San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian

There is more to the Old Quarter than wonderful streets to have pintxos, beautiful churches or the heart of San Sebastian’s nightlife… there is also culture, the cities past and traditions. Plenty of it is inside of the Basque Society and Citizenship Museum located in the old San Telmo Monastery. We speak about the San Telmo Museum.

The San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián is characterized by being the municipal museum of the city of San Sebastian and the oldest in the Basque Country.

It is located in the old part of San Sebastian. In this museum you will learn in detail everything about the history of the Basque Country, showing visitors or tourists various testimonies of the citizens themselves. In this way, the tour will become much more interesting.

The San Telmo Museum in San Sebastian remained closed for a few years for reasons of expansion and rehabilitation and reopened in 2011 completely renovated.

This museum has two large floors where you will find different collections, of fine arts, archaeology, etc. On the first floor we find an ethnographic collection together with the works of different Basque authors.

The second floor is focused on ancient paintings, both from Spain and Europe.

You can take two types of tour, a shorter one lasting approximately one hour, and a longer one with a longer duration to see everything more closely.

The San Telmo Museum is owned by the City Council, with the exception of the cloister, which belongs to the State.

San Telmo Museum Hours

The San Telmo museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday and opens its doors from 10:00 in the morning until 8:00 in the afternoon.

It will also remain open on Mondays if they are holidays or long weekends.

This museum is located in San Sebastian, specifically in Plaza Zuloaga.

Restaurants in San Telmo San Sebastian

The museum has a gastro-cultural area on floor 0, where its users can taste famous dishes of Basque cuisine. This space called Zazpi has a bar and restaurant area, and is very popular with both visitors and tourists for a stopover.

The opening hours are very similar to those of the museum, except that the closing hours from Wednesday to Saturday are until midnight.

Price of the San Telmo Museum

The price of admission to the San Telmo Museum is 6.00 euros for general admission. If you are a student, you are over 65 years old, you are a large family or you attend a group of 10 or more people, the ticket price would be 3.00 euros.

If you are a member of Donostia Kultura or San Sebastián Card you will have a 10% discount on your ticket.

Finally, if it is Tuesday, May 18 (International Museum Day), you are member of the museum, under 25 years of age, legally unemployed, have a teaching card, any disabilities or are at risk of social exclusion, admission to the museum will be completely free.

Current exhibitions in San Telmo

The San Telmo museum currently has two types of exhibitions. On the one hand, we find the temporary exhibitions, where the main aim is to turn the museum into a place that invites reflection and debate.

On the other hand, you will find permanent exhibitions. This museum contains the evolution of the individual in society, making us a small trip or reflection on the historical and cultural past.

Upcoming events at the museum

The next events of the San Telmo museum. Throughout these months, different events will take place at the San Telmo museum, such as Euskal curriculuma or the dialogue in the 50s and 60s by Jorge Oteiza and Eduardo Chillida.

Depending on the day and the week it will be given at different times.

At Go local San Sebastian, we offer you different types of guided tours with which you can visit the San Telmo museum knowing everything about it in detail.

If you want to know more about the San Telmo museum, or in relation to our walking tours, or bike tours and excursions. Get in contact with us!