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Avda. Pío Baroja, 15. 20008
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www.barcelocostavasca.com |
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| The country of Spain is located in southwestern Europe. |
| Mainland Spain has a surface area of 493,486 square kilometers, while the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands cover 4,992 and 7,447 square kilometers, respectively. The Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the African continent account for an additional 32 square kilometers. |
| The World Tourism Organization rates Spain as the second most popular tourist destination worldwide, with 49.5 million visitors annually. | |
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| San Sebastián lies behind a white-sand bay between mount Urgull and mount Igeldo. |
| A fishermen’s quarter, an elegant district for the well-to-do townspeople and the modern districts all combine to make this city one of the most attractive to be found on the Bay of Biscay. |
| Its San Telmo museum, its prominent sculpture Peine de los Vientos (‘Comb of the Winds’) and the Kursaal congress centre are examples of ways in which the city manages to blend the traditional with the modern. San Sebastián is the capital of Guipúzcoa, a province that marries the mountains and the sea to offer visitors not only buildings of interest but also fine landscapes, sports and cuisine… A Basque cuisine that is acknowledged the world over as outstanding. | |
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 San Telmo Municipal Museum. This museum, which opened its doors in 1932, has three storeys, the ground floor being home to the church, the cloister and the archaeology section, with exhibits of engraved tombstones, baptismal fonts, shields and one of the finest collections of discoid stelae. The art gallery has works by El Greco, Alonso Cano, Rubens, Ribera, Depièce and Zuloaga. The top floor is devoted to contemporary Basque painting, with works by Ugarte, Arteta, Ameztoy and the Catalan artist Sert. |
| Miramar Royal Palace.This palace, dating from 1888, was designed by the English architect Selden Wornun, though the work was carried out by Benito Olasagasti under the direction of the architect José Goicoa. The palace has a basement and three storeys above, two of which were for private use while the top floor with its attic was reserved for the servants. Pride of place on the front goes to the coat of arms of the Habsburgs, the date MDCCCXCII and the octagonal tower. |
| Buen Pastor CathedralThis ‘Good Shepherd” cathedral, built in the neo-Gothic style, is the largest church in the city. |
| La Concha. This is the sandy strand lying between San Sebastián and the sea. The pleasant, well-known seafront promenade there always attracts people to it, just as the bicycle lane that runs the length of it always attracts cyclists. The strand runs all the way along the bay, taking in the beaches of Ondarreta and La Concha on the way. |
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| Passion for culinary matters is a constant feature of Basque social life, and one of the most compelling reasons for visiting the Basque Country. |
| The ‘New Basque Cuisine” is based on its traditional foundations, employing fresh, top-quality produce in each season to come up with new textures, cooking techniques, colours and flavours, raising cookery to the status of an art. |
| The typically sea-food based restaurants of the coast of Guipúzcoa province offer delicious fish dishes cooked to retain all the fish’s flavour and open-air grills out on the street. The farm houses and spit-roast houses of the rural districts remain true to Basque cooking at its most traditional, offering a wide-ranging selection of vegetable, fish and meat dishes. |
| In addition, an original way to get to know what is being termed “miniature cuisine” is to go on a trip around the traditional bars of the Old Town (Parte Vieja) of San Sebastián, in which you can sample the succulent pintxos (‘tapas’) and cazuelitas (‘mini-casseroles’) lined up on the bar within easy reach of the clients for them to select as they please. |
| San Sebastián is the culinary capital of the Basque Country, and it has restaurants distinguished by the highest ratings in the good-food guides, along with much-frequented cider houses and serving bars weighed down by a multitude of sophisticated pintxos to seduce the palates of visitors. |
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| Travellers visiting San Sebastián and Guipúzcoa will find wide-ranging specialist shops for hunting down very special gifts: antique shops, bookshops, jeweller’s, perfumeries, confectioner’s, gift shops and many more besides all form part of an extensive and diverse range of shops for visitors. |
| Going shopping in San Sebastián, where distance doesn’t exist and where the attractive surroundings encourage rambling and contemplation, is truly a pleasure. |
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| Local Time: UTC + 2 in Summer. UTC + 1 in Winter. |
| Official Currency: The currency used is the Euro |
| Official Language:Spanish and Basque. |
| Population: Approximately 40 millions inhabitants. |
| Electricity: 220 V. Plugs are rounded and double-pronged. |
| Types of payment: Most shops accept cash and major international credit cards, such as VISA, MasterCard and American Express. |
| Banking hours: Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
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