The sun glistens over the La Concha Bay and the harbour. From there, it's just a stone's throw to the old town with its alleyways filled with pubs and churches and a main square. There, numbers above the balconies reveal that boxes were once rented out for bullfights.
There's no question that the scenery and food in the coastal Spanish city of San Sebastián are tempting - and a feast for tour operators, who fuel the influx of visitors.
But the tourists, locals across the country complain, have made living here hard, as many a landlord no longer rents to long-term residents, preferring to cash out on more lucrative short-term rentals via Airbnb and other such platforms.
Now the locals are fighting back.
Flyers slapped on old town houses in Pamplona are calling for protest meetings: "A neighbourhood lives here. How to prevent tourist flats in your building."
"Don't take a photo of me, I'm not your postcard"
At a demonstration in Granada in mid-June, the focus was on the World Heritage neighbourhood of Albayzín. Under the slogan "Our neighbourhood is not a theme park," the citizens' platform "Habitable Albayzín" opposed property speculation and the mass influx and called on politicians to limit tourist accommodations. Posters read "Residents threatened with extinction" and "Don't take a photo of me, I'm not your postcard."
As pointed as some of the battle cries are, some official initiatives seem half-hearted, as those responsible are well aware of the profit tourism generates. Here are five examples of how Spain's cities are trying to get a grip on overtourism.
San Sebastián: Divide groups, ban megaphones
A limit of 25 participants per group now applies to guided city tours in San Sebastián in order to channel the influx. Organizers who take crowds of visitors around are forced to split the groups and hire more than one licensed guide. The additional costs are likely to make the trips more expensive.
The use of earphones is mandatory, since megaphones are prohibited. In addition, every guide must have a completed visit form with them. Offenders will be fined up to €1,500 ($1,603).
Info: www.sansebastianholidays.com
Valencia: Cruise crackdown \- "The floating cities are bad"
Group limits also apply in this eastern Spanish city on the Mediterranean, although according to the official guide association, the measure is not yet law and violations have not yet been punished. The rules call for a maximum of 25 people on a city tour, 20 for a visit to the historic centre. Guides are supposed to coordinate their routes better with each other so they do not meet at the same meeting points, such as at the market hall.
Mega cruise ships are a particular thorn in the side of locals. According to Valencia Mayor María José Catalá, their arrivals are to be severely restricted from 2026.
"The floating cities are bad," says Catalá. They do not correspond to the tourism model that the city is relying on. However, there is no talk of banning the behemoths completely. And no concrete figures on the curtailment of cruise tourism have yet been provided.
Info: www.visitvalencia.com
Barcelona: early warnings, tickets online
The capital of Catalonia in the north-east, is also suffering from the influx of cruise tourism. Last year, 3.6 million passengers stopped over, sometimes for just a few hours.
"We are reaching the limit. It is obvious that the city cannot cope with annual increases of 8%" said Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni recently. In future, he is in favour of limiting the number of cruise ships and - "if necessary" - closing one or two cruise terminals.
In June the city launched a campaign aimed at tourists: "Barcelona, our home. And yours." The campaign appeals for respect toward local residents. It cost €400,000 and runs through the end of August
The Catalan digital newspaper El Nacional.cat reports that there will soon be a kind of warning system. Tourists will not even be able to visit certain zones and attractions if they are already overcrowded. These include Park Güell, where tickets will only be available online, and La Boqueria market. Screens in cruise terminals show whether tickets for the Sagrada Família are still available.
Info: www.barcelonaturisme.com
Toledo: unloved short-term visitors, proposed tourist tax
The old town, the alleyways, the historical traces of the Moors and Jews, the museum of the painter El Greco - the metropolis south of Madrid is in a class of its own.
But it's groaning under the crowds. On average, Toledo is overrun by 50 tourist buses a day - most crowded with day trippers who do not stay overnight, shop or eat in the city's restaurants.
"Unfortunately, in many cases they leave nothing behind for the city," says Mayor Carlos Velázquez Romo. To "compensate for this burden," a tourist tax as a daily fee is currently under discussion. So far there are no details about how high the tax might be or how it can be implemented.
Info: turismotoledo.es/en
Santiago de Compostela: No consensus
"Tourist go home" has been painted on a wall near the city park. However, this message goes as unheeded as a sign, in several languages, near the cathedral. That notice - in Galician, Spanish and English - tells readers about locals' rights to a good night's sleep. But the poster is inconspicuous and too much text makes it difficult to read.
According to city guide Francisco Esteban Palomo, discussions about overtourism in Santiago de Compostela have been started, but so far there is no consensus on possible measures.
"What sense would it make, as in San Sebastián, to split a group of 50 into two groups of 25?" he wonders. "That wouldn't be any fewer."
In addition, the merchants would complain if he had to go around certain alleyways with his groups so as not to block anything.
In an interview with the regional newspaper La Voz de Galicia, Tommi Alvarellos, chairman of the regional guide association of Galicia, spoke out in favour of a tourist tax for day trippers.
Although it is unclear who is praying and for what - the tourist influx has at least filled the churches. At the midday pilgrim mass in the cathedral, a would-be worshipper needs to show up at least an hour in advance to grab a seat.
