San Sebastián from October to December: let me show you around

Perhaps you’re coming to San Sebastián with a special dinner already booked. Good decision. I’d save a morning for what sits behind it, too: the market, the season’s ingredients and a table where you can feel like a guest, rather than simply a visitor.

San Sebastián — Donostia in Basque — has a food life that goes well beyond a restaurant reservation. I’m from here, and I’m a chef. I’d love to introduce you to it. If you’re visiting between October and December 2026, here’s what I’d put on your radar.

October: walk the bay, follow your appetite

Start with La Concha bay, Ondarreta beach and the gardens at Miramar. The walk is worth doing even when you’ve left your swimsuit at home. Then head into the Parte Vieja, our old town, for pintxos: the small bites we take very seriously here. Walk far enough to build an appetite. No need to turn your vacation into a step-count competition.

Spend a morning at La Bretxa, our food market. Look at the mushrooms, the beans and the fish stalls. Then look at the bars’ chalkboards. You’ll start to see how the city’s cooking follows the produce.

Later in the month, cinema returns with fewer red carpets and more screams: the Horror and Fantasy Film Festival runs from October 30 to November 6. Have dinner first, choose a screening from Donostia Kultura’s programme, and let the screen supply the fright. Check the language and subtitles before booking.

November: runners, cheese and a reason to leave town

The Behobia–San Sebastián road race finishes in the city on November 8. If you’re running, you’ve earned lunch. If you’re cheering, I’m sure you can make a case too. Plan accommodation and transport ahead for that weekend.

For a food-focused day trip, consider Tolosa. Esneki, its cheese and dairy fair, is scheduled for November 6–7. It’s a chance to meet the food through its producers, rather than only at the end of a cheese course. The official fair calendar also lists Zegama’s San Martín fair on November 14, with livestock, cheese and crafts: a glimpse of rural Basque life beyond the coast.

Look out for Tolosa beans, too: almost-black beans served in a warming dish that deserves a spoon and an unhurried lunch. After a November morning, you’ll understand the attraction.

What’s Spain’s December “bridge” holiday?

You may hear people mention the puente de diciembre. A puente — literally a bridge — is a long break joining a public holiday to a weekend, sometimes by taking an extra day off. December 6 is Constitution Day; December 8 is the Immaculate Conception holiday. Many Spanish visitors plan trips around them.

In 2026, the 6th is a Sunday and the 8th a Tuesday. Monday the 7th is not a regional public holiday in the Basque Country. For you, the useful detail is that these can be popular travel dates: book accommodation and your important meals, and check opening hours for the 8th. You don’t need to celebrate either holiday to enjoy being here.

December: a local sausage gets its own occasion

Donostia’s Christmas Market is scheduled for November 27 to January 6, on Paseo de Francia and Plaza Ramón Labayen. It fits nicely between an afternoon walk and dinner; check this year’s programme closer to your trip.

But mark December 21: Santo Tomás. This traditional fair brings the surrounding countryside into the city. Its edible star is txistorra, a thin pork sausage seasoned with garlic and paprika, served freshly cooked. Leave time to explore and eat. A tightly packed itinerary would get in the way of another lap of the fair.

Late December takes us into winter. If you’re curious about our cider houses, keep January in mind too: that’s when the traditional txotx season starts, with cider caught in your glass straight from the barrel.

A morning with me, a place at a local table

Rainy days offer San Telmo, the museum of Basque society, and Tabakalera, the contemporary culture centre. But my invitation to cook stands whatever the weather.

In my Traditional Basque Cooking class, we begin at the market. I’ll show you what I choose and why, we’ll cook together, then share the dishes with Spanish wines. You’ll learn how to handle the ingredients and take the recipes home. No previous experience needed; that’s what I’m here for.

For a part of Donostia few visitors see, there’s my Gastronomic Club Experience. These are private members’ societies where locals gather to cook and eat. Without an invitation, you would usually walk past the door without knowing what’s inside. With me, we start at the market, then cook and share a Basque meal in one of those societies. The visit takes special arrangements; I prepare it for your group and reply personally.

Enjoy that fine-dining reservation, and make room for this part of the city too: how we shop, how we cook, and why the conversation carries on after lunch. Tell me your dates, how many you are and what you’d love to discover. I’d be delighted to welcome you.