After the San Sebastián Marathon: Hondarribia
The Route: San Sebastián → Hondarribia → San Sebastián Logistics: Lurraldebus coastal bus, about 45 minutes each way. Flat in the fishermen's quarter, a steady climb to the walled town. Marathon Month: November Duration: Day trip
San Sebastián ──(about 45 mins Lurraldebus)──> Hondarribia ──(about 45 mins)──> San Sebastián
The San Sebastián Marathon finishes on the Boulevard after loops of the city and the bay. Hondarribia, 20 km east on the border with France, gives a Monday of harbour walks and long lunches with only as much climbing as the legs allow.
November in Hondarribia is off-season. The beach is empty, the marina quiet and the weather changeable, with rain likely on some days and temperatures usually in the low to mid-teens. The bars and restaurants of La Marina stay open and are full of locals.
Lurraldebus services run from central San Sebastián to Hondarribia, some by way of the airport, in about 45 minutes. Pay on board with a card or a Mugi travel card. Check the timetable at lurraldebus.eus, as frequency drops on Sundays and holidays.
La Marina
The fishermen's quarter along the waterfront is the level part of town and the reason to come. Its houses are painted in greens, reds and blues, with wooden balconies hung with flower boxes, along streets a few minutes' walk from the bay. Calle San Pedro is the main one, lined with pintxo bars that set out their counters from late morning.
The seafront promenade along the Bidasoa estuary runs flat past the marina towards the beach, with views across the water to Hendaye in France. It is paved, has benches, and suits an easy hour.
The walled town
The Parte Alta, the old town, sits on the hill above La Marina inside its walls. The Santa María gate leads to cobbled streets of stone houses with carved coats of arms, the church of Santa María de la Asunción and the Plaza de Armas, where the castle of Charles V is now a parador. The climb up from La Marina is steady, 10 minutes or so on cobbles; take it slowly or skip it, since the best of Hondarribia for tired legs is below.
Across to France
A small passenger boat crosses the Bidasoa from Hondarribia's harbour to Hendaye in a few minutes, a novelty that puts a second country into the day. It runs a reduced winter service; check times at the quay before crossing, so you are not stranded on the French side.
The return
Eat in La Marina: pintxos along Calle San Pedro, or a sit-down lunch of grilled fish. Buses back to San Sebastián run into the evening.