San Sebastián

Just 21kms west of the French border, Donostia-San Sebastián has long been recognised as the summer capital of Spain. The city, surrounded by green mountains, faces the Bay of Biscay.

Donostia-San Sebastián was once a small fishing village and the inhabitants lived facing the sea. They were known to have hunted whales and fished for cod. At one point it was a thriving port, trading in wines and oil with France and England. Over the centuries the city has undergone many sieges and in 1808 it was occupied by Napoleon's soldiers who stayed until 1813. The city fell into decline in the 19th century but was lifted in 1845 when Queen Isabel II arrived to spend the summer, a tradition that continued for decades and which set an ever-lasting aristocratic stamp on the city.