10 reasons to choose the city
Its incomparable beauty
San Sebastián is a city with 186,000 inhabitants, sitting not unlike an amphitheatre looking out towards the sea and recognised the world over for its spectacular Bay, known as the Pearl of the Cantabrian Sea. Its outstanding beauty, cosmopolitan air and the quality offered to all those who come here has seen the city become a top-level congress destination in recent years.
Its privileged setting
The city enjoys a privileged position in Europe. Only 20 kilometres from the border with France and less than 100 kilometres from the other Basque capitals, staying in San Sebastián will lend you the opportunity to visit iconic cities and places like aristocratic Biarritz and the famous Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
Its easy access
San Sebastián is easy to reach whatever form of transport you choose: it has a constantly improving road infrastructure, national and international rail connections by the French TGV and its own airport. The city is also less than an hour by car from another two international airports (Bilbao and Biarritz).
The fact that it is so easy to get around
San Sebastián is the perfect size to get around on foot or by bike, meaning that business tourists can take a stroll as they move around from one place to the other and make the very most of their stay. The city has several pedestrian areas, parks, gardens, and spectacular riverside walks, making it very easy to reach the most interesting features and places on foot or by bike.
Its huge experience
San Sebastián is one of Spain's leading event-hosting cities thanks to its long-standing organisational experience and wide network of installations. Modern infrastructures, equipped with cutting edge technology and highly-experienced professional teams ensure not only the success of your event, but also that it will be an unforgettable occasion.
Its commitment to quality
San Sebastián is outstanding as a destination for the quality of its services and tourist resources. The city, constantly seeking inbound tourist excellence, has over a hundred tourist services, infrastructures and resources that hold some kind of an award for their quality.
Its excellent gastronomy
San Sebastián is famous for its food all over the planet; it has more Michelin stars per square metre than anywhere else in the world and is where Basque gastronomy was reborn through the "Basque nouvelle cuisine" movement. The quality of its ingredients and its world-famous "pintxos" delight visitors all year round.
Its exclusivity
San Sebastián is a place of remarkable beauty and offers all sorts of extras to make your event that little bit different. Cocktail parties, gala dinners and openings become exclusive events when held in an English-style cottage on the famous Concha Bay, in the Foyer of two translucent cubes that light up at night or in a hotel that provides accommodation for film stars every year...
Its impressive architecture
The Belle Epoque left its beautiful mark on San Sebastián, a city favoured for their summer holidays by European aristocrats since the beginning of last century. Fabulous buildings like the Gran Casino (today the Ayuntamiento) and the Palacio Miramar blend in perfectly with the impressive glass cubes of the Kursaal and the sculptures by Eduardo Chillida and Jorge Oteiza. Tradition past and present, modernity and history merge in equal parts no matter where you look in this beautiful city.
Its busy cultural activity
Artistic, open, avant-garde, creative... these are just some of the qualities that earned San Sebastián the title of European Capital of Culture 2016. Numerous world-famous festivals -such as the International Film Festival and the Jazz Festival- rub shoulders in this enormously cosmopolitan city with everyday artistic expressions reflected in an intense and varied programme of theatre and cultural events.