The 5 BEST San Sebastian Surf Camps in 2026
San Sebastian isn’t just a great surf destination. It’s a great city.
People who come here will be wowed by the grand 19th-century architecture, the sizzling pintxos food (a type of tapas common in northern Spain) and the wonderful meeting of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountains.
Yep, this is a town that’s got access to loads of pretty fantastic waves, but also loads of character and charm and history and culture on the side. To put it another way – it’s just about perfect for folks who want a real surf-travel adventure.
The other good news is that there are some excellent camps on offer in the city and the immediate region these days. That wasn’t always the case – this part of the Basque Country has been slower than, say, Portugal, to develop its surf infrastructure.
Most of them, as you’ll see below, are focused on the town of Zarautz, or at least do their daily surfing in Zarautz. That’s only 15-20 minutes by bus or 12-15 minutes by car from the downtown of the city, making it just about the perfect base for visiting town and surfing in the same trip if you ask us.
There are also some options in the city itself…
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>>Read our guide to surfing in Spain and our guide to surf camps for more info and inspo
Quick-book San Sebastian surf camps…
- Surfing Etxea – The best surf hostel (that also offers surf lessons/courses) in the city. Like, by a mile!
- Lacunza International House – Learn Spanish, see the city, and surf, all in one!
- Zarautz Surf House – Best budget surf house in Zarautz
- San Sebastian Surf Camp x Stoke Surf House – The top option for partiers
- Good People Surf Zarautz – A sociable glamping surf camp
Surfing Etxea
If we were on a bit of a budget and wanted to explore the city of San Sebastian but also surf, then we would choose Surfing Etxea. Actually, scratch that. We would do it even if we weren’t on a budget.
It’s a no-brainer for us because we’ve consistently rated them as one of the top surf stays in the city and for good reason…
Super-slick dorm rooms with pod beds that close up to offer complete privacy combine with an offering of very cool double rooms with boho features like rattan lamps and artsy wallpapered walls, meaning this isn’t your run-of-the-mill hostel. It’s more posh-tel. Very cool. Very stylish.
The onsite café-bar is lovelllly. Head there in the morning for a barista-brewed coffee and homemade pastries. Go in the evening and you’ll find cold cerveza and a bunch of likeminded travelers looking to hangout.
These guys run a three-tier surf program that can take you all the way from complete beginner to confident intermediate, that you can bag a place on for as little as €20 per hour session if you book in bulk.
Most surfing is done on Zurriola Beach, which is one block to the north from the hostel itself. AKA – this pad has a prime location in the midst of the city!
Lacunza International House
The Lacunza International House is a bit of a left of field option here in that it offers a surf-language camp mashup. Basically, if you want to brush up on your Spanish but also want to get some surfing in while you’re at it, go for this.
You’ll be staying either with local people or in a student dorm sorta’ place that’s got self-catering facilities. They promise that you’re never more than 30 mins by public transport form the language school, but it’s good because it means you’ll get the feel of what it’s really like to live here like the locals do.
The backbone of the whole program is a course of five surf lessons and 15 hours of surf teaching. They run in tandem throughout the week, with an hour in the water and then four Spanish lessons with qualified teachers right after.
Most of the surfing is done on the bays within San Sebastian city itself. It’s a great experience starting the morning with a session on the waves under the pretty old town and the promenades here with the local surfers.
You’ll also get extra language lessons with native speakers to help beef up your lingo skills.
All that comes in for under $700 per person, which is pretty great value.
Check prices and availability at the Lacunza International House
Zarautz Surf House
The Zarautz Surf House is officially a hostel but we’d say it’s one of those hostels that makes you ooh and ahh. The quality of the place is just on another level.
They’ve got sleek dorm rooms that sleep between four and eight people, complete with nice pod beds that have curtains for complete privacy. Each is designed with iron, real timber, and exposed concrete for a cool, industrial-chic feel.
Then there’s the location. It’s PERFECT. You’re in the beating heart of Zarautz town, literally across the road from the main surf breaks. Walk 40 seconds and you can be warming up before your paddle out. Nice.
You can organize board rentals and surf lessons on site, starting at €76 for a single private lesson in the winter, though there are nice reductions on packages of classes (you can score seven group classes for €210 for the whole shebang in the winter).
Finally, there’s the café at the Zarautz Surf House. You’ll make some very nice memories sitting, watching the world go by, munching on sourdough avocado, and sipping some of the best coffee in town.
San Sebastian Surf Camp x Stoke Surf House
The San Sebastian Surf House and Stoke Travel have teamed up to offer what can only be described as a pretty hedonistic week of surf, partying, mingling, mixing, hiking, and adventuring in the Basque countryside.
You’ll be based in a converted Spanish barn that’s in the middle of nowhere – so the party nights don’t disturb the neighbors. Handy.
There’s transport each day that takes you straight to the surf at Zarautz. You go there for guided surfs most mornings or afternoons, and there’s yoga scheduled for whenever you’re not surfing. You’ll also get an initial surf training under the guidance of Nick Delforge, an ISA qualified coach who works in house.
Evenings are when everyone gathers in the surf house to chill, hang, and sink cerveza. It’s well set up for it, boasting its own homemade bar, a skate ramp, and dive-bar-styled hangout social spaces.
This would be our top pick for a younger traveler who likes to party.
Check prices and availability at the San Sebastian Surf House
Good People Surf
We have a lot of love for what the guys are doing down at Good People Surf.
Come the summer months, when those 20+ degrees hit and the days lengthen, there’s hardly a surf camp that can top it in Spain.
The whole thing is based out of a pretty lovely glamping site that’s set on the clifftop fields just east of Zarautz Bay. In one direction, it has views of the Pyrenean foothills. In the other, you can see the Atlantic Ocean sending its forever swell into the Basque Country cliffs.
A package with these guys includes five guided surf lessons that are always run in groups of no more than six. That gives lots of time for instructors to help each student with specifics, and the whole thing is backed up by surf theory sessions to help you get to grips with ocean basics.
Tuition aside, what really helps GPS stand out is the general vibe. Everyone’s just happy to be there. Wouldn’t you if you woke every morning to consistent Zarautz waves and the fresh coastal air?
It’s so darn sociable you simply won’t want to leave. Evening parties, sunset beers, surf-skate outings, BBQs and a whole load more will be on the menu.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
