San Telmo Museum

We went on a Tuesday, the locals recommended us since it is free on Tuesdays. It was amazing, even if we had to pay, it would have been so worth it! They have a lot of information, you travel through time from the beginning till modern days, there are a lot of videos and mini films for each station, a lot of interactive stations as well. Not the typical boring museum, it is filled with stories, truly exciting! I would recommend it to anyone staying at Donostia! Must-visit place!

Absolutely recommended! This museum has it all: a historical building, lots of information about Bask history and culture and a small but exquisite selection of fine arts. You won't be disappointed!

Well worth the 10€ entry fee and the perfect way to spend a rainy day in San Sebastian. Really appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the history of the region and Basque culture. The food and wine in the museum cafe was excellent quality and value as well!

It is an appealing blend of old and new. Well worth the trip. We had the benefit of it being a Tuesday, which is free to the general public. Had we gone a different day, we still would have felt the cost was worth it.

Very good museum. Was pleased to find out that there is free entry on Tuesdays, meaning that I didn't have to pay when I arrived.

The San Telmo Museum is dedicated to the history and culture of the Basque people. It is housed in a former Dominican convent, blending 16th century architecture with modern additions. The convent of San Telmo was built in a transitional style between Gothic and Renaissance, often referred to as Isabelline, after the reign of Queen Isabella I of Castile. While based on the Gothic style, its upper extensions incorporate Renaissance elements.

Museum of the basque history, with very interesting excibits, both ancient and contemporary

Interesting basque museum. The ground floor showed an exhibit about the brain and the science of the brain. The basque portion starts on the second floor and is very good as it goes through time showing how the basques lived in the region. Definitely worth it for the second floor. We came in March and it cost 10 euros each

Came here while visiting Donostia and we managed to get free entry! It's a really great museum and it's manageable for spending as little as an hour, unless you want to go through all of the exhibits in substantial detail, which could take quite a bit more time. There's a lot of old Basque history including seafaring history, whaling stuff, and then more modern stuff, too, ranging from Basque artists to, I don't know, secret Basque space lasers. The architectural integration of the old cathedral and cloister is also well done-- leaving the sanctuary, you walk out into this gorgeous, peaceful grassy area and aren't even thinking about the fact that the upstairs is more of a proper museum setting. Definitely worth a visit

Definitely recommend visiting if you are in San Sebastian for more than a couple of days, or if it's raining and are looking for an indoor activity. It's a great way to learn about Basque history and culture and it includes a church and cloister as part of the building's structure. Bonus: they have a a cafe with tasty pintxos and tapas for the appetite you will work up walking through the museum.

The exhibition and the multi media presentation were amazing. We were very impressed.

A few things about Museo San Telmo. 1. If you are going to be in San Sebastian for a few days, get the San Sebastian card and you'll get a discount at the musuem. 2. Do not pass up on the free English translation devices when you enter. None of the exhibits are in English, but the translations that you can listen to are awesome. 3. Do not miss the movie they play in the church. Easily one of the top 3 uses of video I've seen in a museum. 4. The pintxos in the cafe aren't too shabby. The permanent exhibition is a great overview of Basque culture and history. We also went during their temporary exhibition, Frivolite, and thoroughly enjoyed that one as well (even though there was no English translation). We ended up spending quite a bit of time at the museum, more than we expected. It is bigger than it looks. I'm glad we did this toward the beginning of our trip because it provided great context for us. I'd put this on the Don't Miss list if you are traveling in San Sebastian.

A definite must-visit if you have a few days in the city. It is very well laid out and takes you on a comprehensive cultural history of the area. The building itself is worth examining just for the architecture. Some great details and resolution, marrying the old and the new with Nieto y Sobejano's recent expansion.

Great local museum in San Sebastian. It is free every Tuesday including an audio guided tour in multiple languages. This is absolutely great for families. There is a Basque history section with video and audio guides. As well as a vast collection of Basque Art. But the best find is the café Bokado on the first floor which has fantastic food and a lovely patio to sit on well your children play in the park across the plaza. The whole set up including lockers and a wonderful bathroom are very family-friendly and a great short educational tour of the Basque country for kids.

Really nice museum, though it's not worth going if you don't have a lot of time to spend in San Sebastián. Unfortunately everything is in either basque or spanish, so if you don't understand either you won't be able to learn anything about what you are seeing. The old convent part of the building is very pretty. Museum is also free on Wednesdays. Nice cafe here too.