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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.
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Open airThe Túria Garden
Spain's largest city park has a remarkable backstory
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MuseumMuseum of the City
Showcasing Valencia's best artists, past and present
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Work by Vázquez Consuegra.
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MuseumSt. Vincent Ferrer House
Where the Valencian Community's patron saint was born
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Santiago Calatrava in essence.
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MuseumFallas Museum
Dedicated to a festival that's the highlight of the year in Valencia
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Impressive pots in an impressive palazzo
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A grandiose church with its very own 'hunchback of Notre Dame'
- Sights
- Shopping
- Leisure
- Dining
- Open air
- Museum
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LeisureMore Valencia Nightlife
Another pair of excellent after-dark districts
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ShoppingShopping on Poeta Querol Street
Perhaps Valencia's premier shopping street
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Nothing quite like it outside Spain!
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Tasty treats right around this landmark's front entrance
- 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!
Open air
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
Open air
Town of Ademuz
Historic, welcoming - and surrounded by rugged, forested, and achingly beautiful terrain
Sweet little country town
Open air
Sierra Calderona Natural Park
Outdoor activities amid forests and multicoloured mountains - an amazing eco-break!
Head for the hills!
Open air
Valencia Bikes
Warm, flat, and with plenty of bike lanes, Valencia is a cyclist's delight
Two-wheeling it
Open air
Header Park
true symbol of the symbiosis between city and nature.
An enviable green collection.
Open air
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
Open air
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
Open air
Malvarrosa Beach
Sun, sea, and a wide variety of eating/drinking options
Valencia's top strand
Open air
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
Open air
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
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
Leisure
The Falles Festival
The highlight of the year in Valencia is a street party on steroids
Satire and bonfires
Leisure
Valencia's waterfront promenade
Valencia's seafront boulevard is lined with beaches, restaurants, bars, and shops
By the sea, by the beautiful sea
Shopping
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
Shopping
Carbonell fans
Generation after generation, the quality of their fans continues to be unsurpassed.
A whole family institution.
Shopping
Basket Street
A street that souvenir-seekers should check out, for its high-quality baskets, bags, and more
Something wicker this way comes
Shopping
Round Square
Do not miss the peculiar market that is held every Sunday.
The commercial taste of yesteryear.
Shopping
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
Shopping
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
Shopping
El Carme Neighbourhood
A section of the medieval Old Town that's a hotbed for shopping, dining, and nightlife.
Historic yet hopping!
Shopping
Colombus Market
A century-old Art Nouveau gem that after a 2003 restoration is a popular foodie wonderland
Valencia's other historic public market
Shopping
Central Market
Art Nouveau architecture meets fresh, authentic products and phenomenal photo ops
A true gem of a historic public market
Shopping
Cuisine of Valencia's Hinterland
The Albaida Valley is great for the great outdoors, agritourism - and eating
Bounty of the countryside
Dining
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
Dining
Valencia Wine
For lovers of the grape (and oranges!) Valencia pours some prime vintages
Cheers!
Dining
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!
Dining
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…
Dining
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
Dining
Two Tapas Trails
The Old Town and the beachfront are two top areas to graze your way down the streets
Little dishes, big flavours
Dining
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'
Dining
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
Dining
Valencia's paella
The quintessential dish of Valencia, and Spain
Rice, rice, baby
Dining
"L'Oceanogràfic" Aquarium
Europe's largest aquarium will just knock your swim fins off
Water, water everywhere
Museum
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
Museum
Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts
A futuristic opera/symphony hall that's the world's largest opera house
A classical gas
Museum
Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity (MuVIM)
An authentic must: architecture and luxury exhibitions.
Work by Vázquez Consuegra.
Museum
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
Museum
Valencia Institute of Modern Art
Permanent collection, temporary exhibitions, and a wide variety of performances and events
Valencia's artsy cutting edge
Museum
Príncipe Felipe Science Museum of Valencia
Its essence lies in its motto: 'Forbidden not to touch, not feel, not think'.
Santiago Calatrava in essence.
Museum
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
Museum
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
Museum
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
Museum
La Almoina Museum
The remains of Roman Valentia, including the world's oldest baths complex
Back to Valencia's Roman roots
Sights
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'
Sights
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'
Sights
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
Sights
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
Sights
Silk Exchange
A majestic UNESCO World Heritage Site that's one of Spain's most impressive secular Gothic buildings
A Gothic cathedral of commerce
Sights
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
Sights
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
Sights
Quart Towers
The western entrance to Valencia's medieval core has been witness to history both pacific and violent
A war-wounded landmark
Sights
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"
Sights
Documents for travelling as a tourist