Return to San Sebastian Spanish Program

Our school organizes "intercambio" parties, talks and lectures, video, international meals and visits to the cultural centers, to the radio, to exhibitions, to the Congress Center. As members of a traditional gastronomic society, they also organize dinners prepared by volunteer students.

Upon arrival you will recieve a membership card (free of charge) which will give you access to "houses of Culture in the city". These houses organize concerts, theater plays, different courses and talks and offer a library. Each House of Culture issues a brochure every month with its planned activities.

Also enjoy the natural richness of the Basque Country’s scenery through excursions to its nature reserves, visit villages along the coast, the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Pamplona, France, sports, wine tasting and so much more!

Just a few ideas....

FIESTAS and FERIAS in SAN SEBASTIAN

January:
Two cross-country races
5th Epiphany/Three Wise Men/Kings
Mid Month - Crafts fair
Mid Month - Bertsolari Festival (poetry event)
Mid-Month - International Cross Country Race
20th - San Sebastian Feast Day. The patron saints day with parades

February:
Tinkers Parade, prelude to the carnival Nursemaid's and Shepherd's Day Carnival, a celebration popular since 1978

March:
Holy Week
Domingo de Piñata Horse racing season starts

April:
Second fortnight is the book fair Music festival and festival of Andalucian folklore
Mid- Fiesta del Aguardiente y la Queimada

May:
Dia de las Casas Regionales - different regions of Spain on display 1 - Labor Day Early May - Sagardo Eguna (Cider Day) End of the Month - Annual Tango Festival June:
23rd-24th San Juan night with bonfires to mark the start of summer
Mid- Beer Fest
Mid- La Rioja Festival, local street market fair
Late June - Vispera de San Juan (summer solstice celebration) Festival of Jazz Theatre fair
Mid- Theater Festival

August:
Semana Grande - Day of the Virgin International fireworks competition Fiesta del 31 de Agosto - marking the fire of 1813
15 - Feast of the Assumption
Mid- Quincena Musical (Classic Music Festival)
Mid- Antiques Fair

September:
Rural sports and folklore fair International Film festival

October:
Fantasy and Horror Film Festival
12 - National Day
Mid- Elektronikaldia (Electronic Music Festival)

November:
Marathon
All Saints Day

December:
21st - Feria de Santo Tomás Arts and crafts market 31st - San Silvestre footrace
6 - Constitution Day
8 - Feast of the immaculate Conception

SPORTS in SAN SEBASTIAN

San Sebastian offers all kinds of sports: Golf, tennis, horse riding, many surfers are attracted to our waves in Gros, Mundaka, Hossegor…

The Mundáiz Gym, next to the school, offers our students preferential rates. The Municipal Sports Council is very active, and if you become a member you can get into the sport centers and take part in the courses that they organize. In summer they run courses in 20 different sports, ranking from surfing, canoeing or sailing, to tennis, hang-gliding or climbing.

Our school organizes sport activities such as football and volleyball games, horse-rides, bike rides, excursions to the mountains… PUBLIC SPORT CENTRES Local Sport Centres:
Facilities (weight machines…): 2,50 € per session
Swimming pool: 4,50 €.
To get a membership: Quarterly or annual available, prices vary.

You will have access to all the public sport centres in town, including swimming pools, fitness centers, etc. SURF SCHOOL You have the chance to learn surfing at one of our most beautiful beaches. For one week class, it costs 60€ and you get one hour lesson a day.

At the end you will receive a surf diploma and discounts on future rentals of surfing material. Visit the surf school at PukasSurf.com and click the link "school" on the left side of the page to learn more.

SURFING AND THE BEACHES

In the center of the city, right next to the Old Part, is the famous La Concha, viewed by many as one of the most beautiful city beaches in the world. Due to its enclosed location, the waters here are calm, shallow, and based on a smooth, rock free sand. This makes it ideal for bathing or swimming out to ‘La Isla Santa Clara’ in the centre of the bay. La Zurriola San Sebastian’s second most famous beach, La Zurriola, is a surfers paradise. Located just on the other side of the Urumea river, it is merely a 5 minute walk from the centre of the city, located in the ‘Barrio Gros’.

This beach is more popular amongst the youth, and water sports enthusiasts. Here, at any given time, you may see upwards of 100 surfers, with several games of beach volleyball and beach soccer going on simultaneously. The water on this beach can get quite rough, bringing waves of 10 feet crashing down on the keen surfers. Here, for the inexperienced, a board can be rented and lessons bought. La Ondarreta La Ondarreta, located on the other side of La Concha, near the upscale ‘Barrio Antiguo’, is perhaps the most relaxed of San Sebastian’s beaches.

It generally has less people than the other beaches, and is less frequented by the multitude of tourists that converge on San Sebastian annually. It is located near the famous “Peine de los Vientos” by the famous Basque sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

MUSEUMS & THEATERS

Museums:
Chillida-Leku Museum
San Telmo Museum
Museum of Navigation
Diocesan Museum
Concrete Museum
Aquarium
Science Museum

Theatres:
Victoria Eugenia Theatre

LOCAL EXCURSIONS

The ISLA CRISTINA:
The little Santa Clara Island is situated just offshore in the beautiful bay of La Concha, and although it is quite small in dimensions, it does in fact have a clean sandy beach. It can be reached by boat, however the beach area gets completely covered during the day due to the high tides , so best to make sure you know the tide times before planning your trip to the island.

BILBAO:
Only 2 hours away visit Bilbao, the capital of other basque community Vizcaya, with its amazing modern Guggenheim Museum and masterpieces of world most famous painters Picasso, Chagall, Warhol, Rausenberg and many others. The exhibition however gives way to the building itself. The cubistic sculpture with its curved and bent forms covered in titanium designed by Frank O. Gehry is a showcase of the city.

FRANCE & BIARITZ:
About 30 km over the French boarder from San Sebastian, Biarritz is a Mecca for surfers from around the world.

PAMPLONA:
Less than 100 km Pamplona is home to some of Spain’s most important bullfights which take place during the fiestas of San Fermin. The famous Running of the Bulls takes place in July.

CONTACT US:
E-mail: info@languagesabroad.com
Tel: NORTH AMERICA: 1 800 219 9924 or WORLDWIDE: +1 416 925 2112