Travelling To San Sebastian

San Sebastian is located on Spains northern coast, very close to the border with France. It is situated between Bilbao and Biarritz. San Sebastian has its own airport and fast and convenient road and rail links to Paris, Madrid and Lisbon. Ferries connect Santander and Bilbao in Spain to Plymouth and Portsmouth in the UK respectively, and the drive from either Spanish port to San Sebastian is incredibly scenic.

By car

Accessing San Sebastian by road is extremely simple, as the city is positioned just off the A8 motorway and has its own clearly marked exit. The A8 motorway provides a very fast, comfortable and safe link between the city and Bilbao to the south as well as Biarritz to the north. The A8 is known as one of the most picturesque motorways in Europe; however, it is a coastal road that can experience reduced visibility due to fog.

By rail

San Sebastian is on the main railway line that links Madrid with southwestern France (Irun, Biarritz), with trains travelling on to the French capital. There is also a train that runs from Paris right through to Lisbon that stops in the city. There are many San Sebastians in Europe however, so make sure you have the right one when booking your tickets!

By bus

Buses are a popular means of transport in the Basque region and there are regular and reliable services linking San Sebastian to Bilbao and Vitoria, with less frequent buses to smaller towns and villages in the area. Long distance buses operate between San Sebastian and Madrid and large southern European cities such as Barcelona, Milan and Lisbon.

By air

San Sebastian Airport is located 22kms north of the city near the town of Hondarribia. There are frequent flights from Madrid as well as from Barcelona, Malaga, Seville and Palma de Mallorca. During the summer there are charters from the United Kingdom and you should check with your travel agent for departure airports and schedules.

The airport has a small, modern terminal building with a standard two-level layout. There are ATM machines and a post office, with limited business and conference facilities provided by a VIP lounge. A caf and a restaurant are located on the lower and upper floors respectively, while there is a small but quality selection of both duty-free and regular shopping outlets. There is one large car park situated opposite the terminal building that caters to both short-term and long-term stays with almost 600 spaces.

There are express airport buses running non-stop between the terminal building and Plaza Pio XII in central San Sebastian, with the trip taking about 30 minutes. Buses depart immediately outside the terminal and leave approximately 20 minutes after each arrival. There are also many taxis awaiting each flight to take visitors directly to their accommodation.

Alternatively, it may be more convenient to fly to either Bilbao in northern Spain or Biarritz in southwestern France and travel to San Sebastian by road (a journey of about 2 hours). Both of these airports have regularly scheduled flights to main cities throughout Europe.

By ferry

There are regular cross-channel ferries between Plymouth and Santander as well as Portsmouth and Bilbao, from where you can rent a car and take a wonderfully scenic drive of approximately two hours along the coast to San Sebastian.

Taxis

As many people choose to walk around San Sebastian, the taxi service is smaller than in other Spanish cities and taxis are generally hired to take tourists on daytrips to locations outside of the city. There are, however, a few taxis waiting at designated stands, and you may be able to flag one down with no problem during the busy summer period. Taxis can be pre-booked to pick you up at your lodgings at any time.