Best Things to Do in San Sebastián With Kids: What Our Children Loved
Wondering what the best things to do in San Sebastián with kids are? We spent four days exploring the city with our one-year-old and four-year-old, and it turned out to be one of the easiest family city breaks we’ve taken.
San Sebastián might be best known for its food, but there was far more to keep our children entertained than we expected. We spent mornings on the beach, rode the carousel more times than I can remember, took the funicular up Monte Igueldo, explored its wonderfully old-fashioned amusement park and jumped on the tourist train when little legs needed a rest.
What I loved most was that we rarely had to choose between doing something for us and doing something for the children.
We could spend an hour on the beach, stop for pintxos, find a playground, walk along the bay and finish with another ride on the carousel — all without travelling backwards and forwards across the city.
These are the things we actually did in San Sebastián with our one-year-old and four-year-old, what they enjoyed most and the practical things I wish I’d known before we went.
Planning your whole trip? Read our complete San Sebastián with kids guide for our four-day itinerary, where we stayed, pushchair tips and everything else we learned during our visit.
1. Spend the morning on La Concha Beach
La Concha Beach became part of our morning routine in San Sebastián.
In fact, we went every single morning.
It was only around a ten-minute walk from our apartment, so we’d head down at about 8am and spend a couple of hours there before starting the rest of our day.
If you’re visiting San Sebastián with kids during August, I’d really recommend doing the same.
August was hot, but between 8am and around 10 or 11am, the temperature was perfect.
The beach was also wonderfully peaceful at this time, with just a handful of locals enjoying their morning swim.
La Concha sits in a beautiful, calm bay and the soft sandy beach was ideal for our one-year-old and four-year-old to play on.
By the middle of the day, however, the sand could become really hot underfoot, which was another reason we were happy to have had our beach time early.
There are also showers and taps dotted along the promenade, which were incredibly handy for washing sandy feet — and sandy bottoms — before putting everyone back in the pushchair!
One of the things I loved most about La Concha was how easy it was to incorporate into our day.
We didn’t need a dedicated “beach day”. We’d spend the morning there and then wander off for breakfast, pintxos, sightseeing or another carousel ride.
Our tip: Go early in summer. For us, 8–10/11am was the sweet spot: cooler, quieter and wonderfully peaceful.
2. Ride the Palace Carousel at Alderdi Eder
This was quite possibly our four-year-old’s favourite thing in San Sebastián.
Specifically, the mermaid.
She became completely obsessed with riding the mermaid on the Palace Carousel and, because we passed it so often during our stay, there were plenty of repeat visits.
Our one-year-old could ride too. One of us would simply stand alongside her during the ride so she was properly supported.
We bought a multi-ride ticket that gave us three rides, which was perfect because we could use them throughout the holiday rather than having to use them all at once.
The carousel’s location is brilliant for families. It sits in Alderdi Eder, right beside La Concha and close to the Old Town, so you don’t really need to make a special trip to visit it.
For us, it simply became part of San Sebastián.
Beach. Carousel. Food. Playground. Repeat.
The current Palace Carousel recalls San Sebastián’s Belle Époque past and is a replica of an earlier carousel dating from 1900.
Our children’s verdict: the one-year-old loved it. The four-year-old would probably still be riding the mermaid now if we’d let her.
3. Take the Donostia tourist train
The tourist train was another surprisingly successful activity with both children — and a particularly good option when little legs needed a rest.
The journey lasts around 40 minutes and is a continuous sightseeing loop. There are no stops where you need to get on and off; you simply finish back where you started.
We had headphones to listen to information about San Sebastián as we travelled, but what made it particularly good for families was the dedicated children’s audio channel, which made the experience much more entertaining and age-appropriate for our four-year-old.
Taking our Silver Cross Clic wasn’t a problem either.
It folded down easily enough to take aboard, so we didn’t have to worry about leaving the pushchair behind.
For us, the train worked really well after a morning on the beach: the children got to sit down for 40 minutes while we still got to see more of the city.
Pushchair verdict: easy with our compact travel pushchair.
4. Take the funicular up Monte Igueldo
If I had to choose one thing not to miss in San Sebastián with kids, Monte Igueldo would be very high on the list.
We visited on a Sunday, when the funicular opened at 10am, and deliberately arrived for opening.
We were first in the queue.
I’m very glad we did.
We took our Silver Cross Clic with us and found the funicular surprisingly straightforward with a pushchair. There was a carriage suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, although our Clic folds so compactly that we could easily have folded it and taken it into a regular carriage if necessary.
The historic funicular has been carrying passengers up Monte Igueldo since 1912, and reaching the top gives you one of the most spectacular views over La Concha Bay.
But with a one-year-old and four-year-old, we weren’t just there for the view.
There was an amusement park waiting at the top.
5. Head straight for the Mysterious River
Because we’d arrived so early, we headed straight for one of Monte Igueldo’s best-known attractions: Río Misterioso — the Mysterious River.
This is the little boat ride that winds its way around the edge of the mountain, with incredible views looking back across the bay.
Both of our children absolutely loved it.
And if you’re visiting with young children, this is the ride I’d prioritise when you arrive.
When we rode it, there was barely a wait. By the time we were leaving Monte Igueldo later that morning, the park was considerably busier.
So our strategy would absolutely be the same next time:
Funicular at opening → straight to the Mysterious River.
6. Explore Monte Igueldo’s old-fashioned rides
The Mysterious River wasn’t the only success.
Our four-year-old particularly loved the Terror House, boat pond and TAGA-J, while both children enjoyed another carousel and the Igueldo Train.
Part of the charm of Monte Igueldo is that it doesn’t feel like a modern theme park. The attractions have a wonderfully old-fashioned quality to them, which somehow makes the whole place feel even more special.
We spent about two and a half hours at the top, which felt about right with children of our ages.
There are places to buy snacks and drinks — including beer for the grown-ups — although we didn’t eat while we were there.
There were also toilets and baby-changing facilities. When we visited, there was a €1 charge to use the toilets.
Is Monte Igueldo pushchair-friendly?
This needs a little qualification.
Getting up there with a pushchair was easy. Getting around the amusement park was less so.
There are quite a lot of stairs once you’re at the top.
This is where having our Silver Cross Clic really came into its own. We could fold it quickly and carry it when necessary rather than trying to manoeuvre a larger pushchair around the steps.
So I certainly wouldn’t say Monte Igueldo is completely pushchair-friendly — but with a lightweight, easily foldable travel pushchair, we managed absolutely fine.
By the time we’d spent around two and a half hours at Monte Igueldo, the difference from when we’d arrived was enormous.
It was very busy, as well as hot and humid.
We were more than ready to head back down on the funicular, grab an ice cream and cool off at the beach.
Not a bad way to finish the morning.
Our tip: Go early. Seriously.
7. Build playground stops into your day
One of the things that made San Sebastián work so well for us was the number of opportunities to stop and let the children play.
We never really needed to plan a dedicated playground visit.
Instead, playgrounds became little breaks between everything else we wanted to do.
We’d eat some pintxos, walk for a while, stop at a playground, have another wander and then find somewhere else to eat.
It meant the children never felt as though they were spending the entire day being dragged around sightseeing with us.
One of our first stops was Alderdi Eder, beside La Concha and the City Hall.
We also found a playground opposite Baluarte Donostia, which became such a successful combination — children playing, us sitting under the trees — that we went back.
Our tip: Don’t underestimate playgrounds when planning a city break with small children. Twenty minutes of completely unstructured play could reset everyone for another couple of hours.
8. Walk along La Concha Bay
San Sebastián is one of those cities where walking is an activity in itself.
We walked everywhere.
One day we walked the full length of the bay towards Monte Igueldo to catch the funicular. With our children and pushchair, it took us around 45 minutes, but it never felt like a journey we simply had to get through.
There was always something happening.
We could stop at the beach, find a playground, buy an ice cream or simply look out across the bay.
Our Silver Cross Clic made this particularly easy because San Sebastián was so straightforward to explore on foot with a compact pushchair.
If your children will tolerate a decent walk — or you’ve got a pushchair for tired legs — I’d resist the temptation to rush between attractions.
Slow down and walk the bay.
It was one of my favourite parts of the trip.
9. Wander through the Old Town and harbour
We spent a lot of time simply wandering around San Sebastián’s Old Town.
Obviously, food was a fairly significant part of that.
But you don’t need a packed sightseeing itinerary here. The narrow streets, shops, pintxos bars and little squares give you plenty to look at as you explore.
We’d wander through the streets before eventually coming out by the harbour, stopping whenever something caught our attention.
With small children, this kind of unstructured exploring worked particularly well.
There wasn’t an attraction we were desperately trying to reach at a certain time.
We could stop when somebody wanted food.
Find somewhere to play.
Sit by the harbour.
Or, in our case, somehow find ourselves eating again.
Our tip: Give yourself some time in the Old Town without an itinerary. Some of our favourite parts of San Sebastián happened between the things we’d actually planned.
10. Experience Semana Grande if you’re visiting in August
This one comes with an important caveat: Semana Grande isn’t something you’ll experience year-round.
We happened to be in San Sebastián at exactly the right time.
Semana Grande — or Aste Nagusia — takes place around the week of 15 August, with concerts, children’s activities and events taking place across the city.
We were there on 8 August and the atmosphere around the harbour was brilliant.
There was music and plenty going on, and we stopped for drinks while the children danced.
It made an already lively city feel even more special.
If you’re planning an August trip, I’d absolutely check whether your dates coincide with Semana Grande.
Just be prepared for more people and more noise than you might experience at other times.
11. Watch the Semana Grande fireworks
And then came the fireworks.
During Semana Grande, huge displays take place over La Concha Bay as part of San Sebastián’s International Fireworks Competition.
We had an unexpected advantage:
we could see them from our apartment balcony.
That meant we could enjoy the spectacle without keeping a one-year-old and four-year-old out late in a huge crowd.
Remarkably, the children also slept through the noise when they weren’t watching them.
Watching the Semana Grande fireworks with young children
The fireworks were one of those things we hadn’t really planned our holiday around but which ended up making the trip particularly memorable.
If you’re visiting during Semana Grande with small children, it’s worth checking whether your accommodation has a view before automatically heading into the crowds around La Concha.
Worth knowing: if your children are light sleepers, accommodation close to the centre during Semana Grande may be considerably noisier than usual.
Things we didn’t manage to do in San Sebastián with kids
Four days wasn’t quite enough to do everything.
And although I could easily turn this into a huge list of every possible family attraction in San Sebastián, I’d rather be clear about the difference between places we actually visited and places we didn’t.
One of the biggest things we missed was the San Sebastián Aquarium, beside the harbour and Old Town. It has more than 200 marine species, a 360-degree underwater tunnel and exhibits covering the area’s maritime history.
We also didn’t properly explore Ondarreta Beach, at the Monte Igueldo end of the bay. It’s another option families may want to investigate, particularly because there’s a children’s playground on the sand.
Another possibility is a boat trip to Santa Clara Island, sitting right in the middle of La Concha Bay.
We didn’t manage any of these ourselves, so I can’t tell you whether they’re worth sacrificing beach, pintxos or carousel time for.
And frankly, our four-year-old would probably have voted for another ride on the mermaid anyway.
What did our children love most in San Sebastián?
If I had to pick their highlights, I’d say:
Our four-year-old: the mermaid on the carousel, Monte Igueldo, the Mysterious River, Terror House, tourist train, playgrounds and the beach.
Our one-year-old: the beach, carousel, Monte Igueldo rides, playgrounds and — judging by the fact she ate an entire shark skewer — apparently the food.
But I think what worked best was the combination.
We weren’t spending entire days visiting children’s attractions. We’d go to the beach, stop for breakfast, ride the carousel, wander around the city, eat some pintxos and find a playground.
It meant there was almost always something coming up that the children would enjoy.
And because everything felt so close together, we could change our plans easily if somebody was tired, hungry or simply wasn’t interested.
Is San Sebastián pushchair-friendly?
For us, very.
We travelled with our Silver Cross Clic and used it every day.
The long promenade around La Concha was particularly easy with the pushchair, and we could walk from our apartment to the beach, Old Town and most of the places we wanted to visit.
The Clic folded easily for the tourist train and was straightforward to take on the Monte Igueldo funicular.
The main exception was the amusement park at the top of Monte Igueldo. There are quite a few steps, so I wouldn’t describe that particular part as completely pushchair-friendly.
Having a lightweight pushchair that we could quickly fold and carry made a big difference.
If you’re travelling with a baby or toddler, I’d definitely consider a compact travel pushchair rather than a large pram for this particular trip.
How many days do you need in San Sebastián with kids?
We had four days in San Sebastián before collecting our hire car and continuing to Gijón.
Four days was enough to see and do a lot without rushing.
But would I have stayed longer?
Absolutely.
I could happily have added another two or three days.
Part of San Sebastián’s appeal for us was that we didn’t feel the need to race around ticking attractions off a list.
Every morning started on La Concha Beach. We ate when we were hungry, stopped at playgrounds and walked almost everywhere.
Another couple of days would have meant more of exactly that — as well as giving us time for places like the Aquarium.
For a first family visit, I think three days would give you a good introduction, four days worked brilliantly for us, and five or more would allow you to slow things down even further.
Are there enough things to do in San Sebastián with kids?
For us, absolutely.
Before we went, I mainly associated San Sebastián with food.
I knew about the pintxos. I knew about the restaurants. I knew it was somewhere we wanted to visit.
What I hadn’t appreciated was how well it would work for the children too.
They had a huge sandy beach in the middle of the city, playgrounds everywhere we seemed to need one, a carousel they became obsessed with, a tourist train and an entire old-fashioned amusement park overlooking the bay.
And we didn’t have to give up the things we wanted from the holiday to make that happen.
We still wandered through the Old Town, ate brilliant food and sat with a glass of txakoli.
We just did it with considerably more stops for playgrounds, ice cream and carousel rides.
If you’re looking for things to do in San Sebastián with kids, my biggest advice isn’t to try to fit everything in.
Go to the beach early.
Get to Monte Igueldo when it opens.
Ride the carousel — probably more than once.
Leave gaps in your plans.
And let San Sebastián do the rest.
We only had four days. I wish we’d had longer.
Planning a family trip to San Sebastián?
San Sebastián With Kids: Our Complete Family Guide — your four-day itinerary, accommodation, getting around, eating with children and practical advice.
Where to Eat in San Sebastián With Kids: Our Favourite Places — every pintxos bar, café and restaurant you actually visited with your one-year-old and four-year-old.
