MONTE IGUELDO

At the western end of the Bay of La Concha stands Mount Igueldo with its amusement park, a place of Sunday pilgrimage for several generations of Donostiarras. It was at the beginning of the 20th century that Mount Igueldo was developed as a leisure park, while San Sebastian was at its peak thanks to the summer stays of Queen Maria Cristina and her court. In 1911, the park inaugurated a large casino, which disappeared a few years later, in 1925, when gambling was banned. A luxury hotel, the Mercure Monte Igueldo, has since been built on this site. On August 25, 1912, the funicular was built, which is still the best way to reach the top of Mount Igueldo. Its cars still have their original wooden bodywork, more than a century after their creation. In only three minutes, this picturesque funicular runs the 312 meters of tracks that allow to reach the top of the park. There, young and old alike come to enjoy its retro attractions - The Mysterious River, The Labyrinth or The Swiss Mountain, which is the oldest steel roller coaster in the world still in operation! This charmingly old-fashioned setting is dominated by the Torreón de Monte Igueldo, an 18th century lighthouse built 180 meters above sea level, offering a breathtaking view from its terrace. When the sky is clear, this breathtaking view extends from Cape Machichaco to the Landes, where the deep blue of the Cantabrian Sea seems to touch the infinite.