The best evening entertainment is to go pintxos tasting in the old quarter. In San Sebastián it’s called an ir-de-pintxos-y-poteo, which translates roughly as “going out for snacks and drinks.”

San Sebastián’s only venue for gambling is the Casino Kursaal. Entrance costs 5€ per person after 10:30pm and requires an ID card with photo or a passport. Jackets and ties for men are not required. The casino is open daily from 5pm to 5am.

The big cultural center is Centro Kursaal, an avant-garde building designed by Rafael Moneo and positioned on the Baie de la Concha. A cultural, sporting, and leisure center, it is the venue for almost any major event.

The Kursaal, along with the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, has helped put the Basque Country on the cultural map. Some tradition-minded locals find the modern architecture to be at odds with the city’s essential Belle Epoque look, but it is really only the late 20th-century equivalent of the city’s late 19th-century style. All of San Sebastián’s major festivals are staged here.