Last year I moved to Egia and I couldn’t like more my new neighbourhood! So I’d like to invite you to discover it too. Egia is frequently compared to Greenwhich Village or Soho (on a “Donostia style” version and smaller scale, of course!) ;), for being home to many local artists and cultural groups. The neighbourhood is full of personality, euskaldun (basque language is frequently spoken) and it’s always been well-known for its musical, artistic and cultural scene.
Egia is a lively place: new cultural and artistic spaces have recently be opened, such as Tabakalera, La Farándula, Dabadaba… And it also retains many neighborhood activities, popular celebrations (“Porrontxoak”), wide nature spaces, and its working-class, non-conformist character, with grey buildings, local commerce, down-to-earth taverns, ramshackle locations and bars from all walks of life: not pretentious places, but places where you know that you’ll eat and drink well, and for a reasonable price.
Exposición en Tabakalera. Foto de @tabakalera_donostia
And what can you do in Egia? Well, you have so many options…
BY DAY
If you come to Egia from the city centre, or from the bus/train station, you’ll see that just next to this is the Pórtico de la Estación del Norte (“North Station Portico”) (1906), locally known as the “Brandenburg Gate”. In the future this will be the entry point for AVE trains.
From the “Brandenburg Gate”, passing the tunnel, you will see the entrance to Tabakalera, the former tobacco factory. It’s interesting to note that in the 1920s many of the workers at the factory were female, which means that there were a lot of independent women who earned their own money. So you can see that Donostia was a forward-looking place even in the 1920s! A symbol of the belle époque, these women had a very social lifestyle, going to races, playing sport, going to parties and so on!
Check the programme at Tabakalera in advance… there’s probably something of your interest! And if not, go in anyway, and let yourself be blown away by its different rooms: you have 37,000m² to explore! And don’t forget to go up to the 4th floor terrace for a totally different perspective of the city!
After you leave Tabakalera, you can have a lovely stroll through Parque Cristina- Enea, a beautiful park with a total area of almost 100,000m2. The gorgeous gardens were designed by Pierre Ducasse: it’s no surprise he was also the gardener for the Royal Family!
The Dukes of Mandas were the Donostia resident Fermín Lasala y Collado and the Italian Cristina Brunetti, Duchess of Mandas and Villanueva. Fermín and his father were highly influential public figures who travelled frequently because of their work, so it’s also no coincidence that the train station is located just by the Cristina Enea Park.
The Dukes of Mandas were the Donostia resident Fermín Lasala y Collado and the Italian Cristina Brunetti, Duchess of Mandas and Villanueva. Fermín and his father were highly influential public figures who travelled frequently because of their work, so it’s also no coincidence that the train station is located just by the Cristina Enea Park.
The park was called Cristina Enea in honour of Cristina Brunetti. Enea in euskera (basque) is a suffix which is traditionally used in the names of houses and palaces. You’ll recognise the name of the official lehendakari (“President’s”) residence, Ajuria “Enea”, right? Well, the name comes from the Ajuria family, who originally constructed the palace.
If you’re hungry after walking through the park, don’t worry, because you’re right by one of the bar areas.
If you’re hungry after walking through the park, don’t worry, because you’re right by one of the bar areas.
AND IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING…
If you want to round off the day in an alternative way, Egia is the place for you! In the afternoon and evening, I’d recommend you see a micro-theatre production at La Farándula and have a drink at their bar, where you can rub shoulders with artists. It has 3 halls and offers 15-minute performances in an intimate atmosphere – with no more than 20 spectators per hall!
You can continue the evening at Le Bukowski, one of the legendary San Sebastián spots, which often holds concerts (on Fridays and Saturdays it stays open until 4am), or go to Dabadaba, a newer place which opened in 2014 but which has already become a mainstay of any night out in Donostia. They also organise concerts, club nights, parties and DJ sets (and, of course, in the day time it can also be a good place to visit, since it holds exhibitions and markets as well as having table football, board games and more.)
I’d also recommend checking the schedule of concerts and parties at Gazteszena and El Andén.And, for those with real stamina, when everything else has closed you can still go to Cactus, the most “underground” spot.
And if it’s Friday… Don’t miss the pintxopote the tradition of going out for drinks and eating tapas in the bars of Egia! One drink and one tapa for €2, in a guaranteed great atmosphere.
You can find more information about the neighborhood and its artists/cultural groups on the website of the book “To Auzoa/ Toma Barrio“. 82 artists who live or work in the neighborhood participated in the book (of more than 200 located), and Egia is described as “Soho Donostiarra” in its prologue.
I’d also recommend checking the schedule of concerts and parties at Gazteszena and El Andén.And, for those with real stamina, when everything else has closed you can still go to Cactus, the most “underground” spot.
And if it’s Friday… Don’t miss the pintxopote the tradition of going out for drinks and eating tapas in the bars of Egia! One drink and one tapa for €2, in a guaranteed great atmosphere.
You can find more information about the neighborhood and its artists/cultural groups on the website of the book “To Auzoa/ Toma Barrio“. 82 artists who live or work in the neighborhood participated in the book (of more than 200 located), and Egia is described as “Soho Donostiarra” in its prologue.
