Taste of Travel #5: Playa de La Concha, San Sebastián

Playa de La Concha, San Sebastián

​Our family discovered Playa de la Concha in the Basque city of San Sebastián for the first time in 2014 when the Aventura children were still tiny.  Little Angel, just four years old, flung off her sandals and ran with delight across its golden sand toward the bay.  

"I LOVE THIS BEACH, MOMMY!" she trilled.

We'd flown from California for a home exchange in Biarritz, France just on the opposite side of the Spanish border. To our surprise and disappointment it was gray and rainy in southern France every single day.  The house was damp and dark. Its bathroom towels smelled mildly of mold.

"Let's drive across the border," suggested my husband Señor Aventura.  "We may find better weather in Spain."

"That's hard to believe." I wrinkled my forehead, trying to imagine how driving just thirty minutes south could make a significant difference in the weather.

Lo and behold, he was right!  As we made the easy, scenic drive between Biarritz and San Sebastián the clouds actually seemed to part and then gently melt away. 
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Beautiful, sunny day at the Bahía de La Concha!

We arrived to find the sun shining upon the exquisite beach, Playa de la Concha, that takes its name from its shell-like shape.  

"Look Mom!!!!  Sand!!!  Real sand, not pebbles!!!" exclaimed The Scientist, who was feeling homesick for California.

"Yay!!!  We can make sand castles!!!" exulted his brother Soccer Dude. 

The children raced forward, eager and delighted.  My husband and I stretched out the threadbare beach towels we'd found in the French exchange house, laying down on the sand.  

"Finally, it feels like vacation!" I smiled.
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2014 - Making sandcastles at La Concha!

We ended up returning across the border four more times during that two week stay in Biarritz... even to celebrate The Scientist's July birthday.  

"I like it here at this beach so much," he confided.  "I want to spend my birthday in San Sebastián and go to that amusement park on top of the big mountain!"
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(We returned again in the summer of 2017 to celebrate Señor Aventura's 43rd birthday.  It's a destination that draws one back, again and again.)

There are a million things to recommend about the lovely city of San Sebastián - pintxos, shops, culture, art, musical performances, bars, Michelin star restaurants and world famous cheesecake.  We adore their aquarium, worth a blog post of its own!

Here is a taste of the iconic beach that first captured our hearts... covering five of its 'must-see' aspects.  La Playa de La Concha and its spectacular surroundings should be on everyone's bucket list!


Playa de La Concha 

View of the Playa de La Concha from Monte Urgull.

The beach at La Concha is every sunbather's dream.  At approximately 1350 m long and 40 m wide, there is plenty of soft sand where friends, families and singles can play, picnic and sleep. During our various trips to this beach I've seen young couples flirt over paddle ball, teams of players diving into volleyball, children chasing each other in games of tag, topless sunbathing, and people of all ages strolling.

Playa de La Concha is a perfect place for young children because although it's situated on the Atlantic Ocean it's protected from rough water and high surf thanks to tall mountains that surround La Concha Bay.

The waves are gentle and mild and the beach itself is enormous.  Your children will have plenty of space to run and play without worry of getting knocked down by a wave hitting the shore.  Our kids have spent long hours there making drip castles and digging tunnels.
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2017 - Soccer Dude hard at work.

For adventurous youth and adults, a nice floating dock is anchored in easy swimming distance.  It features a diving board and a slide, so strong swimmers can entertain themselves by heading out to the dock and diving off the board into the middle of the sea or having fun on the waterslide. 

​In 2014 our children watched this activity enviously from the beach. By 2017 their swimming skills were strong enough to reach the dock.  They spent hours diving and sliding!

​La Concha is magnetic for people from all over the world, so it isn't surprising to hear a relaxed mix of French, Spanish, English, Italian, German, Russian and Portuguese floating gently on the air toward the water. 

There are also typically street musicians (buskers) perched above the beach on the nearby boardwalk. The sounds of jazz may waft into your afternoon daydreams.


Isla Santa Clara

Isla Santa Clara in the Bahía de La Concha

The tiny island of Santa Clara looks like it should come straight out of a Robert Lewis Stevenson novel.  It's not hard to imagine a pirate ship docked just off of the sands of its Playa de Santa Clara or buried treasure hidden somewhere in the densely forested cliffs. 

Although never officially inhabited, Santa Clara has served many purposes over time - maybe even as a 16th century quarantine for people dying of plague! It's sad to think of abandoned souls looking longingly across the bay toward their homes and families as they took their final breaths.

Even now Santa Clara has an air of mystery and pathos... yet remains pristinely beautiful.
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2017 - Aventura kids in front of Isla Santa Clara with lighthouse in background!

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Whether you arrive by boat or swim there you'll be charmed by Santa Clara's unusual lighthouse, a terrace bar where you can order tasty beverages while looking out across the bay full of little white boats and picnic tables where you can enjoy a true feast!

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Monte Urgull

Monte Urgell (mountain, L) with statue of Christ of the Sacred Heart overlooking San Sebastián

The view of Playa de La Concha and Isla Santa Clara from the top of Monte Urgull is nothing short of awe-inspiring. You will not regret the short, steep hike up the mountain to achieve this world class panorama!
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2014 - View from Castillo de la Mota fortress on Monte Urgell.

While at the top take a brief tour of the Castillo de La Mota fortress dating back to the 12th century AD. It was rebuilt many times as a defensive base to help protect San Sebastián from various invasions (mainly by the French) over many centuries. ​
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Christ of the Sacred Heart overlooking the Playa de La Concha

The Castillo was declared a Spanish National Historical and Artistic monument by the king nearly a hundred years ago (1921) and the land around it was turned into a public park for all people to enjoy. 

In the 1950s a special statue of the Christ of the Sacred Heart was commissioned and placed in the center of the castle as a beacon. At 12 meters high this graceful statue can be seen easily from across the Bay and makes a truly striking figure on the horizon!
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Monte Igueldo Amusement Park 

2014 - Monte Igueldo Amusement Park

To the left side of Playa de La Concha and Playa de Ondaretta sits Monte Igueldo, an imposing mountain with a breathtaking view!

​For more than a century Monte Igueldo has offered various forms of fun and entertainment for locals and tourists.  In 1912 a Casino was built which later (1925) turned into an elegant ballroom where wealthy guests could dance the night away.

This casino and ballroom has more recently been converted into a 4-star hotel along with an amusement park featuring various rides and attractions geared to young children. With 20 attractions including the "Mysterious River", "Terror House," "Boat Pond," a carousel and bumper cars, families or groups of friends can easily spend several happy hours at this fun park and then enjoy a snack while checking out the phenomenal view!
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View from Monte Igueldo

Historic Boat Races

Training for the annual race!

San Sebastián takes pride in its annual regattas held once a year at the end of the summer in the Bahía de La Concha. 

Inspired by a historic tradition of fishing boats racing each other to shore to sell their catch, these races began formally in 1879 as part of an annual festival and have continued ever since.  For the first two Sundays in September, eight boats race to the finish line.

Originally wooden fishing boats were raced but over the past 130 years the competition modernized and now racing boats are made of kevlar and carbon fiber.

An annual women's regatta was launched in 2008, and its excited audience is steadily growing!

For a few days the sands of La Concha and the nearby boardwalks function as a stadium from which onlookers with binoculars can spectate and rejoice.  ​Visitors flock from all over Europe to cheer the boats on from the beach.  This event is sometimes called the 'Olympics of Rowing'.  Such fun! 

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La Concha at Night

​Lastly, a little romance...

By night the Playa de La Concha is lit by gorgeous gaslamp streetlights that line its raised boardwalk.  Whether you stroll barefoot under the stars on the sparkling sand or above it on the promenade, there's something more than magical about the Bahía de La Concha in the moonlight.

For these reasons (and a million more) we highly recommend visiting the Playa de La Concha in San Sebastián!  
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Life is short.  Get out there and choose your own adventure! :)

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