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.
Why people fall for Tolosa
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
Who Tolosa is for — and who it isn't
Not our opinion: we ran the same scoring engine behind the quiz for six settler profiles across all 8,132 municipalities and read off where Tolosa lands.
Good for
- Families with school-age kids 99th percentile of 8,132 towns 21 km from the sea · a hospital in town
- Heat-averse settlers 98th percentile of 8,132 towns 21 km from the sea · mild 25.9°C summer highs
- Remote-working couples 98th percentile of 8,132 towns 20,121 people · 21 km from the sea
- Budget-first coastal settlers 97th percentile of 8,132 towns 20,121 people · 21 km from the sea
The numbers
The decision data — each figure placed among all Spanish municipalities that report it ("top 10%" always means good, also where lower is better). Regional overlays and estimates are labelled, and where there's no local reading we say so plainly.
Climate
- Winter average temp
- 9.3°C top 28% of 8,131 towns 1.5°C above the Spanish average (7.8°C)
- Summer high (Jul–Aug)
- 25.9°C top 9% of 8,131 towns 4.3°C below the Spanish average (30.2°C)
- Rainy days a year
- 153 days bottom 1% of 8,088 towns 123% more than the Spanish average (69 days)
- Sunshine
- no local data
- Summer water stress (WEI+) regional estimate
- 6 top 6% of 8,033 towns 50 below the Spanish average (56)
Cost & economy
- Home price
- no local data
- Net income per person
- €19,863 top 3% of 8,059 towns 37% more than the Spanish average (€14,495)
- Income growth ’18–’23
- 21.3% bottom 23% of 6,605 towns
Schools
- Schools in town
- 12 top 5% of 7,042 towns
- Nearest international school
- 49 km bottom 46% of 8,132 towns
- PISA maths (region) regional estimate
- 482 #9 of 17 regions, +3 vs national 1 above the Spanish average (481)
Healthcare
- Drive to a hospital
- 0 min top 1% of 8,132 towns
- Nearest health centre
- no local data
- Surgical wait (region) regional estimate
- 64 days #2 of 17 regions, −39 days vs national 41% less than the Spanish average (108 days)
Getting around
- Drive to nearest airport
- 38 min top 13% of 8,132 towns
- Fibre-to-home coverage
- 97% top 20% of 8,132 towns 18% above the Spanish average (79%)
- 100 Mbps+ coverage
- 98% top 24% of 8,132 towns 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: SpainScore town dataset, derived from INE, AEMET, Mitma and the Catastro. Percentile chips count only the municipalities that report the figure — the "of n" says how many. Region-ranked figures (PISA, surgical waits) compare Spain's 17 comunidades autónomas. A blank means no municipal-level figure is published — not a zero.
The year, month by month
AEMET 30-year climate normals — what a January or an August actually feels like, not the annual average.
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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