Walking routes through San Sebastian

San Sebastian is a city to get around on foot (or by bike), much of it is flat and the upper districts are easily reached on foot thanks to the lifts and escalators dotted around most of them. Unless you’re in a hurry or very far away, walking is a good way to get around the city. Walking is also environmentally friendly and healthy, which is why we would like to recommend some walking routes for when you come to visit us.

Walking route along the coast

The entire coast of Donosti is bordered by a promenade where there is not a single traffic light, so it can be done in one go without interruptions. It is also a very easy route as it is completely flat. The only obstacle is the Aquarium, which can easily be overcome by a lift if you don’t want to take the stairs.

From one end of this route to the other there are about 6 kilometres of a walk with spectacular views that will delight all those who like to walk, so get your camera ready. The route goes from the Peine del Viento to Sagues passing through the bay of La Concha, the port, the Paseo Nuevo and the beach of La Zurriola. The busiest promenade in San Sebastian without a doubt. If you want to shorten it a little, you can eliminate the port and the Paseo Nuevo and take a shortcut along the Boulevard, which will take you from La Concha to La Zurriola in a straight line.

A recommendation: do it in the direction Sagues-Peine del Viento at sunset, to see how the sun sets.

Walking route along the river

A similar route, but in a perpendicular direction, is the one that takes us along the Urumea River. We can start at the mouth of the river, next to the Kursaal, and go upriver to the Loyola neighbourhood, for example, or further on, as far as the body can take it. It is a very pleasant and peaceful walk, with very few traffic lights and practically flat, without any stairs or steep climbs. The beauty of this route, moreover, is that it takes you from the city to the countryside if you dare to go as far as Astigarraga. A good way to get a change of scenery.

A recommendation for this route: do the outward journey on one side of the river and the return on the other, to enjoy both banks.

Route of the Way of St. James

It is well known that the St. James’ Way passes through San Sebastian. It may not be as well marked as in other cities, but there is a good reason for this, you just have to follow the coast. In fact, the first route recommended in this post is almost the route of the Way, we have only added the Paseo Nuevo and the port.

However, if we want something more complete and we like the mountain, we can add the stretch before and the stretch after San Sebastian to our little stage of the St. James Way.

We can start in Pasajes, more specifically in Pasajes San Pedro and cross Mount Ulia to Donosti. Just follow the yellow arrows. Similarly, once we reach Igeldo, we can go up and cross it until we reach the village of Orio. Just under twenty kilometres in total that we can do for a whole day or divide it into two and do one mountain at a time. The result is the same: a not very difficult route, close to the sea and which will take us to two lesser-known towns in Gipuzkoa. A good way to discover our territory.

The good thing? We can get to these towns by public transport if we don’t want to walk there and back.