There is no better spot to eat in Spain than San Sebastián. It’s a brash statement, but if anyone can make it, it’s the food-obsessed Basques that populate this dazzling coastal town. With the second-most Michelin stars per capita and a respectable claim to the title of most bars per person, this is a glutton’s heaven. The Basques have even invented a novel way of eating – hopping from bar to bar, standing up, and sampling bite-size bits of culinary art, aka, the pintxo.
Stroll the Belle Époque promenades of the city’s three urban beaches to work up an appetite, sip glasses of local fizzy txakoli wine, and listen out for the Basque language, an ancient tongue unrelated to its Indo-European neighbours, still widely spoken in this part of the world. The Basque culture and its unique, insular customs are on display at every turn, from the L-shaped frontoia (outdoor courts used for community gatherings) to the many celebrations marked by rigorous and strange steps of euskal dantza (a local dance). Soak it all in between fabulous meals.
