Elevation of San Sebastián, Spain
26ft
above sea level · 8 m
San Sebastián is the capital of Gipuzkoa province, in the Basque Country, Spain. Of Spain’s 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, it’s the 9th lowest.
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Key facts
- Coordinates
- 43.32° N · 1.99° W
- Degrees, minutes and seconds: 43° 19′ 17″ N · 1° 59′ 9″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 30T · 582,240 E · 4,797,020 N
- Zone 30 · ETRS89, the official datum on the mainland, the Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla
- Municipality
- Donostia/San Sebastián
- INE code 20069
- Time zone
- Central European Time
- UTC+1 · UTC+2 in summer
- Population (2025)
- 189,866 people
- 23.5 sq mi municipality · 8,076 people/sq mi
Population
San Sebastián had 189,866 residents on January 1, 2025, according to Spain’s municipal register (Padrón), 2.0% more than in 2015, when it had 186,095. The municipality covers 23.5 sq mi, a density of 8,076 people/sq mi, against a Spanish average of 251 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 88 municipalities in Gipuzkoa province, home to 26% of its people.
Compared with Spain’s other capitals
San Sebastián sits 26 ft (8 m) above sea level. Of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities, the highest is Ávila, at 3,691 ft, and the lowest is Melilla, at 7 ft. The average is 1,152 ft, so San Sebastián is 1,122 ft below it.
Among the 3 provincial capitals of the Basque Country, it’s the 2nd highest. The others are Vitoria-Gasteiz (1,719 ft) and Bilbao (23 ft).
The nearest capital is Pamplona, 39 mi away in a straight line and 1,417 ft higher than San Sebastián.
According to the IGN’s summit table, the highest point in Gipuzkoa province is Aketegi, at 5,089 ft (1,551 m). It lies 30 mi away in a straight line, 5,062 ft above San Sebastián.
- 43 San Sebastián 26 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
Nearest capitals
Tools for this place
Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of San Sebastián.
What is the elevation of San Sebastián, Spain?
San Sebastián sits at 26 feet (8 meters) above sea level. That’s the ground height in the IGN’s MDT05 terrain model at the town’s reference point in the national gazetteer, because the published figure for this town didn’t match the terrain.
What are the coordinates of San Sebastián?
Latitude 43.32152 and longitude -1.98572 in decimal degrees (43° 19′ 17″ N · 1° 59′ 9″ W). In UTM, zone 30: 582,240 E and 4,797,020 N, in the ETRS89 datum.
How does San Sebastián rank among Spain’s highest capitals?
It’s the 9th lowest of the 52 provincial capitals and autonomous cities. The highest is Ávila (3,691 ft) and the lowest, Melilla (7 ft).
Which is higher, San Sebastián or Pamplona?
Pamplona. San Sebastián sits at 26 ft and Pamplona at 1,444 ft: a difference of 1,417 ft, 39 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height of a point above mean sea level. Mapping agencies such as Spain’s IGN measure it on the ground with leveling and survey-grade GPS. Maps read it from an elevation model, a grid with the ground height at every point, so the model can differ by a few meters from the official figure, especially on sharp summits.
Sources
- IGN · MDT05 at the gazetteer point (NGMEP) The town’s reference point and its ground height in the terrain model, because the official figure for this town didn’t match the terrain. CC BY 4.0 license.
- MDT05 Digital Terrain Model (IGN) Ground height at this exact point, to check the figure. 5 m grid, CC BY 4.0 license.
- Municipal register (INE), January 1, 2025 Population: our own work with data from the INE website (www.ine.es). Area: IGN (CC BY 4.0).
- Terrain Tiles (AWS Open Data) Hillshading on the map, from public data by USGS, NASA, Copernicus and others.
- OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The base map, with OpenStreetMap data (ODbL).
Reviewed October 31, 2026 · Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know