Ametzagaina park

Ametzagaina Park is one of San Sebastian’s great unknowns. In fact, many locals have never visited it, and unless you live nearby, it’s rare that you would even consider going there. But it’s a very beautiful park full of history and curiosities, which is why we’ve decided to write this post, to encourage locals and invite our visitors to stop by a place that will not leave them indifferent. Let’s get started.

Ametzagaina, a park in three neighbourhoods

Ametzagaina Park covers almost 400,000 square metres, making it one of the largest parks in San Sebastian. Given its size, it inevitably spans three neighbourhoods of the city: Loyola, Martutene and Intxaurrondo. Loyola and Martutene are located next to the Urumea River, in the lower part of the park, and Intxaurrondo is in the upper part, from where you can enjoy wonderful views of Donosti.

The good thing about it being so large is that there are different ways to access it, which makes it easy to visit regardless of where you are. So, if you are in the lower part of San Sebastian, such as Amara or Gros, just follow the river on a very pleasant walk or bike ride. If you are in the upper part, such as Intxaurrondo or Alza, the hillside itself will lead you there, so there are no excuses not to visit Ametzagaina.

A tour of Ametzagaina

Inside the park, in addition to enjoying nature, we can visit different points of interest on a route that can be done from bottom to top or top to bottom. We are going to do it from top to bottom, as it is much easier. Let’s begin:

1- Tuniz Entrance: Named after the house located here, this entrance leads us along a path to the right, walking among oak, ash and birch trees. A small forest that will make us forget the city just a few metres away.

2- Viewpoint: A moment to rest and enjoy the views. From this viewpoint, we can see a large part of San Sebastian, always with the sea in the background, because there is no place in Donosti where the sea is not present.

3- Ametzagaina Fort: Built in 1875 to reinforce the city’s defences during the Carlist Wars, today the building has been taken over by vegetation and has been abandoned for over a hundred years. Now a mysterious place due to its semi-hidden location among the trees, for decades it has served as a quarry for construction in the area, something that can be seen in its walls, which are missing a lot of material.

4- Artificial crater: Designed to block light pollution from the surrounding area so you can see the stars, locate it now to come back on a summer night!

5- Uba Chapel and hostel: Near the south exit of the park, we find this 14th-century chapel, known because the 15th-century statue of the Virgin Mary inside supposedly helps children sleep well. Nowadays used by the Orthodox community of Donosti, it is decorated in Byzantine style. Surrounding it is the Uba youth hostel, a great place to come with schools and high schools.

Once we leave the park, we find ourselves on the other side of the river from Loyola, so by following the path we can easily reach other neighbourhoods in San Sebastian, with almost the entire route being flat. Easy, beautiful and highly recommended. So now you know, whether you’re from San Sebastian or not, we encourage you to visit Ametzagaina Park. We’re sure you won’t regret it and that you’ll have some fantastic memories.