San Sebastián

San Sebastián turns dinner into the evening's entertainment. In the Parte Vieja, the old town, the custom is to move from bar to bar ordering a pintxo or two at each, so nothing needs booking and nobody minds a slow pace. Days split between La Concha, the beach that curves around the bay right by the center, and the old funicular up Monte Igueldo, running since 1912, for the classic view back over the bay. Summer weekends are busy and expensive; spring and early fall are calmer and still warm enough for a walk on the sand.