Etxekalte Jazz Club on Calle Mari in San Sebastian is the Parte Vieja legacy jazz bar across two floors, with the upstairs pub running late and the downstairs cellar staging live jazz and DJ sets.
Tip: Two rooms across two floors; the cellar is the live-music space, upstairs is the late drink. Harbour-edge perch for the post-pintxos stop off 31 de Agosto.
Address: Calle Mari 11, 20003 Donostia, San Sebastián
BE! Club on Paseo de Salamanca in San Sebastian is the 1984 jazz-and-blues room formerly Be Bop, rebranded in 2016 as a late-night piano bar with live music seven nights a week.
Tip: Open daily from 15:00; Friday and Saturday close at 06:30. The river-side perch beside the Bretxa market is the post-pintxos pour for Centro.
Eiger Edaritegia on Calle General Jauregi in San Sebastian is the Old Town rock-and-roll bar lined with vintage gig posters and old cassettes, programming live electric-guitar nights and DJ sets.
Tip: Small room, walk-in only; the bar fills with locals once the tourist crawl thins. Cash flows fastest for the back-bar queue; drinks are unpretentious.
The Rooftop by Lasala Plaza in San Sebastian sits on the seventh floor of the Lasala Plaza Hotel above the Old Town port, the only elevated spot with 360 views of La Concha bay and the harbour.
Tip: Terrace open daily 10:00 to 24:00 year-round; cocktail-and-snack service from Ander Gonzalez's La Jarana team runs Easter to October weekends only.
GU San Sebastian sits on top of the 1929 Real Club Nautico on Calle Ijentea, a Jose Manuel Aizpurua rationalist landmark turned cocktail bar and late-night club with direct La Concha views.
Tip: Cocktail bar from 17:00, the floor flips to a club after midnight. Book the sunset-hour seat at the bay-facing windows through gusansebastian.com.
Urgulleko Polboriña sits in the old gunpowder house on Mount Urgull above the Old Town, an open-air summer-only bar with sunset cocktails, sangria and rotating local live music.
Tip: Open spring through autumn weather-dependent only; the 20 minute uphill walk from the Old Town starts behind the Museo San Telmo. Cash speeds the bar queue.
BE! Club on Paseo de Salamanca in San Sebastian is the 1984 jazz-and-blues room formerly Be Bop, rebranded in 2016 as a late-night piano bar with live music seven nights a week.
Tip: Open daily from 15:00; Friday and Saturday close at 06:30. The river-side perch beside the Bretxa market is the post-pintxos pour for Centro.
Eiger Edaritegia on Calle General Jauregi in San Sebastian is the Old Town rock-and-roll bar lined with vintage gig posters and old cassettes, programming live electric-guitar nights and DJ sets.
Tip: Small room, walk-in only; the bar fills with locals once the tourist crawl thins. Cash flows fastest for the back-bar queue; drinks are unpretentious.
The Rooftop by Lasala Plaza in San Sebastian sits on the seventh floor of the Lasala Plaza Hotel above the Old Town port, the only elevated spot with 360 views of La Concha bay and the harbour.
Tip: Terrace open daily 10:00 to 24:00 year-round; cocktail-and-snack service from Ander Gonzalez's La Jarana team runs Easter to October weekends only.
GU San Sebastian sits on top of the 1929 Real Club Nautico on Calle Ijentea, a Jose Manuel Aizpurua rationalist landmark turned cocktail bar and late-night club with direct La Concha views.
Tip: Cocktail bar from 17:00, the floor flips to a club after midnight. Book the sunset-hour seat at the bay-facing windows through gusansebastian.com.
Espazio Oteiza on Monte Igueldo in San Sebastian is the open-air bar of Pedro Subijana's three-Michelin-starred Akelarre, with cocktails by Patxi Troitino across six stone terraces over the Bay of Biscay.
Tip: Snacks served 12:00 to 22:00; cocktail programme runs 16:00 to nightfall, no terrace reservations. Drive up Monte Igueldo or cab from Antiguo.
Urgulleko Polboriña sits in the old gunpowder house on Mount Urgull above the Old Town, an open-air summer-only bar with sunset cocktails, sangria and rotating local live music.
Tip: Open spring through autumn weather-dependent only; the 20 minute uphill walk from the Old Town starts behind the Museo San Telmo. Cash speeds the bar queue.