastian, I tried most of them with fresh salt cod and fois grois being the highlight for me.

• Salt Cod
• Fois Gras
• Lamb stew
• Idiazabal (goats cheese)
• Basque gateau

Best rooftops bars in San Sebastián?

• Arraun
• Pub Terraza Tzurrut
• Bar Swing
• Akerbeltz

Where to stay in San Sebastián?

Lets break down three different budgets for where to stay in San Sebastian.

Low end: Pension Aussie Guesthouse

Medium end: Pension Altair

High end: Hotel Maria Cristina

Is San Sebastián worth visiting?

San Sebastian is one Spains most beautiful cities that is very walkable due to it’s size and street layout. The amount of students here makes sure it doesn’t feel like a place just for the rich and that is shown by the number of cheap and delicious pinchos bars available. It is definitely worth a visit.

San Sebastian vs Barcelona for a stag destination?

But wouldn’t just going to Barcelona be more fun than San Sebastian? It’s true Barcelona would also be an epic destination for a stag bachelor party but the advantages of having it in San Sebastian are the size of the city for a short trip and the fact your group will have unlikely to have been here before, making it more exciting for the group.

People walking around with shells on their backpacks?

These walkers are doing the Camino Norte, a thru hike of over 800km across the top of Spain. San Sebastian is almost the beginning of the walk. If you see them make sure you wish them well on their pilgrimage by saying Buen Camino!

Overall would San Sebastián make a good stag bucks destination?

Hopefully this article has convinced you that San Sebastian could be your next stag/bachelor destination With amazing food, cheap drinks and a city that will make sure none of your group is lost for too long. Lets go to the ratings for this city.

Ratings

• Food and Drink | 10/10
• Value for Money | 7/10
• Activities | 6.5/10
• Nightlife | 7/10

TOTAL | 7.5/10

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Costume for the groom? Find them here on Amazon.

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