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Only a few kilometres from the fashionable Donostian beaches, the city gives way to green hills. Much of the immediate area is devoted to cider production. Chillida’s sculpture park and the new Science Museum are two more reasons to tear yourself away from the seaside.
The Cider Houses
Around Hernani and Astigarraga, http://www.sagardotegiak.com Buses from Plaza Guipúzcoa.
Although it’s not hugely popular as a day-to-day drink in San Sebastián these days, cider has an important place in Guipúzcoan history. It’s nothing like your commercial ciders, being sharpish, yeasty and not very fizzy. It’s best drunk fresh and has to be poured from a height to give it some bounce after hitting the glass. The cider is mostly made in the hills near San Sebastián in a great number of small sagardotegiak, or sidrerías (cider houses). When it’s ready, in early January, these places dust down the tables, and fling the doors open to the Donostian hordes, who spend whole afternoons eating massive traditional cider-house meals and serving themselves freely from taps on the side of the vats. Tradition has it that this lasts until late April or so, although several places are now open year-round. The typical meal starts with tortilla de bacalao (salt-cod omelette), continues with a massive slab of grilled ox, and concludes with cheese, walnuts, and membrillo (quince jelly). The best of the places are the simpler rustic affairs with long shared rowdy wooden tables and floors awash with the apple brew, but these tend to be harder to get to. Expect to pay from €15-30 for the menú sidrería, which includes as much cider as you feel like sticking away. The tourist office in San Sebastián has a map and list of the cider houses; several are in very picturesque locations, and there are several walking trails through the hills and valleys from Astigarraga and Hernani, a 15-minute bus ride from the centre of San Sebastián.
Kutxaespacio de la Ciencia
Paseo Mikeletegi 43, T 943-308211, F 943-308240, http://www.miramon. org Oct-May Tue-Sat 1000-1900, Sun 1100-1900; Jun-Sep Tue-Sat 1000-2000, Sun 1100-2000. €5. Planetarium sessions: 6-7 multilingual daily, €2, reservations T 943-012476. Bus 28 leaves hourly, approx, from Alameda del Boulevard.
This brand-new bank-sponsored science museum looks appropriately futuristic with an off-kilter tower writhing into the air on the southern outskirts of the city. There are plenty of good interactive displays as well as temporary exhibitions on the natural world, the body, the earth and technology. There’s even a planetarium with a good stargazing show. Very popular with school groups midweek.
Museo Chillida-Leku
Bº Jauregui 66, T 943-336006. 1000-1500 Wed-Mon (Jul/Aug to 1900). Bus 92 from C Oquendo every 30 mins on the half-hour.
A very relaxing place to spend a few hours out of the city. Before his death in August 2002, Chillida, the late Basque sculptor gracefully restored this 16th-century farmhouse with his own concepts of angles and open interior space. The lower floor has a selection of large pieces; upstairs houses some of his earlier work, as well as preparatory drawings. Surrounding the house is a peaceful park, where around 40 of his sculptures are displayed; the organized should pack a picnic.
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