Albergue Ulia Youth Hostel
The official Donostia youth hostel up Mount Ulia, with panoramic sea views, family rooms, full breakfast included and a 25-minute walk back into town that buys you the cheapest bed in any quiet neighbourhood in the city.
Albergue Ulia is the official Donostia youth hostel — modern, council-run, perched on Mount Ulia above Gros with full sea views over Zurriola. 8.3 across 978 reviews, breakfast included in the price, family rooms available, and a price point €5-10 below the central pod hostels. The catch: 25 minutes' walk or a Dbus 27 ride back into the city.
Albergue Ulia sits on Paseo de Ulia 297, halfway up the wooded ridge that runs east of Gros toward Pasajes. The terrace looks straight down at Zurriola surf beach, the Kursaal building and across to Mount Urgull on the other side of the bay — at sunset it is one of the postcard views of the city, and you can earn it by walking back from town through the Mt Ulia coastal path (45 min hike, signed) rather than taking the bus.
The building is a 2010s council youth hostel — modern, accessible, big windows, around 90 beds total. Dorms are 4 to 8 beds with bunks, lockers per bed, linens included. The 'family rooms' are private quad rooms with bunks and an en-suite bathroom — the cheapest way for a family of four or a group of friends to sleep in Donostia. There is a proper shared kitchen with stoves and ovens, a dining room where breakfast is served buffet-style (cereals, fruit, ham, cheese, juice, coffee — included in the price), and a quiet lounge.
The price-to-quiet ratio is the win. €28 a night with breakfast included is below what the Centro pod hostels charge for the bed alone, and you sleep with the windows open hearing the sea instead of Old Town pintxos crowds. Reception is open 8am-23:00 with after-hours keypad access, and they will book your sidrería trip, surf lesson or a Topo train day-trip to Hendaye.
Who this is for: families with kids (the only Donostia hostel that actively welcomes them), couples wanting a quiet sea-view base, hikers and walkers who like the Mt Ulia coastal trail. Skip if you want to stumble back from Old Town pintxos at 1am — the Dbus 27 stops at 22:30, after that it is a €15 taxi or a 25-minute walk uphill.
- 01Panoramic sea views over Zurriola and the Bay of Biscay — the only Donostia hostel where you wake up looking at the ocean
- 02Full buffet breakfast included in the price — cereals, fruit, ham, cheese, juice, coffee — at €28 a night this is the cheapest hostel-with-breakfast in Donostia
- 03Family rooms (private quad with en-suite) make it the only practical Donostia hostel choice for parents with kids
- 04Walk back via the Mt Ulia coastal path — signed, scenic, 45 minutes from Old Town through pine forests and clifftop viewpoints
- 05Council-run, accessible building, lift access to all floors and pet-friendly — you can bring a small dog at no charge
- Panoramic sea-view terrace
- Breakfast buffet included
- Family rooms available
- Pet-friendly, dogs OK
“My family and I stayed in one of the family rooms and loved it. The room itself is spacious, the views from the terrace are spectacular, and breakfast in the dining room was a real meal — not the cereal bar most hostels do. Walked back from Old Town along the Mt Ulia coastal trail and it was the highlight of our trip.”
“Beautiful spot in the mountain before San Sebastián. Modern building with very comfortable rooms. Bus 27 runs into town, last bus around 22:30 so plan your pintxos accordingly.”
“We stayed two nights with our dog and had all we needed. It is very pet-friendly and the staff went out of their way to point us at dog-friendly walks on Mt Ulia. The terrace at sunset is unreal.”
- Zurriola surf beach20 min walk downhill
- Mt Ulia coastal path trailhead1 min walk
- Dbus 27 stop into Donostia2 min walk
- Parte Vieja (Old Town)25 min walk / 12 min bus
- Pasajes/Pasaia fishing village1 hr coastal hike
- Mercado de la Bretxa22 min walk
