The first decision is not the neighbourhood but the city. If you want to spend most of your time on art, architecture and day trips along the Bizkaia coast, base yourself in Bilbao. If you want the beach, the bay and the pintxo bars on your doorstep, choose San Sebastián. With four nights or more, split your stay: the two cities are a little over an hour apart by bus, and changing hotel halfway saves hours of commuting.
San Sebastián, Centro by the Urumea: for a splurge
The streets between the river, the Boulevard and the old town are the classic address, and the Hotel María Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, is their crown. Opened in 1912 and named after the queen regent, it has welcomed film stars for generations, and today offers polished rooms with river or garden views, the Dry Martini bar, fine dining and a Sunday brunch. The old town is five minutes away and La Concha ten. It is our featured pick for a celebration.
San Sebastián, La Concha seafront: for the view
On the promenade itself, the Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra has looked out over the bay since the nineteenth century. Its 167 rooms were renovated in 2020, the best of them facing the island of Santa Clara, and it has parking, which is rare in the centre. It is the right choice for beach lovers, first-timers and families who want the sand across the road.
Bilbao, the museum quarter: for art lovers
The Abando district along the Alameda de Mazarredo puts the Guggenheim and the reopened Bilbao Museoa within a few minutes’ walk. The Miró Hotel, designed by the fashion designer Antonio Miró, has 50 sleek rooms, a gym and sauna, a lobby bar and a photography collection. There is no restaurant, which is no hardship in a city of pintxo bars.
Bilbao, the Casco Viejo: for food and atmosphere
The old town is where the city began and where its bar life is liveliest. On the riverside Calle de la Ribera, next to the market and the La Merced bridge, the Hotel Tayko occupies a restored 1924 building, with soundproofed rooms, a free gym, a private car park and the restaurant Ola Martín Berasategui. The Plaza Nueva and the Seven Streets are on the doorstep, and the Guggenheim is a twenty-minute riverside walk.
Bilbao, the Ensanche near San Mamés: for value
The ILUNION Bilbao is a three-star hotel about a kilometre from the Guggenheim and close to San Mamés, the Itsasmuseum and the Termibus bus station for San Sebastián. It has a pintxos restaurant, a free 24-hour gym, parking in the building, pet-friendly rooms and some of the best accessible rooms in the city.
Matching base to trip
For a celebration, the María Cristina. For the bay at your window, the Londres y de Inglaterra. For a design base between the museums, the Miró. For old-town character and serious food, the Tayko. For the tightest budget, the best accessibility or a match at San Mamés, the ILUNION Bilbao.
Practical tips
Breakfast is often charged separately, so compare rates carefully. Parking in both city centres is expensive, so if you are driving the coast, the Tayko, the Londres and the ILUNION make life easier. San Sebastián fills up and prices peak in summer and during the film festival in September, and Bilbao rises on big match days and during major events. November is one of the best-value months in both cities.