San Sebastian Travel Guide

Autonomous Community of the Basque Country · Spain

About San Sebastian

San Sebastián or Donostia, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (Basque: [doˈnos̺ti.a], Spanish: [san seβasˈtjan] ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20 km (12 miles) from the Spain–France border. The capital city of the province of Gipuzkoa, it has a population of 188,487 as of 2024, with its metropolitan area being 436,500 in 2010. Locals call themselves donostiarra (singular) in Basque, also using this term when speaking in Spanish. It is also a part of Basque Eurocity Bayonne-San Sebastián. The economic activities in the city are dominated by the service sector, with an emphasis on commerce and tourism, as San Sebastián has long been well-known as a tourist destination. Despite the city's relatively small size, events such as the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the San Sebastian Jazz Festival have given it an international dimension. San Sebastián, along with Wrocław, Poland, was the European Capital of Culture in 2016. == Etymology == In spite of appearance, both the Basque form Donostia and the Spanish form San Sebastián have the same meaning — Saint Sebastian. The dona/done/doni element in Basque place names signifies "saint" and is derived from Latin domine; the second part of Donostia contains a shortened form of the saint's name.