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Local Culture

San Sebastian Cannons Culture

The mystery of Mount Urgull

A few days ago we were contacted through our social media to let us know about a little mystery, two medieval little figures in some holes in the old fortress at Mount Urgull. Our Instagram informant also asked us if we knew what they were doing there. Let’s solve the mystery of Mount Urgull. And, […]

Gentil jugando con una piedra Culture

The Jentil, old Basque giants

The Basque Country is marked with ruins of ancient times. From castles to towers, going through mines, megalithic monuments or bridges that avoid rivers or abyss. Nowadays we know that the ones building these elements were neolithic cultures, the romans, the muslims and medieval christians. But for generations our ancestors attributed them to the “Gentiles” […]

Culture

Traditional Basque sports

In the Basque Country, most of our sports have evolved from the works on the fields. This is quite known outside of Euskadi. Many of our visitors have heard already about our rock lifters (harrijasotzaile) or woodchoppers (aizkolaris) as the charismatic Iñaki Perurena or Joxe Mari Olasagasti. But there are many other modalities, as harvesting […]

Culture

Tamborrada

All the cities in the world have their day of holiday and Donosti could not be less. And obviously, in a city called San Sebastian, the main holiday coincides with the day of Saint Sebastian, our patron saint. This very special day is the 20th of January, it’s a holiday that lasts only 24 hours, […]

Culture

Bellas Artes theater

Cinema is invented in 1895 thanks to the Lumière brothers. Just 20 years after that first cinematographic projection, in San Sebastian the Bellas Artes Theater is built, one of the first buildings in the Basque Country built exclusively as a cinema theater. It’s the oldest cinema theater in Spain that still maintains its original design. […]

San Martin Txiki Culture

Legends of the Basque Country: San Martin Txiki

One of the most renowned characters in the basque mythology and popular culture is San Martin Txiki or San Martiniko, a very smart rascal that acts as a civilizing hero in the Basque Country (and also as the only saint with an important role in the basque legends). This sort of Prometheus gave the basque […]

Culture

The walls of San Sebastian

If you walk alongside the Boulevard on a not very busy day, maybe you will see a line of red paving stones on the floor that goes until some flowers that end up at a bandstand. What you are seeing over there is the original outline of the city walls, which started to be demolished […]

Culture

Donosti bookshop

If while walking around San Sebastian’s Central District you want to dedicate a moment to look for the next book you are going to read, you can always come around this little bookstore that remind of the ones of back in the day. Here, you can feel in the air from the moment you step […]

Culture

Basque Words: Jatorra

Even if jatorra means in basque nice or kind, in our daily life, people from the Basque Country we use it to refer to someone authentic. That kind of person that always has a smile on their face, a kind word and is willing to give you a hand without asking anything in exchange. Always […]

Culture

Bella Easo

Donostia-San Sebastian has been known by several names. Irutxulo, Gaztelupe… and La Bella Easo (like a muffin brand). Although during our tours we normally explain the origins of the first two ones, which are linked to peculiarities of our city, the third one is a little bit more complicated.  In Ancient times, Oiasso was a […]

Culture

Olentzero

Christmas are coming, important date for many. In many places around the world kids will receive the Christmas Eve from distinguished personalities, like Ded Moroz in Russia or Papa Noel on the other side of the Pyrenees. Here in the Basque Country the one visiting children is the Olentzero. This character is a charcoal burner […]

Culture

Horror & Fantasy Film Festival

Cinematographically, Donostia appears in the radars every year with the International Film Festival. During this week, some of the brightest stars in all of cinema share the spot with living legends. And this is something to be proud of, but… sometimes you just want something different, something less formal and more casual, bloody and wild. […]