John Inverdale's San Sebastián - Telegraph It's one of those places that after going to for the first time, I thought, "Why on earth haven't I been here before?" It's the most fantastic city, in terms of its atmosphere, geography, history and people, who I found exceptionally friendly. The funny thing is that whenever I tell anyone to go for a weekend, they never know where San Sebastián is. It has to be the Villa Soro (0034 943 297 970; villasoro.es; doubles from €165/£134), a stunning, country-house-style boutique hotel in a heritage building a 10-minute walk from the beach. The oak-panelled bar at the Villa Soro. It's the perfect place to relax at the end of the day. Alternatively, head to one of the many bars in the city's cobbled medieval quarter. Try La Cuchara de San Telmo (435446; lacucharadesantelmo.com), one of the city's best-known tapas bars. Basque tapas are called pintxos, and everything's just delicious. I ate pretty much nothing but pintxos - Iberian ham, seafood or something else - during my visit, and you certainly won't go home hungry if you eat at Gandarias (426362; restaurante gandarias.com), where the food is terrific. Take a ride up Monte Igueldo, at the west end of La Concha Bay, on the funicular railway. The views of the bay, and the rest of the city, particularly at night, are breathtaking. The city is home to Real Sociedad football club, so if they're playing at home, it might be an idea to steer clear of some of the bars in the vicinity, just to avoid the crowds if nothing else. A bottle of lovely light frizzante wine produced in the Basque country. It's the perfect summer drink. I didn't much like Miami. I thought it had too much concrete and found it all a bit soulless. John Inverdale will be presenting 'Today at Wimbledon" on weekdays at 8pm on BBC Two from Monday June 25 San Sebastián essentials Getting there EasyJet (0843 104 5000; easyjet.com) has daily flights from Stansted to Bilbao as does Iberia (0870 609 0500; iberia.com) from Heathrow. Bilbao airport is about 70 miles from San Sebastián; buses leave from the airport to San Sebastián every 30 minutes and cost €15.70/£13 one way. Packages Totally Spain (0871 666 0214; totallyspain.com) offers three nights" b & b at the four-star Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra from €649/£527 per person in July and August, based on two sharing, including three days" car hire and a three-hour guided pintxos tour. What to drink Cider is a key drink in the Basque region and the Sagardoetxea Cider Museum in Astigarraga (0034 943 550 575; sagardoetxea.com) is devoted to the stuff. Here you can discover its history, see the methods of cultivating the apples, take in the interactive exhibits and, most important of all, sample the cider itself. By the by, in San Sebastián itself, the local" favourite after-dinner drink is gin and tonic, served in huge spherical glasses. What to see The La Bretxa shopping mall is ugly, but in the basement you'll find a fish market with displays of hake, monkfish, tuna, cockles and so on that are almost works of art. Don't restrict yourself to the Old Town, the Haussmann-designed boulevards of the newer part of the city are just as attractive, and filled with glamorous shops. The San Telmo Museum (santelmomuseoa.com), housed in a 16th-century convent, is well worth visiting for its varied collection of artworks. The San Telmo Museum Take a view If you feel like a wander head for the castle at the top of Monte Urgull - a pleasant 30-minute walk through woodland ends beneath a giant statue of Christ, and there's an English cemetery to explore halfway up. And as John Inverdale suggests, there's Monte Igueldo where the views are arguably even better - there is a small children's fairground at the top too. Tim Pozzi