Park of Nurseries of Ulia

The Park of Nurseries of Ulia (Basque: Uliako Lore-Baratzak, Spanish: Parque de Viveros de Ulía) sits in the Ulía neighbourhood of San Sebastián, right at the point where the Paseo de Ulía coastal walk begins, at its crossing with Calle Jose Elosegi. The site covers 14,500 m² and for most of the 20th century served as the city's municipal plant nursery, supplying seedlings and flowers for San Sebastián's public gardens.

What is this place?

The grounds were laid out roughly a century ago by gardener Pierre Ducasse, and for decades the nursery produced ornamental plants for the city's green spaces. Municipal production continued uninterrupted until 2007–2008, when the town council relocated the nurseries to a new facility at Lau Haizeta, leaving the Ulía site without its original purpose. The park also preserves San Sebastián's old water reservoirs, built in the 19th century and kept in operation until 1982 — a quiet trace of the city's earlier infrastructure hidden among the greenery.

How did the park come back to life?

Once the nursery moved out, the site could easily have been forgotten, but local residents and volunteers stepped in. Organised as the Uliako Lore-Baratzak group, they began restoring the former nursery from 2015 onward, and by the end of 2014 the space had reopened as a community-run public park. The project quickly earned recognition: in 2016 the Basque Government awarded it the Elkarlan Prize for environmental collaboration and civic engagement, and in 2021 Uliako Lore-Baratzak received a New European Bauhaus award in the category of places reinvented to meet and share.

What will you see there?

The park blends a green enclave with an active community project. It hosts San Sebastián's first ecological community garden, alongside nature education activities and participatory, inclusion-focused programmes that bring together residents of different ages and backgrounds. This is a quieter, more local experience than the city's headline sights — the appeal lies in seeing how disused municipal infrastructure, old nurseries and water tanks, has been turned into a living neighbourhood project rather than in ticking off a postcard attraction.

How do you get there?

The park lies at the very start of the Paseo de Ulía, the scenic clifftop walk east of San Sebastián's centre, exactly where it meets Calle Jose Elosegi. It makes a natural starting point for a longer walk along the coast toward the Ulía hillside, with views opening up over the Bay of Biscay. Given its short distance from the city centre, the park is easiest to combine with a walk or bike ride along the promenade rather than visiting it as a standalone trip.

When should you visit?

Spring and summer are the best seasons, when the community garden and surrounding greenery are at their fullest and local initiatives more often hold open events. Morning visits are quieter, before the adjoining clifftop walk fills up with other visitors.

Frequently asked questions

Is the park open to the public? Yes. Since reopening at the end of 2014, it has functioned as a public park, open to both residents and visitors.

How is this park different from a typical municipal garden? Its history — throughout the 20th century this was a working production site (the city's plant nursery), not an ornamental garden, and it only gained its current community character through a citizen-led initiative.

Are there any historic features left on site? Yes, the grounds still hold San Sebastián's 19th-century water reservoirs, which stayed in use until 1982.

Is it worth combining with a walk along Ulía? Definitely — the park sits right at the start of the Paseo de Ulía, making it a natural launch point for the longer scenic route along the cliffs.