First time. Going in October sandwiched between Porto and London—3 nights. Where to stay and where to eat needed. Is a day in Bilbao worth it, cutting out a S Seb day? TIA.
Not an update, as it’s been several years, but Marina Cristina hotel was tops.
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Not to me
We returned two weeks ago, I will get around to writing up our trip at some point. We splurged on Maria Cristina, and it was very nice. I’d say if you can get their least expensive rate it’s worth considering, but if it’s a premium probably not. It’s a very nice hotel, the room we had was very comfortable, the service is excellent, but there are other nice hotels in town for half the price or less.
We stopped in Bilbao on our way from Santander to San Sebastián. Might be a controversial opinion, but the little we saw of Bilbao did not persuade me I need to spend more time there. And the Guggenheim, while interesting and impressive for its architecture, does not have exhibits that interested or impressed me. More esoteric, unless you are a real modern art fan. I would not trade a SS day for Bilbao.
Alan - this is the thread with current avtive updates in the last few days for food in San Sebastian. Most of the important info is covered from recent visits.
Have not been to San Sebastián but was in Majorca last month and stayed at a fantastic hotel called Can Ferrereta. While there, I noticed that they owned and operated a hotel in San Sebastián called Villa Soro. If it’s on par with Can Ferrereta I would definitely recommend considering it. Cheers.
Alan,
It’s been a while and I think prices have only gone up, but when we looked at the Maria Cristina it was frighteningly expensive and I thought it wasn’t ideally located. Although to be clear, SS is pretty small. We stayed at the Lasala Plaza which was steps from the old town and just a few steps further to the beach. I thought the hotel was excellent.
Was six years ago now, but my wife and I stayed at the Lasala Plaza as well and thought it was great. Location, rooms, price, staff etc
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Only if you like woodturning. I heard Bilbao is a hub for woodturners! Otherwise stay in San Seb.
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IMHO a half day spent at the Guggenheim is well worth it. Other than that I’d much rather be in SS. We flew from Barcelona to Bilbao and went directly to lunch and the museum. Had a car service take us to SS afterward, checked into the hotel with plenty of time to relax and go to dinner.
Agree that the Guggenheim is well worth it. Plus, on the return drive to SS, it’s easy to hit Elkano or Horma Ondo.
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I would never spend the money on Maria Christina. What does one get for that price? 20 other hotels are as well located. If you are willing to pay that much, you can get an enormous rental apartment with a full kitchen and terrace. We don’t spend mucb time in the lodging anyway, so there would have to be a major incentive to pay that much, beyond just "very beautiful. "
Bilbao is worthy of a day, especially in the old town close to the river and the Gugenheim. I import wines from a winery called Itsasmendi in Gernica, just outside of Bilbao in the Biosphere reserve called Urdaibai. They are increadibly focused and arguably the best wines in the entire region. Look for their wine simply called ‘7’.
The ex-president of the wine tourism association of Biscay also runs this travel company. Luxury travel like no one does in all of the Basque. I just had 8 friends on a tour with him two weeks ago. Check them out. Reach out. Gaizka knows everyone.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-of-the-world-2026/article/basque-country-spain
I am late to the party but we stayed at the Lasala Plaza because of its location. The hotel was fine and it was in easy walking distance of a lot of restaurants. https://www.lasalaplazahotel.com/. Its an Uber ride but Rekondo has excellent food, a great wine list, and do tour the cellar. Basque haute cuisine - Rekondo Restaurant.
And if you need a tour guide, Basque Guides is great. We did a 10-day tour with them last May but we have also done day tours in some Basque cities. https://basqueguides.com/.
In connection with a nice SS apartment as mentioned by Sarah, one I recommend is Apartamentos San Marcial 28. They have a nice 2 bedroom, 2 toilet & bath, with dining/living area, wrap-around terrace, complete appliances (fridge, stove, washing machine, etc.), steps away from a supermarket, shops, cafés, etc. Short, pleasant walk to the old part of town. It’s in a no-drive zone; so, I park in the basement of the mentioned supermarket.
In defense of the Maria Cristina, if you are a high tier member of Marriott, you can book on points and it’s well worth it. We almost always get upgraded to a corner suite. Their concierges are some of the best we’ve ever experienced. They can get you very difficult reservations including one of the two tables at Bar Nestor plus one of the tortillas that people have to line up to get. They can also provide you with a giant roll of bubble wrap when you’ve bought more wine than you had planned. The location is perfect as it’s a very easy walk to Old Town but you’re also out of the noise at night.
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