Coach Rental Across Spain

Donostia / San Sebastián with a Minibus and Driver

Donostia / San Sebastián is a small city with a big table: pintxo bars in the old town, La Concha bay, and fishing villages and French resorts within an hour. A minibus turns that list into a relaxed few days for friends, families and food lovers.

Apply before you arrive

Since January 2025, about 1.2 km² of the centre has been a low-emission zone, controlled day and night. Every vehicle registered abroad must ask the city for authorisation before entering, giving details such as the plate, fuel and registration date. Authorisations stay valid through 2027, when phase one ends, and from 2028 label B vehicles are excluded too.

If your minibus comes from France or further afield, ask the operator to confirm the application well before the trip.

Sprinter minibus cabin
Sprinter minibus cabin

The old town and the bay

The Parte Vieja is largely pedestrian, so your group strolls between pintxo bars while the driver waits outside. No official set-down list was found, and the operator chooses the stop. The funicular up Monte Igueldo gives the classic view over La Concha, and the San Telmo Museoa sits below Monte Urgull.

In September the Kursaal, by Zurriola beach where the Urumea meets the sea, hosts the International Film Festival. Hotels fill quickly that month, so if your dates are flexible, a week either side is calmer.

Airports for San Sebastián

Places worth a stop in San Sebastián

  • Pamplona and San Fermín (day trip) — About 84 km by road; see the event facts for San Fermín (July).
  • Monte Urgull and the San Telmo Museoa — At the end of the old town.
  • La Concha bay and Monte Igueldo — Igueldo has a funicular to the top.
  • Parte Vieja (old town) and its pintxo bars — Inside the low-emission zone and largely pedestrian; groups go on foot.

Easy places to be collected

  • Hondarribia / Irun (near the airport)
  • Amara / Anoeta
  • Gros / Zurriola / Kursaal
  • La Concha / Ondarreta
  • Centro / Área Romántica
  • Parte Vieja / Alderdi Eder

Txakoli, sanctuaries and France

Getaria, in the txakoli wine area, is about 30 minutes west. Hondarribia, near the airport, is about 35 minutes east. The Santuario de Loiola at Azpeitia is about 50 minutes inland.

Saint-Jean-de-Luz is about 40 minutes away and Biarritz about 55. Both are in France, where French rules apply. Pamplona is about 1 h 25 min; during San Fermín in July the town is very busy, so plan the drop-off with the operator.

What travellers ask us

Which airport should we use?

The local airport, at Hondarribia, is about 22 km away, around 30 minutes, but has few routes. Bilbao airport has more flights and is about 1 h 35 min away.

Can the minibus take us right into the Parte Vieja?

It is mostly pedestrian and inside the low-emission zone, so the minibus stops at its edge and you walk in.

Is a Rioja day possible from here?

Laguardia, in Rioja Alavesa, is about 2 h 30 min each way. It is a long day, so Bilbao or Vitoria-Gasteiz make better bases for wine visits.

More trips we can arrange

Other vehicles with a driver