The twin mountains that bracket La Concha are not just scenic landmarks — they are escapes. Monte Urgull, on the eastern end, rises directly from the Parte Vieja and offers the more rugged, historically layered walk: old military fortifications from the Carlist wars, overgrown battery positions, a cemetery for English soldiers, and at the summit the Castillo de la Mota topped by its Cristo statue. The paths wind through dense vegetation, and on a weekday morning you can climb the entire hill and encounter only birdsong and the occasional jogger.
Monte Igueldo, to the west, is the more theatrical experience: the century-old funicular creaks up the slope, delivering you to the Parque de Atracciones, a vintage amusement park where the star attraction is a viewing platform that presents the entire bay in a single, staggering panorama. On clear days you can see the French coast to the east and the green ridges of Gipuzkoa to the south. Between the two mountains, the city and the bay arrange themselves with a beauty that feels composed rather than accidental, and the twenty-minute walk between summit and sea is a reminder that San Sebastian is, at heart, a place where civilization and wildness share a very small and very generous piece of coastline.