Barcelona:

Where to stay:

Stay in the area of Placa Catalunya. The location, cleanliness and friendliness of the staff at Sleep Green Hostel was impressive.

 

Personal Favorites:

Casa Battlo:

House designed by Antoni Gaudi that lies in the center of Barcelona. Although majestic, the skull terraces, and dragon back on the rooftop don’t adequately set the stage for how inventive the interior of this Alice-in Wonderland-esque house is.

 

Gaudi designed the building based on the ocean. He used the elements of light, color and the ventilation system to help create the desired effect. No straight lines were used in the house, and everything from the handrails to the stain glass walls assisted in creating a fairy-tale feeling. 

 

You need to make a reservation as they sell out. There is a 22.50 Euro entrance fee that includes an ipod as a walking tour guide.

 

Rent a bike and cruise the boardwalk:

The beach farthest away from the city is the least crowded and has a dog beach.

 

Where to go out:

Eat dinner late, and relax over a bottle of wine. The bars close around 3 or 4 am so no one goes out until close to midnight.

 

Mojito: There are a million places to choose from but this was our favorite spot. It is a salsa bar that played good music and mixed good cocktails.

 

Disco’s by the aquarium: If you enjoy clubbing, this is your spot-30 Euro cover, 10 euro drinks.

 

Icebarcelona:

14 degree ice bar located on the beach.

 

 

San Sebastian:

Personal Favorites:

Surf, Surf, Surf:

Zurriola Beach is the surf beach. If needed, surfboards and wetsuits are rented separately for around 10 and 6 Euro per hour. The two major surf schools are Pukas Surf School and Zurriola Surf School.

 

Hike Mountain Urgill for a great view of the City:

Takes about an hour walking and provides a good view of the whole city.

 

Go to La Perla for a Spa Day:

Located on La Concha beach. The design of the space is beautiful.  A package for the thermal facilities includes 4 huge thermal saltwater pools, hot tubs, sauna, steam rooms, and waterbeds starts at 27 Euro per adult. They also offer eyebrow waxing and various types of massages. (http://www.la-perla.net/en/)

 

 

Take a day trip to las Riojas to the Marques de Riscal:

A Michelin star restaurant that sits inside of a world famous building designed by Frank Gehry, on the rolling hills of a vineyard. The drive is about 2 hours from San Sebastian. The winery tour and tasting costs 12 euros. (http://www.marquesderiscal.com/)

 

Treat yourself to a Michellin Restaurant:

San Sebastian has 15 Michellin Stars spread across 7 restaurants. In 2016, Mugartiz and Arzak were named the 7th and 21 best restaurants in the world. 

 

Where to go out:

Wine Culture:

Spain is the 3RD largest producer of wine in the world and the La Rioja region, known for it’s world famous vineyards is a mere hour away from San Sebastian. In the La Rioja region, the full-bodied Tempranillo is the most beloved wine and after it hit my lips, I understood why.

 

Drink with God and the Virgin Mary:

Buy wine from the market and join the rest of the town on the stairs of the Santa María del Coro Church, in Puerto Vieja. Everyone socializes, drinks wine, smokes cigarretts and gets wasted right on the church stairs. I expressed how funny I thought the irony of it was to my local friend and he responded, “That’s Europe”.

 

Pinxto Pote:

Every Thursday night, with a drink, you get a free Pinxto, which is a large tapa.

 

Buying Wine In the Restaurants and Bars:

The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with good restaurants and outdoor bars to drink and eat.

 

A Pinxto should cost around 2 Euro.

 

Wine in a bar is 1-3 Euro. If you are paying $3 Euro then you're probably at a very touristy place.

 

Wine at the Markets:

$.95 Euro- $20 for a really high quality wine.

 

 

Helpful Hints:

Buying a Surfboard:

Spaniards don’t use craigslist. To buy second hand, download an app called wallapop or use the website segundamano.es. There is also a secondhand store here called cashconverters.  Another option (which I actually did) is to buy a surfboard from Pukas Surf Shop for full price a week before you leave they will let you sell it out of their storefront. My board was 300 euro, they will let me try to sell it for 200 euro, but if it doesn’t sell by the time I leave then they will give me 100 euro on the spot.

 

Getting a Job:

Super easy, as long as you are not a job snob. If you have papers to work then finding a job is even easier. Jobs that are easy to find: receptionist in a hostel, cleaning hostels, and babysitting. I worked as a receptionist in a hostel and really enjoyed being paid to talk with other travelers. With any job here, be savvy when negotiating your salary because many owners will want to make a “contract” to pay you by the month and rip you off per hour.  If you don’t have papers, 5 Euro per hour and up is a fair price. If you are planning on staying longer, work exchange is another option. Work exchange is where you can work a job and in return the business will offer you free accommodation and food.  Workaway.info is a great site to find work exchange.

 

Where to Stay:

Stay in Puerta Viejo or Gros:

 

Puerta Viejo is the older part of town and filled with nightlife, restaurants and shops. The neighborhood is sandwiched between Zurriola Beach (the surfing beach) and La Concha Beach. It is a fun area but also a more touristy area of San Sebastian.

 

Gros is a 5-minute walk to Zurriola Beach (the surfing beach), a 5-10 minute walk to Puerto Viejo and the beaches. It’s a hip, local neighborhood with lots of cute bars and restaurants. Robinson’s bar has  great food, and an outdoor atmosphere to sit, relax, people watch, and have a glass of wine. Gros has all the essentials: grocery store, health food store, wine market, and tobacco shops.

 

Book your accomodations ahead of time in the summer, as good hostels book up fast! Check reviews on Hostelworld, tripadvisor,