Located on the southern shore of the Bay of Biscayne in the Basque country and very close to the French border, San Sebastian -or Donostia in Basque- has been one of the two cultural capitals of Europe in 2016 despite its small size of approximately 186,000 inhabitants. Spreading out from circular La Concha Bay with its pristine white beach and along the river Urumea, San Sebastian has a special feel to it. The Basque like to compare it to a smaller Paris that attracted wealthy beachgoers during the Belle Époque. One of San Sebastian’s most impressive buildings is the town hall which was originally built as a casino in 1882. Several buildings dating back to the 19th century still remain and the Romantic Center shows a number of examples of the Parisian style architecture.
On the other hand, La Parte Vieja, i.e. the Old Town, has the highest concentration of bars worldwide and the local pintxos (the Basque name for tapas) are considered especially tasty. That should be no surprise, considering that 9 restaurants in San Sebastian have a total of 16 Michelin stars –only Tokyo has more! Next to the Old Town, and jutting out into the Cantabrian Sea, is Mount Urgull with the remains of its fort and walls that surrounded the medieval town in the 12th century. Along the shore of Ondorreta Beach a group of steel sculptures known as “Peine del Viento” (Comb of the Wind) vie for San Sebastian’s most iconic image, although the International Film Festival will be better known to outsiders.
We are on Getaria and Wine Tasting
Enjoy an excursion filled with pleasant vistas and delicious, rare wine as you travel from San Sebastian to Getaria .Departing the pier, drive 30 minutes to Mount Igueldo to see a panoramic view of San Sebastian's oyster-shaped La Concha bay, a postcard picture-perfect setting.
Next, drive 45 minutes to the village of Getaria, located on the coast of Guipuzcoa, a well-known fishing village due to be the home town of prominent seafaring men, including Juan Sebastian Elcano, the first captain known to sail around the world. In enjoy some free time to visit Getaria, where you also have the opportunity to discover the unique and special denomination of their Txacoli wine. From the village, retreat to a cellar of Txacoli, locally called Getariako Txacolina, only produced in this village and the nearby surroundings. The main production of this variety is white wine, but there is a modest production of red grapes from which they produce rose wine. Visit the vineyard, the cellar and enjoy a taste of white wine and some tapas before you return to the ship
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