Honey Gouda

Before coming to Donostia-San Sebastián, I was unsure whether I would like it very much. It seemed like a typical Spanish beach town and it didn’t look like there were many places for digital nomads to work. But after a month of living there, I can confidently say it is my new favorite city in Spain and they even have great coffee shops for working (which is very, very important to me.) So if you are a digital nomad looking for your next stop in Spain, add San Sebastián to the bucket list!

OhBaba

OhBaba coffee shop in Gros neighborhood was easily my favorite place to work in San Sebastián. With a modern interior, great coffee, friendly staff, and plenty of seating, it felt like a piece of California in Spain. It is pricier than other cafes but well worth it, especially since they allow you to stay as long as you like. And a huge bonus, all of their drinks are made with oat milk which means you don’t pay extra for a milk alternative!

Wifi: 8

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Coffee: 10

Prices: 7

Ambience: 10

Outlets: 2

Seating: 9

Enxalao

Wifi: 9, Download: 27.29, Upload: 20.21

Another great cafeteria in Gros is Enxalao. When I first passed by it seemed as if it were just a brunch restaurant but later I noticed some people working on their computers inside. The vibe is not as relaxed as OhBaba, it is a fairly busy place where people mainly go to eat, but it is still a great option. They have pintxos, brunch foods, fast wifi, and outdoor seating.

Wifi: 9

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Coffee: 7

Prices: 7

Ambience: 8

Outlets: 8

Seating: 8

Koh Tao

In old town my favorite spot was Koh Tao, an artistic coffee shop with a unique crowd. If you are looking for a coffee shop that feels more Spanish (or Basque I should say), this is the right pick. They have tapas/pintxos, great coffee, outdoor seating, and good prices.

Wifi: 8

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Coffee: 8

Prices: 8

Ambience: 9

Outlets: 2

Seating: 8

Norta Cafe

Back in Gros, Norta Cafe is similar to Enxalao but much bigger. It is mainly a restaurant but they have a designated area for online workers (although there aren’t any outlets in that space!) They also provide free wifi, but I found myself getting kicked out every half hour and having to reenter my information to connect to the wifi again. I wouldn’t recommend it if wifi is an essential part of your work, but it is a great place to grab brunch and work comfortably.

Wifi: 3

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Coffee: 7

Prices: 8

Ambience: 9

Outlets: 1

Seating: 10

Loft Cafeteria

This is the typical Spanish breakfast spot where you find mainly older people slowly sipping espressos and unabashedly people watching. However, it is a surprisingly great place to work, there is lots of natural lighting, the breakfast menu was cheap, and the staff didn’t mind me working at all. They don’t have the best coffee, but I did really enjoy their croissants.

Wifi: 8

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Coffee: 6

Prices: 9

Ambience: 7

Outlets: 6

Seating: 7

Tabakalera Cultural Center

The Tabakalera is an international center for contemporary culture in the Basque country; even if you don’t go work here, it is an impressive building to visit to learn about basque history, see art, and attend workshops. The library is the area for working and there are plenty of tables, plugins, free wifi, and even coffee and snack machines. This is a beautiful place to work and it was nice to bring my own lunch for once, instead of spending 9 euros on an avocado toast.

Fnac 

I never worked here, but this is another option for a coffee shop with free wifi. It isn’t the cutest place to work, but it is cheap and like most chain cafes, the staff is unlikely to care how long you stay.

Santander Coworking

Another place I didn’t work at, but seemed like a viable option, was the Santander Coworking space. I’ve seen these all over Spain–there is an especially impressive one in Barcelona. I’m not sure I understand the concept completely–because it seems too good to be true–but it is a free coworking space with a cafeteria. Coworking spaces usually cost around 15 euros a day or 180 a month, so a free coworking space is pretty insane. I probably should have taken advantage of this, but everytime I passed by it was completely empty and I enjoy having a nice ambience when I work. It sounds silly, but since I spend most of my days in cafes doing my work online, I like to be in a beautiful space surrounded by other people. However, if you want a quiet workspace (and even a private office for videocalls) this would be perfect.

Starbucks

I hate to add Starbucks to my lists of coffee shops, but sometimes you have no other choice. Starbucks has saved me multiple times when every other cafeteria has been closed and I’m in a foreign country that I haven’t explored yet. I won’t go into detail because it’s a Starbucks—enough said—but I will say that they typically close at 9pm, the air conditioning isn’t too strong (most Starbucks I’ve been to require snow gear), and there isn’t much seating so the good tables with outlets fill up fast. It is in the old town and located right next to Santander Coworking, so you can check out both and choose for yourself.

I hope this list of Donostia-San Sebastián’s internet cafes was useful! Check out my other coffee shop recommendations for Barcelona, Lisbon, and Porto! And follow my Instagram @honey_gouda for travel inspo, mini vlogs, food pics, & yoga.