GETAWAY TO DONOSTIA
No matter who you ask, San Sebastian is a city full of temptations that leave their mark. Whether for its wild nature, its architecture or its gastronomy, Donostia, as the city is known in Basque, is one of the Naguisa team's favourite destinations for a getaway.
With an adventurous spirit and stately distinction, it doesn't matter if we come for the surf, the art or the tapas, the city always offers us new sensations with which to fill our suitcase on our return trip.
Today we suggest a tour of some of our favourite places in this short 12-hour guide to Donostia.
We wake up to the city and, fully charged with energy, we are ready to begin an architectural tour.
We start from Tabakalera , a former tobacco factory that reopened in 2015 as a centre for contemporary culture. The huge six-level complex features an ever-changing mix of exhibitions and events, from film screenings to artist talks.
We continue our walk towards the sea along the banks of the Urumea River, admiring the splendid daffodils, the filigree balconies and the sandstone buildings of the Belle Époque.
As fans of contemporary architecture we have marked on Google Maps the three works of Rafael Moneo, so we continued the walk until we found the Kursaal , a pair of futuristic cube-shaped glass structures overlooking Zurriola beach.
After the walk, it's time to take a short break to recharge your batteries: Luckily, right in front of the Kursaal is The Loaf , a bakery and café that's worth stopping off at.
After breakfast, it's time to go shopping in Gros, a pretty neighborhood with tree-lined squares and shops full of creative local projects.
There is Mihise , a very special store, whose owner, Nerea, was one of the first people who trusted Naguisa.
At lunchtime, we cross the river in search of a good bite to eat. In this city, there is no shortage of places and even less of varieties of pintxos, but for the occasion we choose to try Arenales . A great little project where you can try honest, home-made cuisine made from km0 products.
In the afternoon, after a pleasant stroll through the city, we visited María R. Laspiur in Posidonia. A beautiful shop-workshop where, in addition to producing her jewellery, she sells and exhibits works and products by local designers.
Before returning to the station, we stopped by to say hello to Karmele and browsed through some of the beauties she has in her store PAS SI SIMPLE .
With our stomachs and suitcases full, we return to our studio and mark the new places we have discovered, with the intention of not leaving anything unseen or untried on our next visit to Donostia.
