The most magical spots you need to visit when traveling to San Sebastian
The following are some of the most remarkable places you need to visit in the city of San Sebastian, northern Spain:
Monte Igueldo
Monte Igueldo, known in Euskera as Igueldo, Tuxubillo, or Huru Txubilloak, is located on the west part of the city of San Sebastian and to the east of the neighborhood of Igueldo. Its latitude is 181 meters above sea level. This mountain can be seen from all over the city, especially from the beach of La Concha, together with the Santa Clara Island and the Monte Urgull. The euskera word “Hiru Txubiloadk” refers to the three peaks that are visible in the Monte Igueldo. The most oriental peak is called Igueledo or the principal peak, while the occidental one is called Millabier.
For your stay in San Sebastian, a good option is to rent an apartment at San Sebastian rentals. Most of the apartments have city and beach views and they are all well located in the city center. Staying in one of their apartments will make you feel at home. As you can see, there are lots of things to do and enjoy in the magic city of San Sebastian.
Monte Igueldo Amusement Park
In this mountain, we have a popular amusement park very known and popular among the inhabitants of San Sebastian, which is known as Monte Igueldo Amusement Park. This park is quite scenic since it is located at the highest peak of Igueldo mountain. From there you can see all the city and the landscape surrounding it. It is very beautiful and quite impressive to go on a ride on some of its attractions and enjoy the amazing sew views and the city of San Sebastian. We highly recommend visiting this park while you are in the city. And it is a great plan to go and enjoy it with children or friends.
This amusement park has quite a lot of history and it was inaugurated on the 25th of August of 1912. It was a long time since that and it is still open nowadays and fully working. You can get to the park by car or by a special train designed just for this known as funicular. This amusement park is the only one that is still open since there were originally three amusement parks in San Sebastian, that also were opened in the XX century: Ulía, Martutene, and Mount Igueldo.
Inaugurated by María Cristina
María Cristina of Habsburg Lorena, or María Cristine of Austria was the queen consort of Spain from 1879 to 1885. She was married to Alfonso XII, the King of Spain from 1874 to 1885. She used to love San Sebastian and expend her summer holidays in the city. So, it was at this time when the city started to become popular among the high classes. The city became immensely popular, especially in the summertime. It was when San Sebastian started to grow and transform itself into a European touristic hotspot. Activities and leisure centers started to appear in the city, and they have enjoyed but all the population of the city. The city was living what we can call nowadays as its golden years.
The park was designed by the Spanish architect Luis Elizalde. He designed the Park as well the Funicular to get there. María Cristina inaugurated the opening of the park and the funicular. It became a very popular place to go in the city after that.
In 2014, this Amusement Park and the funicular have been declared as Property of National Interest. Most of its attractions are more than 90 years old and still going on. Its steel roller coaster is the oldest in the world.
Mirador Torreón
In Monte Igueldo there is a Torréon, which is a specially designed building with the shape of a tower and a fortress. This Torreón was built by the architect Luis Elizalde and it was designed to offer a panoramic view of the city. So it was built with big windows and a beautiful panoramic rooftop view of all the city and the bay. This Torréon also has a restaurant.
The panoramic views of Monte Igueldo offer the best view of Donostia-San Sebastian. This is a famous view from Monte Igueldo and is known worldwide. Besides, you can enjoy the views while having a pintxo on the terrace of the restaurant and the bar.
Funicular of Igueldo
This funicular is the oldest funicular in the Basque Country and the third in Spain. It was built by the engineer Emilio Gucci. Its function was to make easier the ascension to the top of the Monte Igueldo and to transport the people to the amusement park. The line has only 312 meters long.
Mountain and city
This Monte or mountain marks the limit between the beach and the city. You can also see from here parts of the Gipuzkoan Coast. You can spend an interesting day in Monte Igueldo and take lots of photos. We recommend visiting this place or stay until sunset time since the views of the bay of La Concha are Magnifique.
