Gipuzkoa · País Vasco
Tolosa
Famous for a fervent six-day carnival — considered by Basques superior to San Sebastián's, and the only one to keep its tradition alive through the Franco era.
What Tolosa is like
Portrait drawn from The Rough Guide.
24km south of San Sebastián.
On the table. Famed pintxos, including guindillas de Ibarra (pickled green chilli peppers) and alubias de Tolosa (kidney beans with blood sausage, cabbage and pork).
Worth the trip
- An extensive Casco Histórico with the impressive Pza. Euskal Herria
- The largest market in the Basque Country, held Saturdays in the old town's Pza. Berdura
- Tolosa Puppets International Centre (TOPIC), in the former law courts building
Fiestas
- A fervent six-day carnival every February
A little history
Tolosa's carnival was the only one to maintain its tradition throughout the Franco era.
Who it suits: Foodies · Carnival-goers
The numbers
The decision data — each figure against the Spanish average. Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 9.3°C 1.5°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 25.9°C 4.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 153 days 123% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 6 50 below the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- no local data
- Net income per person
- €19,863 37% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 21.3%
Schools
- Schools in town
- 12
- Nearest international school
- 49 km
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 482 1 above the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min
- Nearest health centre
- no local data
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 64 days 41% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 38 min
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 97% 18% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 98% 15% above the Spanish average (83%)
Who lives here
- Population
- 20,121
- Born in Spain
- 86.1% 2.7% below the Spanish average (88.8%)
- Born elsewhere in EU/UK
- 1.3% 2.6% below the Spanish average (3.8%)
- U.S.-born residents
- 0.65 per 1,000
Numbers: SettleSpain town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma, Ministerio del Interior and the Catastro. National average = the unweighted mean across all 8,132 Spanish municipalities with data. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
How does Tolosa fit you?
These are the town's numbers. Whether it's your town depends on what you're optimising for — winter sun or mild summers, a city or a village, short medical waits, an easy flight home. The 3-minute quiz scores Tolosa against every one of Spain's 8,132 municipalities on your priorities. It sits about 28 min from Donostia/San Sebastián, if that's your anchor.
Take the quiz — rank Tolosa for you →Nearby towns
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