u/Nevoljanevolju

My girlfriend and I are planning to spend July in San Sebastián, and we're currently looking at an apartment that we really like.

The apartment is in a recently renovated building (2024), around 50 m², on the 2nd floor, with north-west orientation. It has underfloor heating and an aerothermal (air-source heat pump) system. The listing also mentions "air conditioning", but we're still trying to understand exactly how the cooling works in practice.

Coming from Belgrade, Serbia, I'm used to pretty brutal summers — 35-40°C is common, and some years we even get days above 42°C, with lots of concrete and very hot nights. So my frame of reference is probably a bit distorted. 😅

What I'm wondering is:

• How hot did San Sebastián actually get last summer?
• Do people generally manage fine without traditional AC?
• Is it comfortable to sleep at night without AC in July and August?
• Have recent heatwaves changed things significantly?
• Would you consider a portable AC unit necessary, or would that be overkill for San Sebastián?

One additional factor is that I have a blood condition associated with anemia, so I sometimes tolerate heat a bit worse than the average person.

I'd love to hear from locals or anyone who has spent a summer in San Sebastián recently.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Apologies for posting a San Sebastián-related question here. I couldn't find an active San Sebastián subreddit, and I figured people from Bilbao and the Basque Country would probably have the best insight. 😊

My girlfriend and I are planning to spend July in San Sebastián and we're currently looking at an apartment that we really like.

The apartment is in a recently renovated building (2024), around 50 m², on the 2nd floor, with north-west orientation. It has underfloor heating and an aerothermal system. The listing mentions air conditioning, but we're still trying to understand exactly how the cooling works.

Coming from Belgrade, Serbia, I'm used to very hot summers. Temperatures above 35°C are common, and every year we get periods of 40°C+ with lots of concrete and very warm nights.

I've always heard that the climate in the Basque Country is much milder because of the Atlantic Ocean, but the recent heatwave made me wonder whether things have changed.

For those of you who know San Sebastián well:

• How hot was last summer?
• Do most people live comfortably without traditional AC?
• Is it usually possible to sleep comfortably without AC in July and August?
• Would a modern apartment with an aerothermal system generally be enough?
• Would you consider buying a portable AC unit for a one-month stay, or would that be unnecessary?

One additional factor is that I have a blood condition associated with anemia, so I sometimes tolerate heat a bit worse than average.

I'd really appreciate any local perspective.

Thanks a lot!

Hi guys!

My girlfriend and I are planning to spend July in San Sebastián, and we're currently looking at an apartment that we really like.

The apartment is in a recently renovated building (2024), around 50 m², on the 2nd floor, with north-west orientation. It has underfloor heating and an aerothermal (air-source heat pump) system. The listing also mentions "air conditioning", but we're still trying to understand exactly how the cooling works in practice.

Coming from Belgrade, Serbia, I'm used to pretty brutal summers. 35-40°C is common, and some days we even get days above 42°C, with lots of concrete and very hot nights. So my frame of reference is probably a bit distorted. 😅

What I'm wondering is:

• How hot did San Sebastián actually get last summer?
• Do people generally manage fine without traditional AC?
• Is it comfortable to sleep at night without AC in July and August?
• Have recent heatwaves changed things significantly?
• Would you consider a portable AC unit necessary, or would that be overkill for San Sebastián?

One additional factor is that I have a blood condition associated with anemia, so I sometimes tolerate heat a bit worse than the average person.

I'd love to hear from locals or anyone who has spent a summer in San Sebastián recently.

Thanks!