The perfect place to study spanish during the summer. Just 21km west of the French border, within the Basque Country, lies Donostia-San Sebastian, the summer capital of Spain.
San Sebastian is known as a stylish city and an image-conscious one, so it is stuffed with high-end shops. There are the ever-popular chains Mango and Zara, as well as H&M and the gorgeous Massimo Dutti. Peruse La Parte Vieja (the old part of town) for cool boutiques filled with quirky designer gear.
The Summertime City
Donostia-San Sebastian has three beaches, La Concha, Ondarreta and La Zurriola. La Concha was made popular by Queen Isabel and is considered to be one of the most beautiful city beaches in Europe. Ondarreta beach stands at the foot of Mount Igeldo and has a more aristocratic feel to it because of the villas and gardens that lead to the sand. La Zurriola is to be found on the right bank of the river and has undergone a massive project to increase its size by reclaiming land from the sea.
De Pintxos
Each bar is bursting with tapas and they look very delicate. Tapas are generally enjoyed together with a glass of wine or a small beer, and the Spanish tradition suggests to have one tapa and a wine in one bar and move on to the next bar. Tapas can be used as a good substitute for a meal - you pay for each one you eat (about 1-2 euro each) so you can have as many as you want. If you want 'real' food then that is where San Sebastian can be very very good. You can find several different cuisines such Chinese, German, Galicien, Italian and of course the obvious Basque cuisine. In and around the harbour you can have the freshest seafood and if you don't enjoy the simple harbour taverns go and enjoy San Sebastian restaurants with Michelin stars if you have some money to spare.

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