Highlights & Hidden Gems of San Sebastian in San Sebastian - San_Sebastian_HHG4.jpg
4.8

Highlights & Hidden Gems of San Sebastian

  • 3 hours
  • City Highlight Tours
  • San Sebastian
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Choose one of 2 locals available

Experience hosted by Usua & Nathanja

  • Private Tour
  • Carbon Neutral

Want to see the best of San Sebastian? We got you covered. But as you can expect from a Withlocals experience, the real excitement is its hidden gems. Join your favorite local and get a feeling of the city's real vibe on a tour that has it all, so you can say: I experienced the real San Sebastian!

Destination
San Sebastian, Spain
Category
City Highlight Tours
Duration
3 hours
Transport mode
Walking tour
Available languages
English, Español, Italiano, Français, Nederlands
Included
  • Private Guide
  • 1 Local Drink or Snack
  • All Withlocals Tours are Carbon Neutral
Excluded
  • Entrance to attractions

6 reasons to book this tour

  • Explore the best of the city in only 3 hours
  • Spot classics like Constitution Square & Mount Urgull
  • Discover hidden gems away from the tourist paths
  • Experience the city from a local’s perspective
  • Can be 100% personalized to your wishes
  • Privately guided by a local expert

What you can expect

Highlights & Hidden Gems of San Sebastian in San Sebastian - San_Sebastian_HHG4.jpg

San Sebastian, is a magical place! And with the local host of your choice, you are going to experience it all. So get ready; culture, history, and local lifestyle await!

Dive into the origin of San Sebastian as you see the city’s main landmarks like Constitution Square, Mount Urgull, and the Atlas sculpture by Oteiza. And how about the hidden gems? Oh, you’re in for a surprise! Every host has its own story to tell, so pick your favorite, and you’ll discover the city through their eyes. Experience their San Sebastian to the max based on their passions and expertise. They’ll make sure you have fun enjoying a unique and local perspective of San Sebastian.

Want to take a break? Leave it up to your host! This is the perfect opportunity to visit that special eatery where only the locals come and your chance to enjoy a local treat hand-picked by your host. Feel free to ask your host more about their life in their city or get recommendations about the top things to do in San Sebastian. Remember, the locals know best.

The best part of any city tour is definitely the unique stories. Everybody has a story to tell, especially your host. Each one of the local hosts has a different background ranging from arts to history. They can’t wait to share their knowledge with you and exchange ideas and perspectives! Feel like changing the route a bit? No problem, the hosts will be happy to personalize the tour to your wishes and make their San Sebastian, your San Sebastian!

Choose your local

Get to know these 2 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

  1. Meeting point

    Meet at at the entrance of the Aquarium - San Sebastian to start your journey

  2. Itinerary

    This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

  3. City Highlights

    See from Constitution Square, Mount Urgull, the Atlas Sculpture by Oteiza, and other landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots in town so you can get the perfect overview of what makes San Sebastian so unique
  4. Hidden Gems

    Along the way, your local host will show you treasures hidden in plain sight that only the locals know about. Get to know the city through a different perspective, the local way, and discover places and stories that not many tourists experience
  5. Magical Storytelling

    Behind every landmark and every stop, there’s a story, and your local host is ready to tell it all. Get ready to listen to incredible stories, one-of-a-kind insights, and fun facts only a knowledgeable local would know!
  6. Special Treat

    Follow your host to one of their favorite eateries for a snack or a drink beloved by the locals. Take a break and catch up with your new local friend and get the answers to all your travel questions
  7. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

  • Feel confident booking

    Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

  • Change of plans?

    Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

  • Loved by travelers worldwide

    Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

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Tim🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
4 October 2024
Nathanja was the perfect guide. Friendly and informative, but best of all she was adaptive to our conversations to shape the tour to our interests. She was just a delight and I could not recommend her more highly.Perfect guide
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Jeroen🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
10 September 2024
heel plezierig en enthousiast.
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Dick🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
29 July 2024
Nathanja is heel toegankelijk, plezierig en fun om de stad mee te ontdekken. Een mooie kennismaking met San Sebastian op een lichte fijne manier. Zeer betrouwbaar in afspraken terwijl wij in het verkeerde park stonden bij ons begin 😎. Ze kent de stad door en door en heeft ons gewezen waar we ‘s avonds lekker pintxos konden eten. Zeker boeken! Enorm genoten
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Elizabeth🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
28 June 2024
Our family of five thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour with our excellent host, Nathanja. She is a talented communicator (speaks 5+ languages) and is well-versed in the history of San Sebastián. Nathanja messaged us before our tour and she was willing to meet us at our hotel that morning. We started off with pintxos and she explained history of the local cuisine. We had many questions and learned a great deal. Lucky for us, Nathanja came prepared with a paper and pencil and wrote down many food and sight seeing recommendations as we discussed them so we’d have something to work off of afterward. The whole tour was wonderful and she was engaging with our crew. She’s a great conversationalist and our teenagers warmed up to her quickly. We took the tour on the morning of our first full day in S.S., which I’d recommend because of all of the tips and local insights she shared. 10/10 Highly recommend! Highly recommend Nathanja
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Diana🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
22 May 2024
We had a wonderful 3 hrs with Nathanya walking around the beautiful city of San Sebastián. She made contact with us the day before to confirm and agreed to meet us at our accommodation. She provided extremely helpful advice on travel arrangements for us, and sent recommended places to visit and eat at prior to our tour. Nathanya was bright and enthusiastic during the tour and provided us with a thorough history of the area along with local insights and the special places within the city. She designed the tour around our needs and requests and provided ongoing information following the tour. She is highly recommended. Thank you for showing us your beautiful city Nathanya. Delightful guide for such a beautiful city
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afriedraman🇮🇳 India
(About local )
13 May 2024
Nathanja was lively and fun, but her tour was unsatisfying. She isn’t, strictly speaking, a local, and so her depth of knowledge of the history and culture of San Sébastien and the Basque area was inadequate. We always read up a bit on the places we are to visit and would like to engage with our guide on a deeper level, but that wasn’t possible with Nathanja. She did show us around the city a bit, and gave us some tips on shopping. We appreciated that on her own initiative she had sent us a list of places and things to eat even before we arrived in the city . However, the tour was supposed to include a local drink or snack, and we didn’t get that.
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Ray🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
30 January 2024
Nathanja was terrific. For three hours we walked and discussed the history of San Sebastián and the many things to do and see. She even left us with notes to help us plan the rest of our visit! Highly recommend!Great way to start!
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Hubert
(About local )
20 November 2023
Merci Nathanja, vous nous avez donné des renseignements très clairs et très intéressants sur San Sébastian. Vous nous avez fait aimer San SébastianTrès belle découverte de San Sébastian
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Meindert🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
11 October 2023
Nathanja is very pleasant and knows everything there is know about San Sebastian. We’ve had a great timeNathanja is fantastic!
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Simona🇦🇹 Austria
(About local )
24 June 2023
We went on a tour in San Sebastian last Sunday. We met Usha at the Aquarium. She was nice, we started the tour. She stopped at some sites with us. Then she gave us a plan where we can eat Pinxtos somewhere in the city and said good bye quite quickly. In the voucher the tour was planned for 3 hours, we had 2.15 hours. There was a drink or snack in the voucher, we got a plan. A refund was not payed, but an invitation for a drink at a time we were already far away from San Sebastian.Betrayed
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Sheila
(About local )
3 March 2025
This was our second visit to beautiful San Sebastián and I really wish that we had booked this tour the first time. Usua, who is a charming guide, was able to introduce us to the less touristy side of the pintxos experience and , as a result, our pintxos game has greatly improved! Usua is very knowledgeable about the culture and history of the area and answered all our questions. This is a tour worth booking.Highly recommend!
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Annie
(About local )
25 February 2025
We had a fabulous time with Georgia. She was knowledgable and fun while tasting our way around the Old Town.Great Tour
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Chien🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
21 February 2025
Georgia took our family of 3 on a 2 hour pinxtos tour of old town San Sebastián My sons are aged 12 and 16 Prior to the trip, she was helpful with tailoring a food tour to us, our experience and preferences. On the day, Georgia was friendly, enthusiastic and joyful. She took us to quite a few pinxtos bars. We had been in San Sebastián for about 3 days prior, and despite having already experienced the local fare on our own, she ensured we tried a wide range of food almost all of which were new to us. She also paid attention to experiences we had done and shared with her, and adjusted her food orders to optimise our experience. She gave us interesting insights into local life and culture as well. All in all, a wonderful 2 hours with a resident that added colour and perspective to our trip. Highly recommended Wonderful pinxtos guide for a family
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Lorraine
(About local )
18 February 2025
When we learned that San Sebastian was the pintxos capital and 'foodie' destination we decided to do a private tour so we could learn what to do in all the tapas bars we have walked passed, too afraid to make a fool of ourselves. We don't like crowds so that was perhaps why Georgia asked us to wait at the table, while she brought our order to us, so we actively became more involved so we could see how it was done at the bar. She gave us the confidence to go out the next night and 'do it for ourselves' and we had a great time using this knowledge and understanding. Georgia introduced us to some great pintxos and was very gracious and generous with her time before our tour too. The fact it was a private tour was invaluable to us, and we preferred the one to one interaction in what was quite confined spaces within the busy pintxos bars. Gave us a good understanding of pintxos
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Joris
(About local )
12 February 2025
Een heerlijke fietstocht gemaakt met nanthanja door san sebastian waar ze ons de stad deed verkennen. Tekst en uitleg bij elke bezienswaardigheid plus het lekkertste taartje bij de koffie.Een leuke opgewekte dame uit België die dit werk doet naast lerares Engels en Frans. Echt een aanrader.Op pad met Nathanja
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Robert
(About local )
5 February 2025
We had a fantastic time on the food tour with our amazing guide Usua. She is so knowledgable and shared the history of San Sebastián and the Basque culture. She brought us to the market in the Old Town where we sampled different types of jambon along with the local cheese. Then she took us to fantastic pinxto bars to try the specialities of the house along with the local cider and txakoli wine. Usua explained how the wine is produced and recommmded several other bars and restaurants in San Sebastián and the local region. We would definitely recommend a food tour with Usua who brought us places we would not have found ourselves. She is an excellent ambassador for San Sebastián!Brilliant food tour of San Sebastián
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Henry🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
20 January 2025
We had a wonderful time with Georgia. She knew all the places to go and provided lots of interesting information about the food and about San Sebastian. Very enjoyable tour. Highly recomended.Great tour in San Sebastian
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Alex
(About local )
17 January 2025
Usua was great for our family. She was very knowledgeable and took us to 3 great pintxos locations. Would definitely recommend!!!
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Alexandra🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
2 December 2024
The food tour was wonderful. Usually was very responsive to messages before the tour and was able to accommodate our dietary preferences. Usually was amazingly knowledgeable and took us to some fantastic local spots and gave us some really good recommendations and guidance for the rest of our trip. Perfect
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Dominic🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
23 October 2024
We had a lovely few hours with Usua who was able to introduce my wife and I to not only the cuisine of San Sebastien but the culture and history. The food and drink we were introduced to were excellent and we would not have know about them or what to ask for without Usua's advice. A great way to spend a few hours!
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Simon🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
21 October 2024
Booking Georgia was a highlight of our short time in town. We ate well on our first night but didn’t speak enough Spanish or Basque or knowledge of etiquette to explore too many menus/bars. Georgia SOLVED ALL THIS and was SUPER accommodating and took us on a great low key Pintxos tour of San Sebastián on Saturday afternoon. We took in 5 savoury stops and a final stop for cheesecake with a drink at each stop. The food and drinks were great and Georgia was knowledgeable, easy going and great fun. Reviewers: 4 x mid 30 yr olds from GBR, USA and Australia. One vegetarian and non drinker who was well catered for! Great host, tasty tour + drinks.
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Donna
(About local )
8 October 2024
Georgia was awesome. Easy to talk with and knowledgeable about tapas (can’t spell pintxos). Super good intro to San Sebastián
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Caroline🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
30 September 2024
Georgia was a great host! We are from the US and the language barrier and culture was a shock at first. Georgia was knowledgeable and shared her favorite pintxos bars with us. This made for a very pleasant night and set us up well for the rest of our trip! A great way to learn about the culture
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Zachary🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
23 September 2024
Georgia is an exceptional ambassador, freely sharing her knowledge and perspective in a pleasant and friendly way. We had a great time. A great way to be introduced to the city
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Stephanie🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
7 August 2024
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Belilnda
(About local )
12 March 2024
Unfortunately my tour didn’t happen. Usua had a last minute emergency. I was disappointed and am awaiting my refund. Rearranged ladt minute
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Jaime
(About local )
2 March 2024
Ane was the perfect guide to show us around San Sebastian. She explained the food we were eating and the history of the bar we were eating it in. She was fun and very knowledgeable about the history of the city and the region. The weather was rather miserable, but we had a good time. We would highly recommend her!Great experience and lots of fun with Ane!
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WENDY🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
30 January 2024
Husband and I enjoyed a wonderful few hours with Ane as our friendly warm and knowledgeable guide. We were captivated by her explanation of the history of the area, basque culture, as well as the best way and places to eat delicious pintxos! Great food and drinks. Highly recommended!! Thank you Ane!Food tour with Ane - highly recommended!
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Lewis
(About local )
24 January 2024
We had a great evening with Ane on our pintxos tour. She asked us our food preferences and tailored the evening, our favourites were the mussels and squid. Osane also has great knowledge of San Sebastián and Basque culture and was able to answer any questions we had. Would definitely recommend this tour when visiting San Sebastián!Excellent Food Tour!
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Unknown
(About local )
22 October 2023
Ane was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of San Sebastián and the surrounding area. She was so gracious and friendly and she made our San Sebastián experience perfect!Ane is the PERFECT guide
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Erik
(About local )
22 October 2023
What a wonderful experience with Ane discovering San Sebastián. She is lovely, kind and smart- extremely well versed in all things local, the bars, food and drink, history and Basque culture. She will show you the way and how to elbow in to the local spots, how and what to order etc. highly recommended!Do youreslf a favor - book with Ane!
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Sarah🇨🇦 Canada
(About local )
6 October 2023
We chose a culinary tour of the Old Town Pintxos bars with Ane. ….She was AMAZING!!! Not only is she from San Sebastián, she spent a few years working in the US and as a result her English is exceptional. Ane is passionate about her city, the Basque culture and its gastronomic heritage. She has boundless energy and a great sense of humour that peppered her insights helping us appreciate this unique culture. Through her family’s involvement in gastronomy from early childhood, she shared much of the history of certain Pintxos,, the Pintxos bars where we sampled their specialties, their ingredients and regional wines, including appropriate pairings at each destination. Ane provided us with the tools to tackle Pintxos bars the following days we were in this fantastic city. Our tour started at 7 and was the perfect time - the energy and joy we experienced with all the people on the streets looking for their favourite establishments was so entertaining and fun! We would highly recommend Ane for any tours she hosts!A Passion for Pintxos in San Sebastian!
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Katelyn🇨🇦 Canada
(About local )
3 October 2023
We had a wonderful evening with Ane eating our way around the San Sebastián old town. She was a fabulous tour guide with lots of information about not only the food but the city too!! Such a lovely evening with a lovely host! Would highly recommend this experience if you are in San Sebastián. Wonderful Food Tour in San Sebastián
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Jonathan🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
1 October 2023
Ana was a great guide. Very detailed and enthusiastic. Lovely choice of pinchos. She even helped us find a dog friendly cider house which we went to that night. Highly recommended for any San Sebastián tour. Excellent and insightful tour
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Antje
(About local )
23 September 2023
Dear Ane, many thanks for showing us the best pintxos places around 'old' San Sebastian and explaining to us the history of local food and town. We enjoyed the evening with you very much. All the best and keep up the great work :-), thanks Inka and AntjeLovely food and history tour
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Lois
(About local )
28 August 2023
My husband and I booked this food tour for the first evening of our stay in San Sebastian and it was a perfect way to start our holiday. Ane, our guide, was very welcoming, spoke excellent English and was highly knowledgeable and passionate about the history and gastronomy of the area. She introduced us to a wonderful mix of pintxos bars, all with their own specialities and different styles. We had an amazing evening and it set us up perfectly for the rest of our stay too. We would highly recommend. Thank you! An amazing start to our holiday in San Sebastian
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Soraia
(About local )
25 August 2023
Is it possible to give a 5 plus? Or even an extra star? This tour was F A N T A S T I C! Please any one who reads this, if you want to do a food tour, these are your guides. Our guide was Ane and we absolutely loved her. So a shout out to her. Another thing, do not wait till the end of your trip, I repeat DO NOT WAIT. Because first of all you will not fit in the airplane / your car after this tour. But the main reason, to learn everything about the food and pintxos as well the culture and history. Minor detail and tip, bring a bottle of water because you are going to need this. To the guides, keep up the good work and keep up sharing. Hope to see you again.Must do: Eat your weight around Donostia and help another human…
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Ema A
(About local )
14 August 2023
We had an amazing experience walking around San Sebastian, tasting some of the best pinxtos and learning tips and tricks on how to choose the right places when we're on our own. Ane was our guide and she is great: knowledgeable, friendly, funny, but most importantly she's very passionate about what she does. The group was small enough so that all of us were able to ask the questions we had, get the guide's attention when needed and also to talk to each other Good starting point for food lovers
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Jim R
(About local )
1 August 2023
Ane provided an amazing tour of the pintxos scene in San Sebastian! She created an wide variety of styles for us to try from muscles to duck to steak to cheesecake. It was a well thought out tour and took into consideration any allergies and food aversions present in the group. In additional to the food and wine experience, Ane also elaborated on the rich history of San Sebastian and the Basque region. it was a delightful way to start out our stay in this beautiful city. Thank you so much for sharing your love of this area with us!Highly recommended tour!
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Turner
(About local )
2 February 2023
This is the tour you need to get a grasp of the pintxos lifestyle in San Sebastián. In addition to showing us great food and drink, our guide Ane taught us about the history of the city, Basque culture, and some of the more recent Spanish history that is often overlooked. Ane incorporated visual aids and stories from her own life to help us gain a better appreciation for the culture. She got my wife interested in anchovies during our stop at Txepetxa. I would like for Ane to know we found the ingredients (the best we could do in Paris at least) for Gildas and have eaten them several times at home. Ane even sent us recommendations for our visit to Bilbao. Thank you Ane! Thank You

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Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
With a local expertFrom historical facts to the most up-to-date health regulations.
Without the crowdsExperiences designed to take you away from the crowds towards authentic local spots.
€33.46per person