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San Sebastian lodging and public transportation - seeking an apt. + neighborhood guidance

Posted by (Michigan) on

Hello! We are looking for an apartment for our family of five, rather than two separate rooms in a pension. Hoping to keep the price around $200-$300 USD, and we will stay 5 nights. We will not have a car, so we thought we'd stay right in the Old Town or Gros neighborhoods. That is proving a little tricky to find anywhere less than about $275 per night! We do have a reservation in a pension - but no place where all five of us can relax together, being split between two very small rooms.

I wonder if anyone has any suggestions of good areas to look - and if we should be considering places a little farther out, with good bus access? Is there a transportation pass that would be helpful for this 6 day/5 night stay? This will be our home base for some day trip exploring as well.

Thanks,
Laurie

Posted by
53 posts

We stayed at an Airbnb that had 2 bedrooms, 1 queen, 2 bunks, and sofa. 15 minutes to the Casco Viejo (walking). Might work for 5 people, and it was in the low $100s. I can find the link if you want to check it out.

Posted by
417 posts

Thank you - I think we are set with a place in the Gros neighborhood after all. After a LOT of looking, I think we'll be set. I appreciate your response!

Laurie

Posted by
11294 posts

For transit, ask at the tourist office. I know that in the Bilbao region there is a Barik card, which is a stored value card similar to the Oyster card in London. You load it with money, and tap it to pay on a bus or tram; the fare is much lower with the card than it is with cash.

It's very difficult to get information on local and regional buses in English (almost all the websites are in Basque and Castillian only), but it looks like the MUGI card covers the region. Try running this through Google Translate (you would want the Anonymous Card): http://www.lurraldebus.eus/es/txartelak

Posted by
27230 posts

In 2016 the Bilbao Barik transit card also worked in Vitoria-Gasteiz, but not in San Sebastian. It was just for city transit, however. In San Sebastian a lot of the sights are quite close together, so you may not need local transportation.

Posted by
420 posts

With 5 people, I think the economics favor Uber and taxis vs transit.

Posted by
11294 posts

I should clarify. To get around San Sebastian itself, I walked almost everywhere. I was speaking of using the MUGI card to get to other places outside of town. For instance, I took the bus to get to Getaria and Hondarribia; I paid on the bus, but it would have been much cheaper with the MUGI card. If you're taking a number of these kinds of trips, the card is worth looking into.

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