San Sebastián is nestled 12 miles from the French border at the foot of the deep green Pyrenees Mountains in the province of Gipuzkoa. It faces a bay bordered by beaches and a port from which, for many centuries, seafarers set out to hunt whales and cod. An ancient city largely destroyed in the 19th century, most of San Sebastián is quite modern, while the narrow streets of the Old Quarter preserve the flavor of days gone by. Its natural beauty and accessibility also account for the city’s popularity as the site of many international cultural events and as a summer resort.
San Sebastián has the highest level of bilingualism of any of the area’s cities, since all of its inhabitants speak Spanish, and one third speak Basque as well. As a city of 200,000, it offers the friendly, intimate way of life of a provincial capital, while making available a wealth of cultural activities normally associated with larger cities.
