Airbnb Occupancy Rate in San Sebastián, Spain, Data & Trends 2026

Over the analysis period, San Sebastián ran 61% average occupancy across about 220 booked nights a year, two points below the 63% Spanish national average yet underpinned by the highest pricing in this group. Its 214 euro average daily rate is exceptional, well above the roughly 122 euro national norm, and it drives average monthly revenue of about 3,786 euros per listing, the strongest of these five cities by a wide margin.

So the story here is rate, not fill: occupancy is merely average, but the premium nightly price and the affluent demand turn a moderate night count into outsized revenue. A 7% year-on-year revenue gain, against declines in several peers, confirms the market is still strengthening, and the steep 128% seasonality index explains why summer pricing discipline matters so much, since a large share of the annual total is earned in just a few months.

San Sebastián, or Donostia, is one of Spain's premium leisure markets, and its short-term rental demand is built on a compact, high-end coastal city that punches far above its size. La Concha bay and its crescent beach, the Old Town's celebrated pintxo bars, the surf at Zurriola and the elegant Belle Époque seafront draw a moneyed leisure crowd, while the city's gastronomic reputation, with several of the country's most decorated restaurants, turns it into a destination in its own right rather than a stopover.

A strong cultural calendar deepens that pull. The San Sebastián International Film Festival (Zinemaldia) each September brings stars and industry to the Kursaal, the Heineken Jazzaldia fills July, and the Tamborrada drum festival takes over the Old Town every 20 January. The result is an affluent, experience-led visitor base willing to pay top rates for a well-placed apartment near the bay or the festival venues.

The Parte Vieja, the Old Town wedged between Mount Urgull and the bay, holds the highest-converting stock, walkable to the pintxo bars and Constitution Square where the Tamborrada is held, and commands strong rates but the tightest scrutiny. The Centro, the Belle Époque core around the cathedral and the shopping streets, suits a broad leisure and business mix close to the bay.

Gros, across the Urumea river, trades on Zurriola surf beach and the Kursaal, drawing a younger, festival-and-surf crowd, while the genteel Antiguo near Ondarreta beach and Ibaeta appeal to longer, quieter stays. These central and seafront barrios are exactly the saturated zone the city has frozen, so for any unit the existence of a valid, registered licence matters far more than the address.