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Swim from July to September, the best three months in San Sebastián. Every one of the 8 hotels here has its pool on the roof, but none sells a day pass. Four are guests only and four don't publish who can swim.
Our first pick is Lasala Plaza Hotel, which publishes its water-area hours (daily 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, June to September) and runs a rooftop bar until midnight. For exact dates and a lifeguard, Leonardo Hotel San Sebastián is the clearer booking, but only registered guests can swim.
Published water-area hours and a rooftop bar open until midnight
4-star hotel, rated 4.8 on Google (1,279 reviews)
Sample photo, not Lasala Plaza Hotel. Amanda Hawker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Access not published
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Water area open June to September
Why it's here. Pick Lasala if you want a rooftop with a pool area and a bar that runs to midnight. The water area is open daily 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, June to September. Who can swim isn't published.
Lasala Plaza Hotel has a rooftop water area, open daily 10:00 am to 8:00 pm from June to September. A rooftop bar sits alongside it, open daily 10:00 am to midnight. The hotel doesn't publish the floor or who may use the water.
Best forTravelers who want a summer swim and a late drink in the same rooftop spot.
Skip it ifYou need confirmed non-guest access or a pool open before June.
Summer roof terrace pool with loungers, for guests only
4-star hotel, rated 4.6 on Google (977 reviews)
Sample photo, not Hotel Zenit Convento San Martín. Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Seasonal; closed outside the summer season
Why it's here. Book Zenit if you're staying and want a summer pool on the roof terrace, El Zielo de Donosti. It's guests only with no day pass, and the terrace closes whenever it rains.
El Zielo de Donosti is the roof terrace (azotea) where Zenit's pool sits. Sun loungers and seats are set out for sunbathing. The pool is seasonal, closed outside summer, and shuts on rainy days.
Best forSummer guests who want loungers and a roof terrace pool after a day out.
Skip it ifYou aren't staying overnight or you're visiting outside summer.
Guests-only rooftop pool with a lifeguard and clear dates
3-star hotel, rated 4.5 on Google (1,478 reviews)
Sample photo, not Leonardo Hotel San Sebastián. Ted Eytan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
1 June to 30 September each year
Why it's here. Choose Leonardo if you're a guest and want exact dates. The rooftop pool is open daily 11:00 to 21:00, 1 June to 30 September, with a lifeguard on duty. Registered guests only.
The pool sits on the azotea, a spacious rooftop terrace with panoramic city views. It is outdoor and seasonal, surrounded by lush vegetation. A lifeguard supervises during opening hours. No floor is published.
Best forSummer guests who want published hours and a lifeguard on the roof.
Skip it ifYou're visiting between October and May or you aren't staying.
Rooftop pool with sunbeds facing La Concha beach and the Cathedral
4-star hotel, rated 4.6 on Google (1,346 reviews)
Sample photo, not Hotel Catalonia Donosti. Blake Patterson from Alexandria, VA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Access not published
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Closed 1 Oct to 31 May; dates subject to change
Why it's here. Catalonia suits anyone who wants La Concha beach and the Cathedral in view while they swim. The pool is on the roof terrace and closed 1 October to 31 May. Who may swim isn't published.
An urban pool on the azotea, with a solarium and sunbeds beside it. The terrace looks over La Concha beach, the Cathedral and the city centre. A rooftop bar opens in summer only, and the floor isn't published.
Best forGuests who want sunbeds and a view of the beach and Cathedral.
Skip it ifYou need confirmed non-guest access or you're visiting between October and May.
Summer rooftop pool above Miramón Forest, with a spa that takes outsiders
4-star hotel, rated 4.5 on Google (1,988 reviews)
Sample photo, not ARIMA Hotel & Spa. Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Open daily throughout the summer season
Why it's here. Choose ARIMA for a rooftop pool and a spa in one stay. The pool is for guests only and open through summer. The Foresta Wellness spa also takes outside clients aged 18 and over.
An outdoor summer pool on the rooftop, with terraces overlooking Miramón Forest. It is reserved for hotel guests and open daily through the summer season. The hotel doesn't publish the floor or exact dates.
Best forGuests who want a forest-facing summer pool and a spa with heated pools.
Skip it ifYou want to swim on the roof without staying overnight.
Bay-facing rooftop infinity pool, reserved for hotel guests
5-star hotel, rated 4.5 on Google (250 reviews)
Sample photo, not Nobu Hotel San Sebastián. Sandra Cohen-Rose and Colin Rose from Montreal, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Hotel guests only
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Not published
Why it's here. Nobu suits guests after an infinity pool on the roof, facing the bay. It is reserved for hotel guests. Pool hours, season and floor aren't published.
A rooftop infinity pool on the bay side of a boutique hotel on the Miraconcha promenade. It is reserved for guests. The floor, hours and season aren't published.
Best forGuests after a bay-facing infinity pool and a five-star stay.
Skip it ifYou need published hours and season dates or you're not staying overnight.
Outdoor rooftop pool with solarium, best in summer
4-star hotel, rated 4.3 on Google (1,923 reviews)
Sample photo, not Axel Hotel. PattayaPatrol, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Access not published
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Summer especially; shorter dips possible rest of year
Why it's here. Pick Axel for an outdoor pool, a solarium and a rooftop bar under one 4-star roof. Access rules aren't published by the hotel, so confirm them before you count on a swim.
The pool is outdoors on the hotel's rooftop terrace, with a solarium beside it. The hotel sits on Amara Kalea and has a rooftop bar listed as a feature. The floor, hours and access rules aren't published.
Best forTravelers visiting in summer who want the pool and the bar at one hotel.
Skip it ifYou need a published floor, opening hours or day pass.
Sample photo, not The Social Hub. Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Rooftopfloor not published
Who can swim
Access not published
Day pass
No
Heated
Not published
Season
Not published
Why it's here. Consider The Social Hub only if the pool is an extra and you'd book the hotel anyway. The hotel lists the pool on the roof but publishes no floor, hours, season or access rules.
The Social Hub lists a rooftop pool at its address on Hermanos Otamendi kalea in San Sebastian. That is all the hotel's page says about it. Floor, size, view, hours and access aren't published.
Best forTravelers who like the hotel and would treat a rooftop pool as a bonus.
Skip it ifThe pool is the main reason for your trip and you need confirmed access.
Plan a rooftop swim for July to September. Leonardo's pool is open 1 June to 30 September, and Lasala's water area runs June to September. Catalonia's pool is closed 1 October to 31 May.
Winter is not a pool season here. No hotel on our list is listed as heated, and average highs are 16.2°C in November, 13.8°C in December and 13.2°C in January. At Zenit the roof terrace also closes whenever it rains.
Average daily highs: November 16°C (61°F), December 14°C (57°F), January 13°C (56°F). The warmest stretch for swimming is Jul–Sep.
Hotels you might expect here, and why they're not
These San Sebastián hotels come up in rooftop pool searches, but the facts we have don't place a pool on their roof.
Barceló Costa Vasca. The hotel's own site describes an outdoor pool in a garden area ("zona ajardinada"). No source places the pool on the roof or a top-floor terrace.
Hotel Maria Cristina, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Sebastian. Two independent sources say the hotel has no pool: the CN Traveller ranking page ("no pool") and a hotel-listing page ("No swimming pool."). No source describes a rooftop pool, so the status is not-rooftop.
Hotel Villa Eugenia. The only pool mention is on the nicolasabh.com page, which describes a waterfall pool among the hotel's gardens, not a roof or top-floor pool. That page is titled "Nicolasa Boutique Hotels", not Hotel Villa Eugenia, and the Google Maps listing has no pool information, so it is unclear the two refer to the same property.
Villa Soro. None of the sources mention a swimming pool. The hotel's own site describes a garden terrace, gardens and a bar, but no pool, so no rooftop pool can be confirmed.
Akelarre. The only pool the sources place at the hotel is a heated hydrotherapy pool in the first-floor spa. Suite pools are mentioned without a location. No source puts a pool on the roof or a top-floor terrace.
Hotel de Londres y de Inglaterra. No source mentions a swimming pool. The Telegraph describes a sixth-floor guest terrace and top-floor attic rooms, but no pool on the roof or a terrace.
Zinema7 Hotel. No source mentions a swimming pool at Zinema7 Hotel. The hotel's site describes only private terraces on the top floor (Petite Terrace rooms), which are not a pool. The Google Maps listing and the CN Traveller ranking page do not mention a pool either.
Hotel Luze Boutique San Sebastián. None of the supplied sources mention a swimming pool at Hotel Luze. The Google Maps listing shows only a Spa category. The Hotel Castellana page belongs to a different hotel in Madrid, so I excluded it.
San Sebastian rooftop pools: questions people ask
Which San Sebastián hotels let non-guests swim?
None of them sells a day pass. Zenit, Leonardo, ARIMA and Nobu are guests only. Lasala, Catalonia, Axel and The Social Hub don't publish access rules. ARIMA's Foresta Wellness spa does take outside clients aged 18 and over.
Are any San Sebastián rooftop pools heated or open in winter?
No. None of the 8 hotels on our list is listed as heated. Catalonia's pool is closed 1 October to 31 May, and Leonardo's is open only 1 June to 30 September.
Which hotel has the highest rooftop pool in San Sebastián?
We can't say. No hotel on our list publishes its pool floor. Nobu has a bay-facing rooftop infinity pool, but its floor isn't published.
Which months are best for a San Sebastián rooftop swim?
July to September. Leonardo publishes 11:00 to 21:00 daily from 1 June to 30 September, and Lasala lists 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily from June to September.
How can I swim at a San Sebastián rooftop pool for the least money?
No hotel on our list publishes a pool price, and none sells a day pass. The cheapest route is a stay at one of the guests-only hotels, such as Leonardo or Zenit, or ARIMA's spa if you only want the spa.
