It is regarded as the finest beach in Spain and one of the best in Europe. It is the jewel in the crown of the city, which owes its reputation in no small part to the beach as a tourist haven since the mid-19th century, when Spanish royalty put it on the map by taking in the salubrious sea breeze and bathing in the shallow waters of the bay on the orders of the royal doctor.
Nature was unfairly generous with San Sebastian, blessing it with an overabundance of gifts. The Urumea river runs through the northern Spanish city, emptying into the Bay of Biscay.
On either side of the estuary are white, sandy beaches. To the right, a shallow bay protected by two rocky headlands. On either end is where the beach meets the ocean, with a central rocky islet in the mouth of the bay. The sea meets land on a necklace of beach which, seen from a viewpoint, resembles a shell — hence its Spanish name, La Concha (the shell).
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