San Sebastian is located in the northern part of Spain and boasts a calm and soothing ambiance for its residents as well as tourists. You may be including the small seaside city in your itinerary, but you will be impressed by how it treats you and what it offers. Even being a part of Spain, San Sebastian is better known as the Basque Country for being the home of one of the earliest civilizations in Europe. They even have their own language, Euskara, and their culture and traditions are way different.
If you have planned for a San Sebastian guide, then knowing a few important things beforehand will be beneficial for you.
Unique Landscape
San Sebastian is a seaside town, and naval heritage has played a major role in its development, but it also boasts a diverse landscape from rugged mountains to sharp coastlines. One day you might be resting on a bench on the shore of the beach, and the next day you will be hiking your way to the mountains to view the town’s coastlines better. Even after the development, the landscapes of the town have remained untouched.
Local Language
Unlike the rest of Spain, locals here do not speak Spanish, but they have their own language, Euskera (Basque). There is no root traced to date for the language, and it has no similarity with any other language in the world, which makes it extremely difficult to learn and speak. When visiting San Sebastian, don’t expect people to greet you in Spanish and rather use a language entirely incomprehensible to you.
Food is the Highlight
Any new city or town you visit, food will obviously be new to you, but San Sebastian is not just about offering you different food; but is a town that houses 16 Michelin star restaurants. There is a reason why it is called a food mecca, and food is an integral part of San Sebastian, many times giving it a unique identity. When vacationing there, don’t miss trying their pintxos crawl and txakoli.
San Sebastian is a city in Spain, but has an entirely different identity because of its deep-rooted Basque culture and traditions they have been following for centuries.