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Tourist guide: what to do and see in Valencia
The great jewel of the Mediterranean.
The capital of Valencia has all the right ingredients to be the destination of your dreams: a perfect balance between historic buildings and open green spaces, lively nightlife, great shopping, and Spain's most iconic dish, paella. All of this, naturally, on the shores of the Mediterranean. Valencia has known how to blend the cultures of its legendary past with avant-garde architecture such as the City of Arts and Sciences, a true symbol of the new millenium. Neighbourhoods such as El Carmen, with its special charm; a waterfront promenade bursting with restaurants; and internationally known festivals such as Las Fallas, all await you in this exceptional corner of the country.
- Sights
- Shopping
- Leisure
- Dining
- Open air
- Museum
- Sights
- Shopping
- Leisure
- Dining
- Open air
- Museum
Mestalla Stadium
One of Spain's most historic football stadiums, home to one of its most winning teams
Goal!
The Valencia Football Club - one of Spain and Europe's most successful - calls this 55,000-seat stadium, founded in 1923, home. Named after an irrigation channel dating back to medieval Moorish times that ran alongside the stadium, over the decades it has repeatedly been witness to footy history - regularly hosting the King's Cup finals, for example, as well as special events such as games of the 1982 World Cup and the 1992 Summer Olympics. If you're a diehard fan, check out the Mestalla Forever Tour, a guided visit of the stadium's highlights, including the locker room and the trophy room.
The Agora
Its soaring Calatrava ellipse is home to a wide variety of fascinating events. Check the programme!
Another iconic component of the City of Arts and Sciences
Another of the soaring, futuristic structures created by A-list starchitect Santiago Calatrava for the City of Arts and Sciences, L'Àgora is a huge, roofed space that's adaptable for all manner of events including exhibitions, sporting events (Like the Valencia Tennis Open 500), concerts, festivals, and congresses. Its silhouette has become a recognisable icon, with its vertical blue-and-white ellipse and interplay of columns and soaring windows. The name Agora, of course, harks back to the ancient Greek concept of the public forum.
Town of Ademuz
Historic, welcoming - and surrounded by rugged, forested, and achingly beautiful terrain
Sweet little country town
One of the most appealing towns of Valencia's hinterland, roughly two hours northwest of Valencia's city centre, tiny Ademuz sits amid spectacular mountain scenery and dates back to Moorish times, although settlement in the area stretches back to the Neolithic. In addition to it castle ruins and the historic attractions of its atmospheric Old Town, Ademuz is surrounded by ruggedly gorgeous, pine-forested terrain which offers countless opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoorsy activities, for example on and around peaks such as El Pinar and El Cerellar. The hearty fare hereabouts is notable, too, such as local staple gachas, a kind of porridge.
Sierra Calderona Natural Park
Outdoor activities amid forests and multicoloured mountains - an amazing eco-break!
Head for the hills!
About an hour's drive north of Valencia's city centre in the Calderona Mountains, this 18,000-hectare (69-square-mile) park is considered this region's premier "green lung", a territory forested in pine and oak, and of cliffs and mountains - which thanks to being so rich in minerals seem to glow in in the sunlight with various colours, especially reds and coppers. Hiking, biking, caving, climbing, picnicking, and other activities up here in La Calderona are a bracing antidote to the big city, all in an environment of incredible natural beauty.
Valencia Bikes
Warm, flat, and with plenty of bike lanes, Valencia is a cyclist's delight
Two-wheeling it
Its largely flat terrain, along with its pleasant climate year-round, make Valencia idea for discovering on two wheels - and city hall has further encouraged this by establishing a wide-ranging network of bicycle lanes along city streets. Valencia Bikes is one of several local outfits that cater to cycling enthusiastic with guided group excursions covering various aspects of Valencia, and has a number of pick-up and drop-off points throughout the city. One great example of such an outing is biking the woodsy trails of Cabecera Park (covered elsewhere in this guide).
Header Park
true symbol of the symbiosis between city and nature.
An enviable green collection.
Valencia has always been recognized for its unusual ability to mix the urban and the natural in a hidden way, a virtue that has allowed it to combine one of the largest historic centers in the country with multiple green areas that make it a much friendlier city. The best proof of this is the Parque de Cabecera, located in the deepest area of the park that surrounds the Turia River and which can be accessed through the Bioparc. It is divided into four zones: the Bosque de la Ribera, the Mirador Platform, the Amusement Park and the Bioparc itself. We recommend you start with the Bosque de la Ribera, as it has a large number of routes and nature trails that you can walk or cycle, and thus you will reach the Mirador, the highest area of the park and the perfect place to rest contemplating the green horizon. .
Royal Gardens (Greenhouses Park)
The Moorish palace is in ruins, but there's plenty else to love about this diverse green space
A peaceful park with pedigree
Roughly halfway along the serpentine Jardí Túria park, you'll find another - and considerably older - green space jutting out from it. This is the rectangular Jardines del Real (aka Jardines de los Viveros), whose history dates back to the 11th century, when gardens were built alongside the palace of the Moorish sultan Abd-Aziz. That palace is now in ruins, but at the beginning of the 20th century this enormous expanse was redeveloped into a public park that's become a favourite oasis for locals. It's divided into various different-feeling areas, and includes manicured landscaping; gardens; woodsy areas; sculptures; monuments; cultural institutions such as the Valencia Museum of Natural Sciences; and, again, the palace ruins along with a small interpretive centre.
The Túria Garden
A snaky mix of greenery and some of the city's most iconic architecture
Spain's largest city park has a remarkable backstory
Back in the 1950s, Valencia suffered a traumatic natural disaster: the river that flowed through it, the Túria, overflowed its banks and flooded parts of the central city, taking the lives of more than a hundred people. And so it was decided to embark on its most ambitious civil engineering project ever: redirecting the river from its source, leaving a dry riverbed that was then turned into parkland. This is the Jardí Túria, today Spain's largest urban park - a long, snakey 110 hectares (270 acres) of greenery, sport facilities, and cultural attractions such as the Palace of Music, Bioparc zoo, and the City of Arts and Sciences.
Malvarrosa Beach
Sun, sea, and a wide variety of eating/drinking options
Valencia's top strand
There are quite a few beaches lining the Valencia shore, but perhaps the best known and most popular with both locals and visitors is Platja de la Malvarrosa, a strand more than 1,000 metres (more than a half mile) long. Back in the day, much of this area was a hollyhock (malvarrosa) plantation established by Félix Robillard, the 19th-century head gardener of the city's botanical garden. But since the beachfront boulevard, the Passeig Marítim, was given a makeover in the 1980s, this zone has blossomed into one of the city's top leisure magnets, with numerous restaurants, cafés, and chiringuitos (beach kiosks) to keep beachgoers fed and watered during the day and partiers entertained after dark.
Albufera Natural Park
Lake, wetlands, dunes, beaches - a paradise for eco-lovers, just a few minutes' drive south of the city
One of Spain's great nature reserves
A few minutes' drive south of Valencia city, nature lovers will be entranced by Spain's largest lake and one of its foremost wetlands - a unique ecosystem which is home to numerous interesting animal and plant species - some endangered, such as a pair of tiny fish called the fartet (Spanish toothcarp) and the samaruc (Valencia toothcarp). The base for exploring the park is the town of El Palmar, where the park's forests blend with the dunes on the edge of the Mediterranean. Adjoining the park's 24,000 square kilometres (9,270 sq. miles) are other wetlands used to grow the rice used in this region's famous paellas and other classic dishes.
More Valencia Nightlife
Two very different scenes, one dominated by students, the other more orientated toward young professionals
Another pair of excellent after-dark districts
We've already covered Valencia's two most prominent nightlife districts, El Carme and Russafa, but if you're looking for more, we have at least another pair for you. Over near the university, the streets between Plaza del Cedro and Avinguda d'Aragó are mainly the preserve of the college-aged (and not just locals, but foreign students, as well, especially since Valencia is a prime destination for Europe's Erasmus study-abroad programme).
A little more upmarket and young-professional-oriented, the Marina Real district is over on the beachfront, where a string of appealing restaurants and watering holes offer not just great drinks and eats, but a fun atmosphere overlooking the shining sea.
Russafa Neighbourhood
Valencia's current hot multi-culti alternative scene is centred in this working-class area south of the Old Town
Alt/boho nights
A 20-minute stroll south of Valencia's medieval Old Town, the city's boho district par excellence for the last several years is a workaday, multi-ethnic, but lately delightfully funky neighbourhood revolving around and named for another public market, the Mercat Russafa (Ruzafa in Spanish). It's an especially great area to hit the tapas bars; the many different kinds of eateries (not just Spanish/Valencian but also Mexican, Italian, vegan, and much more); and the pubs and clubs. An eclectic bit of business indeed for a night out, whether enjoying a pint with friends, taking in a live music show, or just settling in for a quiet, romantic dinner with your significant other.
Café de las Letras
A university student hangout with a cool cocktail list and fun but not over-the-top vibe
Young but delightfully laid back
Located over by the university campus between the Old Town and the beach, the "Café of Letters" might sound like a literary salon or some such, but it's actually a cosy-cool little student hangout with low, warm lighting, eclectic décor, cool music, and laid-back atmosphere (including a reading section stocked with books and periodicals). It's especially known for its diverse cocktail list - highly original concoctions, expertly mixed. A great place to hang in the early evening after a day of touring, and even though things get more crowded and lively as the night wears on, Letras remains a place where you can easily hold an audible conversation over a cold one or two.
Bioparc Theme Park
Specialising in African wildlife and ecosystems, it's a fun eye-opener for kids and grown-ups alike
The new zoo review
A small, publically owned zoo at the north end of the parkland along the Turia River, unlike more traditional zoos, Bioparc seeks to provide its denizens plenty of space to move around, and space that resembles their native habitats as much as possible. It's specialised in African wildlife, and divided into four main zones: Madagascar, equatorial forests, dry savannah, and wet savannah. Bioparc includes western gorillas, white rhinos, giraffes, and hippos - all of which especially delight kids but fascinate adults, as well. While entertaining, it also seeks to educate young and old about the dangers to species and ecosystems posed by climate change, human encroachment, and other factors.
Bodega La Pascuala
A popular spot famous for sandwiches as big as your forearm - and some pretty funky flavours, too (neigh!)
A city beachfront sandwich star
Should you find yourself getting peckish whilst strolling the beachfront Passeig Marítim, head to this Valencia lunchtime institution. Also known as Casa Boix, La Pascuala's claim to fame is simple and effective: it serves the city's biggest sandwiches - as big as your forearm. The place starts to fill up as of midday, and it's not uncommon to see lines forming to order. The fare itself is actually pretty original; besides your standard sandwich fare you can find the likes of grilled sobrasada (a particularly savoury sausage), blood-sausage omelette, and even horse meat. More in a fishy mood? Try the popular fried cod.
El Saler Beach
A short drive south of the city, a beach where you can really get away from it all (and even leave your swimsuit behind, if you like!)
Lovely beach in a nature reserve
Weather permitting, beach bunnies will find it well worth their while to take a ten-minute bus ride south to a beach called El Saler, in the La Albufera Nature Park. With its enormous dunes and lovely white sand extending more than three kilometres (nearly two miles), it's especially appealing because it's largely undeveloped (though you can also find some beach restaurants around in which to enjoy some excellent local fish and other dishes such as fideuà and rice with lobster). And, psst...there are also some stretches where you can cultivate that, er, all-over tan.
Valencia Botanical Garden
Bodacious botany, with more than 4,500 species of flora as well as curated exhibitions of their impact on human cultures
Plant kingdom
Visitors with a special interest in flora (and also fauna) should definitely slot some time for the University of Valencia's centrally located Jardí Botànic, whose greenhouses and gardens are home to more than 4,500 species of plants. They're divided into different areas according to regional ecosystems, and there's also a large botanical school section which takes visitors on a journey of human use of plants throughout history, elucidating the role of flora in different cultures. Particularly outstanding is the palm collection, one of Europe's largest; a section drawing attention to endangered species; and exhibitions branching out into the animal kingdom, such as an aquarium and aviary.
Palace of Music
One of Europe's top performance venues, and a magnificent piece of modern architecture in its own right
I feel the music in me
In the 1980s, the banks of Valencia's Turia River underwent a makeover which turned it into a parklike zone that's one of the city's most bucolic and enjoyable areas. Designed by José María de Paredes, the Palau de la Música was inaugurated in 1987 amid these leafy precincts, an enormous arched space roofed in glass; the side overlooking the river, meanwhile, offers its own picturesque views. The facilities host classical, jazz, and other many other types of musical performances, as well as cinema shows and exhibitions. With its remarkable acoustics, the main hall has played host to many of the world's most distinguished orchestras, artists, directors, singers, and groups. If in season, definitely worth an evening of your time.
The Falles Festival
The highlight of the year in Valencia is a street party on steroids
Satire and bonfires
The origin of Valencia's (and Spain's) most iconic celebration aren't known for sure - historical documentation goes back to the 18th century but is thought to reach back to the Middle Ages, when the carpenters' guild would burn old furniture in front of their workshops on the night of the feast day of their patron St. Joseph. The Falles (Fallas in Spanish) became a tradition, spread to the rest of the citizenry, and took on a satyrical tone, poking fun at the politics, entertainments, and society of the day. Regardless, for generations it's been an annual explosion of joy, colour, and fire that locals look forward to all year and visitors flock to town to experience. The key date is March 19, when in an event called the Cremà, the huge figures of papier-mâché, wax and wood from which the festival takes its name are immolated in enormous bonfires.
Valencia's waterfront promenade
Valencia's seafront boulevard is lined with beaches, restaurants, bars, and shops
By the sea, by the beautiful sea
Valencia is of course a city formed and informed by the Mediterranean Sea, and it's here on the Passeig Marítim (Spanish Paseo Marítimo, English Maritime Promenade) that its maritime side can be most fully experienced. It's a lovely, open-feeling area where you can stroll, bike (there's a dedicated lane), and check out the various sculptures and landmarks along the way. At one end, the Playa de la Malvarrosa is a particularly lively area of restaurants, bars, and nightspots, with its roots in a plantation of hollyhocks (malvarrosas) founded by botanist Félix Robillard, the mid-19th-century head of the city's botanical garden.
Valencia's 'Golden Mile'
A business district that includes some of the city's most upmarket and exclusive retail therapy
Top of the shops in Valencia
The business district around the Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas has evolved into one of the most exclusive shopping areas in Valencia, home to some of the most sophisticated fashion and design shops in town - appropriate since the aforementioned rococo palace was for generations such a local symbol of opulence. In fact, many of the local shops have joined to create the Dos Aguas Luxury Shopping line, composed of famous designers and distinguished jewelry shops. The relevant streets and squares in this district include Marqués de Dos Aguas itself, Poeta Querol (covered above), Salvá, and Plaza del Patriarca.
Carbonell fans
Generation after generation, the quality of their fans continues to be unsurpassed.
A whole family institution.
The fan has always been a typically Valencian object, one of the most colorful symbols of the city on spring and summer days. And if there is a king of fans in Valencia, that is, without a doubt, Carbonell: since the mid-19th century, generation after generation, they have managed to make this brand of fans an institution inside and outside the capital. His store is located in the central Castellón street, very close to the Estación del Norte, and it is still the family that runs this place. In addition to their own creations, they also have other popular brands such as Aldaia, Goldella or Alaquàs. His fabrics or countries, as they are called in slang, show such a variety of motifs that they allow his models to be practically infinite. If you want to give a typical souvenir from Valencia, you are in the right place.
Basket Street
A street that souvenir-seekers should check out, for its high-quality baskets, bags, and more
Something wicker this way comes
Several blocks south of the Ciutat Vella (Old Town), The pedestrian Calle del Músico Peydró is better known to all as Calle de las Cestas, Basket Street, thanks to its many wicker workshops and shops, located here since the 1940s and passed down from generation to generation, and more vital than ever. Thus this street offers visitors another opportunity to pick up high-quality merchandise - woven baskets, bags, even furniture and other items - which are both useful and very typical of Valencia. Some have also branched out a bit to wood items. Highly recommended.
Round Square
Do not miss the peculiar market that is held every Sunday.
The commercial taste of yesteryear.
As if time had stopped, this circular square still preserves the peculiar commercial atmosphere of yesteryear. At the time it was built, it was located in the geometric center of the city, and its pedestrian surroundings give it an exceedingly unique character, allowing you to stroll peacefully while enjoying precious handicrafts, antiques, and typical souvenir shops. Various haberdashery stores that maintain the old commercial formulas are also still open, serving their customers as if they were old acquaintances. The Plaza Redonda is completely transformed every Sunday by hosting one of the most curious markets in the capital, where you will have the opportunity to find coins, stamps, toys or books.
Colón Street Shopping
Home to many national and international brands, mostly in clothing, but also a wide variety of other merchandise
A major commercial boulevard south of Old Town
A few blocks south of the Ciutat Vella, the long, wide Carrer de Colón is one of Valencia's main commercial arteries, with an exceptional quantity and variety of shops to browse to your heart's content. You'll find plenty of upmarket brands here, as well, both domestic and international, and besides clothing and accessories, other shops specialise in things housewares, lingerie, and footwear (in fact, nearby Carrer de Juan Bravo is also particularly well known for its shoes and accessories). Also nearby is the eponymous Mercat de Colón, where you can browse for gourmet foodstuffs as well as take a load off your feet at a lovely café.
Shopping on Poeta Querol Street
Check your bank account first, because this street in the heart of the Old Town is home to the most upmarket boutiques in town
Perhaps Valencia's premier shopping street
Valencia's shopping scene is spread out among several areas in the Ciutat Vella (the historic centre), and the Eixample, the 19th-century expansion beyond the Old Town walls. In particular, the Old Town's Carrer del Poeta Querol, just a few steps away from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, is perhaps the city's luxury-shopping epicentre, home to upmarket brands such as Montblanc, Michael Kors, Lladró, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, and others of their ilk (intermixed here, however, are also more than a few more accessible shops with some pretty original merchandise).
El Carme Neighbourhood
A section of the medieval Old Town that's a hotbed for shopping, dining, and nightlife.
Historic yet hopping!
The most popular zone of the moment in the medieval Ciutat Vella (Old Town), the El Carme neighbourhood (Barrio del Carmen in Spanish) is a warren of little streets and lanes (many pedestrian-only) lined with historic ancient buildings that give it a real time-machine feel. But that's very much balanced out by the here-and-now vibe you find especially at night, when the partying locals come out to play in the eateries, bars, and clubs. This is also a great area for funky, quirky shopping, even though the distribution of the boutiques can be a bit uneven, even anarchic. El Carme is an amazing testament both to Valencia's historic past and its exciting present.
Colombus Market
A century-old Art Nouveau gem that after a 2003 restoration is a popular foodie wonderland
Valencia's other historic public market
Working in the Modernisme (Art Nouveau) idiom, Valencian Francisco de Mora Berenguer was one of the most influential architects of early-20th-century Spain, and his Mercat de Colón, built a little farther out from the Old Town around the same time as the Mercat Central, is another of Valencia's most recognisable landmarks. Rising in red brick with soaring arches, it was restored in 2003 and is now another foodie playground highly popular with locals.
Central Market
Art Nouveau architecture meets fresh, authentic products and phenomenal photo ops
A true gem of a historic public market
Valencia's Mercat Central has its roots, as does much else in this city, in the centuries of Moorish rule during the Middle Ages. The handsome Art Nouveau edifice here today, however, dates from 1914, and is itself one of the city's most notable landmarks, as well as being quite popular with locals themselves, who regularly shop for the fresh, authentic products sold at its nearly 400 market stalls. Even as it's one of the oldest still operating public markets of its kind in Europe, it's also innovated - it was the first to computerise sales and institute (way back in 1996) home delivery. Going back to the Art Nouveau architecture, it's truly a masterpiece of glass, columns, and cupulas, bringing to mind something like a secular cathedral. Combine a visit here with the Llotja, the Silk Exchange across the street.
Cuisine of Valencia's Hinterland
The Albaida Valley is great for the great outdoors, agritourism - and eating
Bounty of the countryside
Valencia's coast gets much of the attention, touristically speaking, but there's a whole world out there in the hinterland away from the sea, and one that's especially interesting to fans of nature, hiking, and climbing. We'd point you especially to the Albaida Valley, a lush area with friendly people; sweet agritourism opportunities; and 34 towns where you can get some of the best country meals you can imagine. Local delicacies include baked rice casserole; bacon-mushroom pastry; a variety of tasty sausages like butifarra and sobrasada; and peppers stuffed with cheese. Perhaps the best known dish here is arrop i tallaetes, a traditional sweet involving pumpkin, peach or plum chunks drenched in a thick, sweet grape-juice syrup.
Winter Dishes
Maybe it doesn't get frigid hereabouts, but folks do eat a bit heartier in wintertime - and stews are a particular favourite
Baby, it's - well, not all that cold outside
In terms of severity, winters in this area are hardly on the order of northern Europe, or even some parts of northern Spain. But it certainly does cool off around here, and many restaurants and chefs roll out some slightly heartier fare on their menus. Perhaps the star example is arròs amb fesols i naps (rice with beans and turnips, also commonly referred to as caldera), which is usually cooked with pig's trotters and served especially for particular special occasions; it's especially good in the town of Ademuz, on the outskirts of Valencia city. Other winter specialities include olletas (a stew of rice, pork, sausages, and vegetables), puchero de San Blase (another hearty meat-and-veggie stew), and cocido de pelotas (pork and veal mix with egg, parsley, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs), a dish commonly eaten on Christmas day.
Valencia Wine
For lovers of the grape (and oranges!) Valencia pours some prime vintages
Cheers!
The Valencia region's temperate Levantine climate makes it ideal for the production of wine and various spirits, and the area even holds several Denominations of Origin, such as the white wines of Alta Turia and Serranía and the reds of Requena, Utiel, and Campo de Liria. Special mention is also due to mistela, a sweet, also grape-based liqueur popular as a postprandial cordial, and agua de Valencia, a mix of juice from the famous local Valencia oranges with cava, a Champagne-like sparkling wine. Bottoms up!
Horchata, Valencia's Quintessential Drink
A quasi-milky soft drink with Moorish roots that's not just a Valencia signature, but popular all over Spain
Nothing quite like it outside Spain!
Another legacy of the centuries of Arab rule in this area, the refreshing soft drink horchata (or, if you prefer, its Valencian spelling orxata) is based on ground chufas (xufas, which in English is tiger nuts), a kind of dried tuber grown in the fields of Alboraya and other suburbs to the north of the city. It's most often accompanied by a sugar-dusted pastry called a farton. You'll find them all over Valencia, but among the most atmospheric spots are the venerable Horchatería de Santa Catalina near the cathedral, and another called El Siglo. These days, you can also get horchata ice cream, and a number of local chefs have been including it in their creations.
Valencian Sweets
Visitors with a sweet tooth will be in heaven over delights contributed by various cultures over the centuries, most especially the Arab
OMG, how sweet it is…
Like many other areas of Spain, Valencia has seen many cultures leave their marks locally - and nowhere is this more true than in cuisine, and notably in the local sweets. Top examples include pumpkin buñuelos, doughnuts especially typical around March's annual Falles festivities; coca de llanda, a sugar-dusted white cake; and arnadí, a kind of pie dating back to Moorish times which is based, again, on pumpkin, or on sweet potato. Other sweets and pastries of Moorish origin tend to involve almonds and/or honey; examples include the popular mocadorà (marzipan in the form of colourful fruit shapes); huesos de santo ("saint's bones", sugared egg yolk in a marzipan wrapper); and of course the now ubiquitous turrón, (nougat made from nuts, egg yolk, or several other ingredients) which originated in this part of Iberia.
Dining in Front of the Central Market
A variety of fresh, creative eating at improvised stands
Tasty treats right around this landmark's front entrance
The Art Nouveau Mercat Central (Central Market) is jam-packed with all manner of picturesquely arranged foodstuffs and local delicacies - and right by the marketplace's front steps, you'll find a number of improvised stands equipped with counters, tables, and high chairs, where you can get a direct taste of much of this bounty, either on the spot or as take-away (several of these will also sell you a paella pan and utensils - great souvenirs for foodies who want to try their hand back home). The focus is on fresh local products, but in recent years the choices have also widened and become more diverse, with options for many different tastes indeed: juices and vegan cuisine (Almalibre Açaí Bar), fresh seafood (Crudo Bar), Mediterranean cuisine (Carosel), just to cite several.
Two Tapas Trails
The Old Town and the beachfront are two top areas to graze your way down the streets
Little dishes, big flavours
Tapas-bar-hopping is of course a beloved pastime in many Spanish cities, and the same holds true here in Valencia. It's a delicious way of both discovering local delicacies and the streets and squares of the city itself. The top choice is of course the historic Old Town - in particular the area from the Plaza de la Virgen to the zone known as El Carme, as well as the beachfront Passeig Marítim. Stars of the plate include grilled squid, clóxinas (a kind of local mussel), tellinas (a kind of small clam), patatas bravas (fried potatoes with spicy sauce), vinegared anchovies, codfish croquettes, michirones (a kind of bean stew), Spain's ubiquitous potato omelette, and much, much more. Rev up your apetito and hit the streets!
L'Oceanographic Underwater Restaurant
Cutting-edge, affordable, and creative cuisine, served as the aquarium's marine denizens swim around you
Delicious dinner undah da 'sea'
No better backdrop for a creative and all-round superb seafood experience than this eatery surrounded by shimmering waters and swimming sea creatures. The menu of the Restaurante Submarino is a fusion of classic ingredients with avant-garde touches, all meticulously prepared and presented (and do leave room for one of the desserts, which are haute versions of typically Valencian recipes). For such high-level cuisine, prices are surprisingly affordable, with set menus ranging between 35 and 45 euros per person.
Mateu Restaurant
Worth a ride out of town for some of the best paella, Valencian dishes - and sunsets - in the whole region
A paella powerhouse
The birthplace of paella is not the city of Valencia but the wetlands of Albufera Natural Park, south of the city. Along the beaches here you'll find a number of excellent spots to enjoy it along with other specialities of Valencian cuisine. Perhaps the pick of the crop is Restaurante Mateu, in the town of El Palmar. Apart from its extraordinary paella, the menu here includes various rice dishes, the noodle version of paella called fideuà, and a wide and tasty variety of top-notch seafood. And if you are willing to push your dining envelope just a little bit, try another legendary house speciality, all i pebre, whose main ingredient is - wait for it - eels. Another part of the experience at Mateu involves a boat ride before or after dinner (especially marvellous for taking in one of the area's loveliest sunsets).
Valencia's paella
The quintessential dish of Valencia, and Spain
Rice, rice, baby
This rice-based culinary cornucopia is of course not just Valencia's most famous dish, but also that of Spain as a whole. Taking its name from the huge metal pan in which it's prepared, paella comes in several varieties, but besides rice and water, ingredients of the original paella valenciana don't include langoustines and other seafood (that's another variety), but rather green beans, white beans, chicken, rabbit, tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and saffron. Unsurprisingly, you can find it all over town, and especially in the area around the Central Market as well as in the Carmen neighbourhood and other parts of the Old Town.
"L'Oceanogràfic" Aquarium
Europe's largest aquarium will just knock your swim fins off
Water, water everywhere
Another component of the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences, L'Oceanogràfic is Europe's biggest aquarium, a multi-building complex which includes more than 500 species and recreations of all the planet's major aquatic ecosystems: Mediterranean, Arctic, Antarctic, islands, Red Sea, wetlands, and warm and tropical seas. The dolphin show is a special favourite here, as is the underwater restaurant. Glug, glug!
Museum of the City
Paintings, sculptures, and more, all housed in an elegant palazzo in the heart of the city
Showcasing Valencia's best artists, past and present
Very centrally located on the Plaza del Arzobispo and convenient to most other key attractions and landmarks of Ciutat Vella (Old Town), the Museu de la Ciutat is housed in the elegant and stylistically eclectic palazzo of the Counts of Berbedel. Behind its walls is one of Valencia's most distringuished art collections, focussing heavily on paintings and sculptures of Valencian artists from the 15th century to the present day. Also here for your delectation is a fine collection of coins and medals, as well as engravings and maps.
Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts
A futuristic opera/symphony hall that's the world's largest opera house
A classical gas
Native Valencian starchitect Santiago Calatrava has designed a bunch of cool buildings in town, and this is another of them, like the Science Museum part of the ginormous City of Arts and Sciences. The Palacio de las Artes Reina Sofía, inaugurated in 2005 and named after Spain's now queen mum, is not only home to the Symphonic Orchestra of the Valencian Community, but is actually also counted as the world's largest opera house. It has unsurprisingly become one of the cultural lodestars of this city, and attending an opera or concert here (often given by world-class international artists) is a real treat and a privilege. If for whatever reason you can't (or this type of thing is not your cup of tea), do at least go have a look at the exterior, which is especially spectacular illuminated at night.
Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity (MuVIM)
An authentic must: architecture and luxury exhibitions.
Work by Vázquez Consuegra.
The MUVIM is in itself a double visit: its exterior, the work of the popular Sevillian architect Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra, constitutes one of the best examples of contemporary buildings in Valencia; its interior, made up of permanent exhibitions of great value, is complemented by original temporary exhibitions that cover the most avant-garde expressions. Among its permanent exhibitions, the Route of Thought stands out, a guided journey from the Middle Ages to the present day that will help us understand Western culture throughout history. The program that develops throughout the year hosts conferences, conferences, congresses and film cycles, also housing other spaces such as a library or a center for educational workshops.
St. Vincent Ferrer House
Though extensively reconstructed, the birth home of a beloved local figure is a worthwhile visit for both Catholics and history buffs
Where the Valencian Community's patron saint was born
Born here in the 14th century, the Dominican friar who is today the Catholic patron saint of the Valencian Autonomous Community is widely beloved by the local faithful. And though the house of his birth still (sort of) stands, it looks little like the original, as it was both rebuilt and extensively modified over the centuries. But the saint's room is recreated apparently faithful to its original state, and the building is also home to a Gothic church. Also notable: the 18th-century ceramics which now adorn the house, as well as the tower that crowns its two main volumes.
Valencia Institute of Modern Art
Permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and a wide variety of performances and events
Valencia's artsy cutting edge
Called IVAM for short, the Institut Valencià d'Art Modern has since its 1989 founding showcased a wide range of original, multidisciplinary artistic voices and currents from all corners of contemporary art. Its permanent collection is devoted mainly to Juli González, one of Catalonia's most influential sculptures of the 20th century (with nearly 400 of his works) and more than 100 works by Valencian painter Ignacio Pinazo, a key figure of early 20th-century Impressionism. In addition, there are temporary exhibitions and other events including talks, performances, and a variety of other artistic happenings.
Príncipe Felipe Science Museum of Valencia
Its essence lies in its motto: 'Forbidden not to touch, not feel, not think'.
Santiago Calatrava in essence.
The City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia was a gigantic architectural, cultural and leisure project that took place in the city at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of 2000, causing an unprecedented change in the capital and putting it fully into The 21st century. Today it is its main focus of tourism. The great relevance of this space finds its culmination in the Science Museum, designed by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava and with dimensions of 26,000 m²: it is a center dedicated entirely to science, technology and the environment that It has become a world benchmark both for the activities it carries out and for the way in which it has brought culture closer to citizens. Especially interesting is its Foucault Pendulum, one of the longest in the world.
Fallas Museum
A window into a Valencian institution involving huge, often satirical papier-mâché figures
Dedicated to a festival that's the highlight of the year in Valencia
The Falles in March are among Spain's most famous celebrations, thanks to the ninots, enormous papier-mâché figures, many satirising politics, entertainment, and society in general, and all destined to be burned by the end of the festivities. All except for one, the ninot indultat, which is saved from the flames by popular vote and prominently displayed at the Museu Faller (Museo Fallero in Spanish), which contains all these surviving ninots indultats since 1934. It also includes posters, photos, and other documentation of this most Valencian of festivals. An invaluable peek into local culture.
González Martí National Museum of Ceramics
Besdies ceramics, one of Spain's top rococo buildings is also home to an amazing carriage collection
Impressive pots in an impressive palazzo
Right in the centre of the historic district, the 15th-century Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas is one of Spain's greatest rococo masterpieces, and came to be one of the most recongisable civic buildings of Valencia thanks to its façade, full of elaborate ornamentation. At end of that century, it came into one of the wealthiest local families, the Rabassa de Perellós clan, then flash-forwarding to 1949, passed to the Spanish state, and eventually came to house the extensive and amazing ceramics collection of Manuel Gómez Martí. The museum is also known as home to the Courtyard of Carriages, an enormous space whose star is the grandiose Nymphs' Carriage.
St. Pius V Museum of Fine Arts
A remarkable Gothic altarpiece collection, as well as works from some of Spain's foremost Old Masters
A nest of culture vultures
Named after the 15th-century pope Pius V, the Museo de Bellas Artes San Pío V is perhaps Valencia's foremost cultural centre as well as one of the top in Spain. Its collection is especially notable for Gothic altarpieces of the 14th and 15th centuries, executed in particular by local and regional artists. But other stars include masters such as Velázquez, Murillo, José de Ribera, Goya, and Valdé Leal, as well as an extensive collection of works on paper, numbering more than 10,000 drawings and engravings. The enormous building, orginally built in 1683 at the behest of the local archbishop to train priests, also served in the 19th century as a military academy.
La Almoina Museum
The remains of Roman Valentia, including the world's oldest baths complex
Back to Valencia's Roman roots
Inaugurated in 2007 after years of work and discoveries, the Almoina Archaeological Centre is where Valencia essentially began, from Roman Valentia more than 2,000 years ago. Along the way, Visigoths and Arabs also left their mark, creating the unique blend of cultures that define the city. Highlights include the grandiose ancient baths, among the oldest in the world.
Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken
Dating back to the 17th century, Valencia's first Baroque church is dedicated to the patroness of all Valencians
A grandiose church with its very own 'hunchback of Notre Dame'
The grand Basilica Mare de Déu dels Desamparats (in Spanish, the Virgen de los Desamparados) holds the distinction of being Valencia's first Baroque building. Built between 1652 and 1667, it's located just steps away from the cathedral, and was built to honour Our Lady of the Forsaken, considered the patroness of all Valencians. A statue of the Virgin Mary is one of the treasures inside - fondly known to locals as la gerepudeta (hunchback) because she leans forward a bit - flanked by the patron saint of the Valencian Community, St. Vincent Ferrer, and of the city St. Vincent the Martyr. Another treasure in here is the early-18th-century frescoes of painter Antonio Palomino.
El Miguelete Tower
A famous Gothic cathedral tower that's a city symbol - and a great place to catch a sunset
Everybody loves 'Little Mike'
The tallest and probably the single most reknowned component of the Valencia cathedral, El Miguelete ('Little Mike') is a Gothic tower designed by Andreu Juliá, one of the 14th century's most distinguished architects, but since he died before its completion, the project was taken on by other distinguished names of the day, Pedro Balaguer and Martín Llobet. The name Miguelete comes from one of the tower's dozen bells (which mark the time of day precisely), as it was blessed on September 29, 1418, the feast day of St. Michael. Beyond being a key symbol of the city, it also delivers some pretty sweet views out over the Old Town, especially at sunset.
Valencia City Hall
A neoclassical/neo-Baroque bit of business on a plaza that's another of the historic centre's major hubs
Another major civic landmark worth a peek
Valencia's city hall was transferred in 1854 from the current Generalitat building to an 18th-century former school, the neoclassical Casa de Enseñanza; this structure was expanded in the first decades of the 20th century to include its current grandiose neo-Baroque façade. The splendour extends to its interior, as well, as evidenced in its marble staircase and main ballroom. Right out front lies the enormous Plaza del Ayuntamiento, City Hall Square, another important hub of Valencia's historic centre.
North Station
A Modernista masterpiece built in 1917, this bustling and photogenic station is tarted up with all manner of Valencian motifs
One of Spain's handsomest historic train stations
The Estació del Nord (Estación del Norte, also referred to as Valencia-Término), is the city's main railway station, and is distinguished not just by its hustle and bustle of humanity - around 15 million passengers yearly - but also the distinctive, slender Modernist (Art Nouveau) style that's made it one of the city's most recognisable landmarks since first shouting "all aboard!" in 1917. Its detailed ornamentation and tiled walls impress considerably with their depictions of typical Valencian motifs, such as regional agricultural products. The mosaics on the majestic main entryway were created by José Mongrell, one of Valencia's most important painters of the late 19th and early 20th century. It's certainly one of the most popular selfie backdrops for visitors.
Silk Exchange
A majestic UNESCO World Heritage Site that's one of Spain's most impressive secular Gothic buildings
A Gothic cathedral of commerce
"La Llonja" dates back to 1482, and became a symbol of Valencia's Golden Age as well as one of the key institutions of commerce in the Mediterranean. During the city's development in the 15th century, its textile industry began to enjoy such reknown that traders from multiple continents came to buy and sell here. This remains one of the most important non-religious examples of Gothic architecture in all of Spain and a triumph of Valencia's bourgeoisie, with its central jewel the Hall of Contracts (also known as the Hall of Columns). In fact, it holds UNESCO World History status.
Plaza de la Virgen
Pretty much all of the historic centre's most important buildings are here - plus a historically water tribunal
Valencia's most iconic public square
Right smack in the centre of the historic centre, the city's most important square is the spot where Valencia started becoming Valencia. The Plaza de la Virgen is ringed by some of the Old Town's most iconic buildings, including the Cathedral of Santa María, the Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken, and the Palace of the Generalitat, the Valencia autonomous community's government. It's also the site of one of the key events of the annual Falles festival, the offering of flowers. Fun fact: in the cathedral's Portal of the Apostles, every Thursday at noon, Europe's oldest extant judicial institution - the Water Tribunal, dating back to 960 - still convenes to adjudicate and discuss issues primarily involving water distribution.
Serranos Gate
Once the main entrance to the once walled city, it affords great views out over Valencia, and is where the city's famous annual 'Falles' festival is launched
A doughty symbol of Valencia's Old Town
One of Valencia's best preserved landmarks, the twin-tower Serranos Gate, built in 1392, was the primary entrance to the medieval old town (though the wall it accessed was torn down in the 19th century). In addition to defensive functions, the Serranos has also been the site of events such as the ceremonial entrances of monarchs to the city, and even served as a prison and as a repository for artwork evacuated from the Prado Museum during the Spanish Civil War. Today it's open to visitors, and its rooftop offers impressive views out over the city; it also is the site of the launch of the city's most celebrated annual event, March's Falles.
Quart Towers
The western entrance to Valencia's medieval core has been witness to history both pacific and violent
A war-wounded landmark
Built in the mid-15th century, Gothic twin watchtowers still stand guard astride one of the western entrance in Valencia's medieval wall surrounding the Ciutat Vella (Old Town). Named after the road to which the road from the gate led to, Quart de Poblet, used especially by traders from Castile. They receivied pummellings during the Peninsular War against the French in the early 19th century, the War of the Spanish Succession caused by the death of Charles II, and the Spanish Civil War - effects of which can still be noted to this day.
Valencia Cathedral
The anchor of Valencia's historic core, it has a chapel that claims to house the Holy Grail
A symbol of the city - especially "Little Mikey"
Many of the architectural elements which give Valencia its flavour come together in its imposing cathedral, built beginning in the 13th century. In fact, its three doorways reflect a bit of each: Romanesque in the Puerta del Palau, Gothic in the Puerta de los Apóstoles, and Baroque in the Puerta de los Hierros. But if there's one single symbol of this edifice, it's the "Miguelete" ("little Mikey"), a tower more than 50 metres (164 feet) tall, a work of medieval architect Andreu Juliá. The cathedral's Chapel of the Holy Chalice is held to house the legendary Holy Grail.
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