Best Time to Visit San Sebastián: Weather & Festivals

When is the best time to visit San Sebastián?

June and the first half of September are the best all-round times to visit San Sebastián. AEMET’s Igueldo normals give both about 20–21°C highs, roughly 180–190 hours of sunshine and around ten rain days. July and August are warmer but carry Jazzaldia and Semana Grande, and the film festival fills late September.

San Sebastián sits on the Bay of Biscay, and its weather is Atlantic rather than Mediterranean. The AEMET normals for Donostia/San Sebastián, Igeldo (station 1024E, 1981–2010) record 1,507 mm of rain a year over 141.1 days with at least 1 mm, so every month has rain. What changes through the year is how much: November averages 169 mm, July 86 mm. Summer brings warmth, more sunshine and more thunderstorm days, not a dry season.

Events move demand as much as the weather does. Jazzaldia, Semana Grande and the film festival land between late July and late September, and Spain’s official tourism site says these are occasions when you may need to reserve accommodation in advance. Once you have dates, match a base with where to stay in San Sebastián and fill the days with things to do in San Sebastián; the San Sebastián destination guide has the wider picture.

We built this page on 16 October 2026 from AEMET climate data, festival organisers, Turespaña, Euskotren, Aena, dated Spanish and Italian reporting and the UK FCDO. We do not quote hotel prices; where demand rises, we explain why in words.

• Best all-round: June and the first half of September
• Warmest and sunniest: July and August, with mean highs of 21.8°C and 22.5°C
• Wettest: October to January, peaking at 169 mm in November
• Event peaks: Jazzaldia (late July), Semana Grande (mid-August), film festival (late September)
• Verdict: June for long sunny days, early September for warmth after the August festivities

What is San Sebastián’s weather like month by month?

San Sebastián’s 1981–2010 Igueldo normals run from an 11.0°C high and 5.9°C low in January to 22.5°C and 16.5°C in August. Rain falls on roughly 10 to 13 days in every month, peaking at 169 mm in November, while sunshine climbs from 93 hours in December to 196 in July.

The table uses AEMET’s published normals for Igeldo, the state weather agency’s station on Mount Igueldo, at the western end of the bay. AEMET lists it at 250 metres, which matters: readings on the hill may run slightly cooler than at sea level, and the station logs many fog days, 11.2 in June and 10.4 in May. Treat the numbers as a conservative guide to how the city feels.

Rain is spread through the year, but the heavy months are autumn and early winter: October (159 mm), November (169 mm), December (151 mm) and January (141 mm). April is the surprise, with 13.4 rain days, the most of any month. Snow is rare, with AEMET counting 1.3 snow days in January and 1.6 in February, and frost days stay below three a month even in winter.

Summer’s extra sunshine comes with more thunderstorms: AEMET records 3.5 storm days in July and 3.7 in August, against 1.1 to 1.4 a month in winter. For wet-day ideas, the San Sebastián 3-day itinerary keeps indoor stops near the old town, and San Sebastián eats is the city’s best rain plan.

Is summer (June to August) a good time to visit San Sebastián?

Summer is San Sebastián’s warmest, sunniest season: July averages 196 hours of sun and the year’s fewest rain days, 9.8, and August highs reach 22.5°C. It also holds Jazzaldia in late July and Semana Grande in mid-August, so book rooms early, as Spain’s tourism office advises for festival weeks, and still pack a waterproof.

June is the sweet spot. The AEMET normals give a 20.0°C high, 189 hours of sunshine and 90 mm of rain, among the lowest totals of the year, before the big summer events begin. July is the driest month by rain days and the sunniest overall; August is the warmest, with a 22.5°C mean high and a 16.5°C mean low, but also brings 117 mm of rain, often in thundery bursts.

Jazzaldia ran from 22 to 26 July in 2026, its 61st edition, according to an ANSA report from the festival. Semana Grande followed from 8 to 15 August, as Onda Vasca reported when the city presented the programme; Turespaña describes a week of regattas, pelota, fireworks, music and theatre, and lists the 2027 dates as still to be confirmed. Both are worth planning around, so hold a cancellable booking as soon as your dates are fixed.

Swimming needs care even in July. The FCDO’s Spain advice tells visitors to learn the beach flag system, never to enter the water on a red flag, and not to swim where a river runs into the sea; in San Sebastián the Urumea reaches the bay between the old town and Gros. Festival crowds also bring the FCDO’s standard warnings on street crime and drink spiking.

What is San Sebastián like in autumn (September to November)?

September keeps summer warmth, with a 21.1°C mean high and 179 hours of sunshine, but the film festival fills the city late in the month. October turns wetter at 159 mm, and November is the wettest month of the year at 169 mm, so autumn rewards food-led trips more than beach days.

The 74th San Sebastián Festival ran from 18 to 26 September 2026, and its 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked. If you want September warmth without the festival rush, aim for the first half of the month; the AEMET normals show only a small drop from August, with 10.1 rain days and a 14.8°C mean low.

Late October brings the Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, from 30 October to 6 November 2026, a smaller event that keeps the cinemas busy into early November. The weather is the bigger change: rain rises to 159 mm in October, sunshine falls to 140 hours, and by November the city averages 13 rain days and 102 hours of sun.

Autumn suits travellers who are coming for pintxos, museums and walks between showers. The San Sebastián 7-day itinerary builds in day trips that work in changeable weather, and an eSIM for Spain makes it easier to check the radar and bus times on the move.

Is winter (December to February) worth it in San Sebastián?

Winter is mild rather than cold in San Sebastián: January averages an 11.0°C high and 5.9°C low, and AEMET counts fewer than two snow days a month. It is also dim and wet, with 93 hours of sunshine in December and 141 mm of rain in January, so go for food and museums rather than the beach.

The AEMET table shows how gentle the season is by northern European standards. Frost is uncommon, with 2.6 frost days in January, and February is the driest winter month at 110 mm. The catch is light: December has the least sunshine of the year, 93 hours, and rain days stay between 11.6 and 13.2 a month.

Winter’s big local occasion is the Tamborrada, the drumming festival that Turespaña lists alongside Semana Grande as one of the city’s defining traditions. Check the exact day with the city before you book, because local holidays shift opening hours. Outside it, none of the big summer festivals run, so the calendar is not competing with your trip.

Pack for rain and wind rather than cold, and respect the sea walls: the FCDO warns that waves can come in further than expected. Turespaña describes the Paseo Nuevo breakwater path around Monte Urgull, which is best saved for a calm day. Our San Sebastián 3-day itinerary keeps a museum-and-market fallback for each day.

What is spring (March to May) like in San Sebastián?

Spring is a season of fast-improving light rather than reliable weather. Sunshine rises from 144 hours in March to 181 in May and highs from 13.4°C to 17.7°C, but April has 13.4 rain days, the most of any month. Late May is the best spring window, just before the June warm-up.

The AEMET Igueldo normals show spring as a transition: March is still cool, with a 7.2°C mean low; April is the wettest by frequency, if not volume, at 138 mm; May warms to a 17.7°C high and an 11.1°C low. Fog also becomes more common on the hills, with 9.1 fog days in April and 10.4 in May at the station.

Spring has none of the big festivals, so the main things to check are Easter and school holidays on both sides of the nearby French border. Euskotren’s E2 line runs from Amara to Hendaia (Hendaye) in about 40 minutes on its timetable from 7 September 2026, so French holiday weeks can matter as much as Spanish ones.

Spring suits walkers who can live with a shower: the Monte Urgull paths and the Ondarreta promenade are at their best on dry, mild days. If rain sets in, switch to the old town’s San Telmo Museum, which Turespaña notes occupies a former Dominican convent with archaeology, ethnography and art collections.

Which festivals and events change prices and crowds in San Sebastián?

Three events shape the calendar: Jazzaldia in late July, Semana Grande in mid-August and the film festival in late September. In 2026 they ran on 22–26 July, 8–15 August and 18–26 September. Most 2027 dates were unconfirmed in October 2026, so plan around the usual windows and book cancellable rooms early.

Turespaña’s event pages for Jazzaldia, Semana Grande and the Musical Fortnight all showed 2027 dates as “to be confirmed” when we checked, and the film festival site still displayed its 2026 edition. The horror festival is the one with a firm date in the coming months: its 2026 edition runs from 30 October to 6 November.

We have not put numbers on hotel rates, because they move with each search. The rule is simpler: if your dates overlap an event, book earlier than you normally would, as Turespaña itself recommends for these occasions, and compare the final total, including any tourist tax, before paying.

Will you pay a tourist tax in San Sebastián, and when should you book?

Possibly. In February 2026, El País reported that the Basque Country’s three provinces had approved a common draft levy of up to €7.50 per adult per night, capped at five nights and collected by town halls, with charging expected from summer 2026. We could not confirm the start date on an official page, so check your booking total.

El País’s report of 5 February 2026 set out the draft: a progressive charge by accommodation category, from €0.75 a night in one-star hotels, guesthouses, campsites and hostels up to €5 in five-star hotels, with councils able to add a 50% surcharge where they have more than 750 tourist beds, which brings the top rate to €7.50. Under-18s would be exempt and nothing would be charged after the fifth night. The paper reported that San Sebastián expected about €8.5 million a year from it.

The official Basque Government and Gipuzkoa pages that would confirm the final rules refused our connection when we checked, so treat the figures as the reported draft rather than settled law. In practice, look for a separate tax line on the final booking page and on the confirmation, and allow for a charge at check-in.

For timing, the safest rule is to book cancellable rooms as soon as your dates overlap an event, then keep watching. Where to stay in San Sebastián compares areas by noise and transport, which matters most in festival weeks.

What weather and safety risks should you plan around in San Sebastián?

Plan for rain in every month, summer thunderstorms and Atlantic waves rather than heat. The FCDO also flags distraction thefts in Spain, drink spiking in nightlife areas and new EU entry checks. None of these rules out a season, but each changes how you pack, swim and carry valuables.

Rain is the constant: even July, the driest month, averages 9.8 rain days in the AEMET normals, and summer storms are more frequent than winter ones. Carry a waterproof whatever the month and keep an indoor plan for each day. At sea, follow the flags; the FCDO says red means do not enter the water and warns that waves on unmonitored beaches can come in further than expected.

On the street, the FCDO says thieves in Spain use distraction techniques and often work in teams, and recommends spreading valuables and keeping a copy of your passport photo page somewhere safe. In bars, it warns about drink spiking and notes that drinks in Spain are often stronger than in the UK, which is worth remembering on a long pintxos crawl.

At the border, British travellers can stay up to 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area, and the EU’s Entry/Exit System means you may be asked for fingerprints and a photo on your first entry, the FCDO’s entry page explains. Our EES explainer covers what to expect at the airport.

Who should visit San Sebastián when, and what is the verdict?

Beach lovers should choose late June to early September, festival-goers should book for late July, mid-August or late September, and food-focused travellers can go in any month. Our verdict: June for long sunny days before the summer events, or early September for warmth once the August festivities end.

Families tied to school holidays will find July and August the warmest and sunniest months, with July’s 9.8 rain days the lowest of the year; book early, because Jazzaldia and Semana Grande share those weeks. Couples and food travellers have more freedom: the October-to-March rain is a smaller problem when the plan is pintxos, museums and markets.

Walkers should look at May, June and September, when highs sit between 17.7°C and 21.1°C and sunshine reaches at least 179 hours a month. Budget-minded visitors should avoid event weeks rather than whole seasons. Once dates are set, choose a base in where to stay in San Sebastián and pick a pace from the 3-day or 7-day itinerary.

• What is the rainiest month? November, with 169 mm in the AEMET normals; April has the most rain days, 13.4.
• When is it warmest? August, with a 22.5°C mean high and a 16.5°C mean low.
• When is the film festival? It ran 18–26 September in 2026; 2027 dates were not announced when we checked.
• Is there a tourist tax? A Basque levy of up to €7.50 a night was reported in February 2026; check your booking total.
• How do I get there? See where to stay in San Sebastián for airport buses and Euskotren trains.