San Sebastian is postcard-beautiful: the shell-shaped La Concha bay, elegant Belle Epoque architecture, surf beaches and a food culture that has earned it one of the highest densities of Michelin stars on earth. It hosts the world-renowned Basque Culinary Center and campuses of several universities, and its film festival and buzzing pintxo scene keep it lively. It is Spain's priciest city, but for many that is a fair trade for this quality of life.

Student life balances the beach and the pintxo bar. Surfers gather at Zurriola in the young Gros neighbourhood, while the Parte Vieja, the old town, is wall-to-wall pintxo bars for the evening txikiteo. The scene is smaller and pricier than Barcelona's but gorgeous, and the calendar peaks with the September film festival and the Semana Grande fireworks in August.

• Do the pintxo crawl through the Parte Vieja; La Cuchara de San Telmo, Bar Nestor and Borda Berri are legendary.
• Learn to surf at Zurriola beach in Gros, the young, sociable side of the city.
• Ask the San Sebastian group on Studcasa how to snag tickets and passes for the September film festival.

San Sebastian is the most expensive city in Spain, so budget 850 to 1,250 euros a month, with rent the main squeeze thanks to fierce demand and holiday lets. Pintxos are pay-per-piece and a crawl adds up quickly, though the produce and cider-house feasts are superb value for what you get. The Mugi transport card keeps travel cheap.

• A shared-flat room runs 400 to 600 euros a month and is genuinely hard to find, so start early.
• Get a Mugi card for cheaper per-trip fares on Dbus, Euskotren and regional buses.
• For a big feed on a budget, hit a sagardotegi cider house in Astigarraga during txotx season, from January to April, for a fixed-price menu of steak, cod and endless cider.

This is the toughest housing market in Spain after Barcelona, squeezed by tourism and holiday lets, so start early and expect to hustle. Search Idealista, local Facebook groups and student residences for a piso compartido, ideally in Gros, Amara or Antiguo near the beaches and the Ibaeta campus. Be alert to scams and never pay before viewing.

• Search Idealista and 'Pisos Donostia' groups the moment you know your dates; rooms go fast and dear.
• Gros for the surf beach, Amara for value and the stadium area, Antiguo for the Ibaeta campus and Ondarreta beach.
• Ask the San Sebastian group on Studcasa for leads and warnings, since word-of-mouth rooms beat the open market here.

San Sebastian is compact and made for walking and cycling, with a superb seafront promenade and flat bike lanes linking the beaches. Dbus city buses and the Euskotren, including the Topo line towards the French border and Bilbao, cover the rest on the Mugi card. The Monte Igueldo funicular is a charming way up for the classic bay view.

• Walk or cycle; the dBizi bikes and flat seafront paths connect all three beaches easily.
• Use Dbus and the Euskotren Topo, to Hendaye and the French border, on your Mugi card.
• Take the century-old funicular up Monte Igueldo for the postcard view over La Concha.

Several institutions share the city: the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Gipuzkoa campus at Ibaeta, Tecnun, the University of Navarra's engineering school, a Deusto campus, and the globally famous Basque Culinary Center for gastronomy. Teaching may be in Spanish or Basque, so check your course language. The compact Ibaeta campus in Antiguo is where much student life is based.

• Confirm whether your UPV/EHU courses are taught in Spanish or Basque before finalising your learning agreement.
• The Ibaeta campus and its library sit near Ondarreta beach in Antiguo, handy if you live on that side.

What you need depends entirely on your nationality. EU, EEA, and Swiss students need no visa; you just register for a NIE (foreigner ID number) if you stay long enough. Non-EU students staying over 90 days generally need a national student visa arranged at a Spanish consulate before arrival, then a TIE residency card once in Spain.

Start the visa process early, it's slow and document-heavy: proof of enrolment, funds, private health insurance, and often a criminal record check and medical certificate. Once in Spain, book your NIE/TIE appointment (cita previa) the moment you arrive, as slots vanish fast in big cities.

• EU/EEA/Swiss, no visa, just register for a NIE
• Non-EU over 90 days, student visa before arrival
• Get your TIE card within 30 days of landing
• Book the cita previa appointment immediately

Food is San Sebastian's superpower. The Parte Vieja's pintxo bars are a rite of passage, where the gilda skewer was invented, and the surrounding hills hide Michelin temples like Arzak and Akelarre. Just as special are the cider houses of nearby Astigarraga, where the txotx season means all-you-can-drink cider straight from the barrel with a set steak-and-cod menu.

• Crawl the Parte Vieja for pintxos: try the gilda, the txuleta at Bar Nestor and the risotto and rib at Borda Berri.
• Book a txotx-season dinner at an Astigarraga cider house, from January to April, for cider poured straight from the barrel.
• Pair seafood with a glass of local txakoli, poured from a height to give it fizz.

The Parte Vieja is the pintxo-bar heart, buzzing but touristy; Gros across the river has the Zurriola surf beach and a young, trendy scene; the Centro is elegant and central; and Antiguo, out towards Ondarreta beach, holds the Ibaeta campus. Amara is a practical, more affordable residential district near the stadium and university.

• Gros for surf, youth and nightlife just across the river from the old town.
• Antiguo for the Ibaeta campus and the quieter Ondarreta end of the bay.
• Amara for the best value while staying central and connected.

The French border is on your doorstep: Biarritz, Bayonne and Saint-Jean-de-Luz are a half-hour Euskotren ride, and Bordeaux is reachable for a bigger weekend. On the Spanish side, Bilbao and the Guggenheim are an hour, the surf town of Zarautz and Getaria's txakoli vineyards even closer, and Pamplona and Rioja within easy reach.

• Hop on the Euskotren Topo to Hendaye and on to Biarritz and Bayonne in France, about 30 to 45 minutes.
• Day-trip along the coast to Zarautz for surf or Getaria for txakoli and Balenciaga.
• Take the bus to Bilbao (1h) for the Guggenheim, or to Pamplona and the Rioja wine country.

San Sebastian's beauty comes at a price, literally on rent and pintxos, so budget realistically and lean on the cider houses and menus for value. The Basque weather is mild but wet, so pack a raincoat alongside your swimwear. And a few words of Basque alongside your Spanish will warm any local, as regional identity here is strong and proud.

• Budget carefully for rent and nights out; balance pricey pintxos with cheaper cider-house and menu-del-dia meals.
• Bring waterproofs as well as a wetsuit, since the Atlantic coast is green and rainy even in summer.
• Pick up a little Basque, such as 'kaixo' and 'eskerrik asko'; it means a lot to locals here.