Ondarreta Beach

Ondarreta Beach is the beach at the western end of La Concha Bay in San Sebastián, at the foot of Monte Igueldo, and it is the quieter, more local counterpart of the bay’s main beach. A short promenade connects the two, and the bay is one continuous curve of sand, but the character changes along its length. Ondarreta is calmer, less crowded and more residential, with older San Sebastián families who have gone to the same stretch of beach for generations. The name comes from Basque, from ondar, meaning sand, and it fits a place that has always been a sandy shore.

The beach is wide and gently sloping, with fine golden sand, and the water is generally calm because the bay is sheltered by the islands and headlands at its mouth. Waves are moderate, and families with children are drawn by the shallow water and the lifeguard cover in the season. Facilities include a children’s playground, showers and changing rooms, beach bars and the rental of the blue-and-white striped tents that are a trademark of San Sebastián’s beaches, and a floating platform with a slide offers extra entertainment in summer. Strong swimmers often make the swim to the small island of Santa Clara in the middle of the bay, which has a beach of its own, though it is a considerable distance and conditions should be checked first. Canoes can be rented. The tide changes the width of the beach significantly, and at high tide the sand can be reduced to a narrow strip.

The setting is elegant. Above the beach to the east rises the hill of Miramar, crowned by the Palacio de Miramar, the Miramar Palace, a late-nineteenth-century palace built as a summer residence for the royal family, whose gardens run down to the sea. In the early twentieth century, San Sebastián became fashionable as a royal and aristocratic resort, and that period left the town with its grand seafront. At the western end of the beach, beneath Monte Igueldo, stands one of the city’s best-known works of art, the Peine del Viento, the Wind Comb, a group of steel sculptures by Eduardo Chillida anchored in the rocks at the water’s edge, where waves send spray through holes in the pavement. A funicular railway nearby climbs Monte Igueldo, a trip that gives wide views of the bay.

Ondarreta is reached by several city bus lines, and it is easy to walk from the old town along the seafront promenade, which takes around thirty minutes. Entry to the beach is free, though showers and changing facilities carry a small charge. It is best on a warm day from late spring to early autumn, and the water is cool throughout the year.

Beyond the far end of the bay lie Zurriola Beach and Monte Ulia. The Chillida sculptures, the old town’s pintxo bars, and Mount Urgull are all within reach, so a morning on the beach combines naturally with sightseeing in the city.