San Sebastián, Donostia to the Basques, wraps itself around one of the loveliest urban bays in Europe. The Concha, a near-perfect shell of golden sand, is enclosed by two green hills, Urgull on the east with its old fort and statue of Christ, and Igueldo on the west, reached by a vintage funicular. A promenade with white balustrades runs the full length of the beach, and on a fine evening half the town seems to be walking it. In the nineteenth century the Spanish royal family made the town their summer retreat, which explains the elegant belle époque buildings along the seafront.
Food is the other religion. The old quarter is packed with bars whose counters are piled with pintxos, small skewered bites of anchovy, ham, tortilla, grilled mushrooms or tiny steaks, and the custom is to take one or two, a glass of txakoli, the sharp, lightly sparkling local white, and move on to the next bar. The city has an exceptional number of Michelin-starred restaurants for its size, though the best meal may be a simple one. Each January, on the twentieth, the town celebrates its patron saint with a drumming festival, the tamborrada.
The coast road east and west is a first-class motorcycle outing. Heading west, the road runs through Orio and Zarautz to Getaria, a fishing village with a steep, grilled-fish-scented harbour street, birthplace of the navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano, who completed the first circumnavigation of the world after Magellan's death, and of the couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Beyond lies Zumaia, whose beach is backed by flysch cliffs, layered strata of rock tilted on end, that record millions of years of Earth's history. The road is twisting, hilly and green, with views over a rough Bay of Biscay, but it is also busy, especially in summer. East, Pasaia, with its narrow harbour mouth and old houses, is where Lafayette is said to have set sail for America in 1777.
Rain is common, since the Basque Country is green for a reason, and a wet road is slippery, so keep your speed down and be ready for sudden showers. Fuel is plentiful in the city and along the coast, with stations in Astigarraga and Pasaia, and parking in the centre is limited, so a secured garage is best. Spring and early autumn bring pleasant weather and thinner crowds.