San Sebastián scavenger hunt: from the river Urumea to the fishing harbour
The San Sebastián scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Reckon on about 3 hours in total, although the walking itself, flat all the way from the river to the harbour, comes to only 38 minutes over 3 km and 10 stops.
Highlights include the María Cristina Bridge, the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, the former casino that is now City Hall, the Gothic church of San Vicente, the San Telmo Museum and the Basilica of Santa María del Coro. The city is flat between the river and the bay, so you move easily from the 19th-century centre into the narrow lanes of the old town.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 38 min · 3 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Belle Époque façades and old town lanes, one riddle each
Obelisks, a casino and a pelota wall
Every stop sets a riddle that the place itself answers: the sculpted obelisks of the María Cristina Bridge, the former casino by the bay, the high wall on Plaza de la Trinidad where Basque pelota is played. Look carefully, think a little and the answer appears, with no Spanish or Basque required.
Queens, gamblers and a great fire
Each answer unlocks a story: the regent who made San Sebastián her summer home, the casino that became City Hall after gambling was banned in 1924, and the fire of 1813 that the church of San Vicente survived. The narration tells them as you walk, or you can read them instead.
Flat from the river to the bay
Google Maps guides you for 38 minutes over 3 km, through the grid of the 19th-century centre to La Concha and on into the narrow lanes of the Parte Vieja. There are no climbs, as the route stays on the level ground between the river and the bay.
Pintxos in the Parte Vieja
The old town is famous for its pintxo bars, so lean on a counter whenever hunger calls and the game simply waits. Pick it up again after lunch or on another day.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the riddles of Donostia suit
A first visit to the Basque coast
In about 3 hours the game links the Belle Époque centre with the old town and the harbour, so you see how the city fits together. It makes a good first afternoon before the beach or the pintxo bars.
Duck-spotters and future pelota players
The ducks in the pond on Plaza de Guipúzcoa, the pelota wall on Plaza de la Trinidad and the fishing boats by the Aquarium give younger players plenty to spot, as long as an adult plays in their team.
Cuadrillas, as the Basques call a group of friends
A bigger group simply splits into teams of five or fewer, every player on their own phone, and the teams leave the María Cristina Bridge one after another. The harbour at the finish is the obvious place to meet again.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: María Cristina Bridge, the cathedral and City Hall, then the Parte Vieja and the harbour
10 stops · about 38 min walking · start: María Cristina Bridge · finish: Aquarium
The hunt starts at the María Cristina Bridge over the river Urumea and crosses the 19th-century centre via the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Plaza de Cervantes and Plaza de Guipúzcoa to City Hall by La Concha bay. It then enters the old town to the church of San Vicente, the San Telmo Museum, Plaza de la Trinidad and the Basilica of Santa María del Coro, and finishes at the Aquarium by the harbour. Every riddle is solved on bridges, squares and façades, so even the Aquarium and San Telmo never ask you for a ticket, and if you are staying in the Parte Vieja, the app can open the game at the harbour end and take the remaining stops in reverse.
Open the route map ↗
1María Cristina BridgeStart
This bridge over the river Urumea opened in 1905 and is named after Queen Maria Christina, the regent who made San Sebastián her summer residence. Its four tall obelisks topped by sculptures give it a Belle Époque look that is often compared with the Pont Alexandre III in Paris.
Read the full story →
2Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
The neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Good Shepherd was built between 1888 and 1897 to plans by the local architect Manuel de Echave. It became a cathedral when the diocese of San Sebastián was created in 1953, and its spire, about 75 metres high, is one of the tallest landmarks in the city.
3Plaza de Cervantes
This small square in the city centre, close to La Concha bay, is named after Miguel de Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote. It belongs to the elegant new town that grew up after the city walls were pulled down in 1863.
Read the full story →
4Plaza de Guipúzcoa
Laid out in the 19th century as part of the new town, this square is a small garden with a pond, ducks and tall trees, framed by arcaded buildings. On one side stands the palace of the provincial council of Gipuzkoa.
5City Hall
San Sebastián's City Hall opened in 1887 as the Gran Casino, where Belle Époque summer society came to gamble. The casino closed after gambling was banned in Spain in 1924, and since 1947 the building has housed the city council. It looks onto the Alderdi Eder gardens and La Concha bay.
6Church of San Vicente (San Bizente)
San Vicente is the oldest church in the city, a Gothic building of the 16th century with massive sandstone walls. It survived the fire of 1813 that destroyed most of the old town. Inside is a large carved altarpiece in the Romanist style.
Read the full story →
7San Telmo Museum
At the foot of Mount Urgull, the San Telmo Museum occupies a 16th-century Dominican convent and is devoted to Basque society and history. Around 1930 the Catalan painter Josep Maria Sert decorated its former church with large canvases on Basque history, and a modern extension with a plant-covered perforated façade opened in 2011.
8Plaza de la Trinidad
This square on the edge of the old town lies between the San Telmo Museum and the slopes of Mount Urgull. Its high stone wall serves as a frontón for Basque pelota, and in summer it is one of the stages of the San Sebastián Jazz Festival.
9Basilica of Santa María del Coro
The baroque Basilica of Santa María del Coro was built in the mid-18th century on the site of an older church. Its richly carved portal shows Saint Sebastian above the door, and it faces the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd at the other end of Calle Mayor.
10AquariumFinish
The San Sebastián Aquarium stands at the end of the fishing harbour at the foot of Mount Urgull and opened in 1928. It is run by the Oceanographic Society of Gipuzkoa and is known for its walk-through tunnel beneath a large ocean tank.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
France –
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Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Very helpful, friendly and knowledgeable guide, who showed us parts of the city we would not have discovered on our own. 2 hours was just the right length to see the highlights of Bilbao.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Stephanie– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
A fun way to explore the city but I would say as a quiz some of the explanations were ambiguous with some spelling mistakes. But would still recommend giving it a go
Nancy– United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
What fun! What a great way to explore a city for the first time! Well worth the time, effort, and nominal cost.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très bien
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Uns hat diese Art von Stadtbesichtigung richtig gut gefallen, wir konnten den Weg uns selber anpassen und trotzdem viele Infos erhalten…
Montaufray– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Promenade un peu courte à mon goût. Peut être proposer des variantes de temps ou de km. Sinon parcours très ludique et intéressant pour apprendre quelques points d’histoire. Nous n’avons pas réussi à répondre à une question et la réponse nous a été donnée en appuyant sur la flèche pour passer. Nous avons pu lire la réponse mais nous regrettons de ne pas avoir eu l’explication. Merci pour ce jeu !
François– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Belle promenade découverte de la ville !
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activité bien faite et accessible au niveau des énigmes. On visite beaucoup de rues de la vielle ville.
Kevin– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Top speurtocht met kids! Waren telkens weer in voor een nieuwe opdracht en zo konden wij wat leuks van de stad zien.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Thoroughly enjoyed our day
Chris– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Fun couple of hours in San Sebastián with the ability to stop and start when you please, which is essential with all the pintxos bars on route! Interesting info at each of the stops, good directions and fun riddles when you arrived at each place
Emily– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great way to see a new town/city at your own pace, with a bit of interest along the way. We had fun!
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Fun and different activity to do when it was raining
Najia– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très intéressante, permet de visiter la ville de façon ludique et de voir les principaux monuments. Dommage que tout se fasse sur téléphone par contre. Et j aurai préféré débuter chez un commerce et terminer dans un autre commerce pour clôturer la promenade, comme cela peut se faire dans d autres villes.
Australia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
This is an excellent way to get a deeper look at any city. The information about each site is comprehensive. The app is quite user friendly, though not necessarily intuitive.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activité super pour découvrir la ville de San Sébastien. Par contre certaines énigmes sont trop simple et d’autre trop compliqué mais dans l’ensemble très bonne expérience.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Point positif : permet de découvrir les monuments de façons ludiques En revanche nous avions quelques soucis de réseau mais c’était général dans toute la ville, le centre du moins
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très bonne activité, ludique, très bien pour visiter la ville et découvrir.
Frederique– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sympa et ludique ! Nous a permis de découvrir San Sebastian sous un soleil magnifique
Martine– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Vous avons eu un très bon aperçu de San Sebastian ! Les indications sont claires, les énigmes intéressantes. Je recommande cette visite chasse aux trésors.
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Mooie wandeling langs mooie plekjes van San Sebastian met telkens een leuk raadsel.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Une façon ludique de découvrir la ville
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es hat Spaß gemacht durch die Stadt zu laufen und die Rätsel zu lösen! Die Standorte waren gut gewählt und wir sind durch schöne Ecken rum gekommen. Bei zwei Rätsel gab es leider Fehler (7 und 9) aber man kann trotzdem weiter machen 🙂
SebastianKurtz –
Super activity very clever idea ! Thank you