Spain · Comunità Valenciana · Cities of art
the bed of the Turia turned into a park, the medieval centre and the paella where it was born
Valencia sits on the Mediterranean and reads in two movements. One is the medieval centre, with the cathedral and the Micalet bell tower, the Gothic Lonja de la Seda and the Mercat Central under its glass. The other runs along the bed of the old Turia, today a linear park, and ends in the glass and concrete of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. In between there are the beaches, reached by tram, and the paella, born here and made with chicken and rabbit. You leave the vehicle outside the city: metro, tram and cycle paths do the rest.
Sleeping
Neither is in the city: one to the north, towards Albalat dels Sorells, the other at Bétera, and both a few minutes from the metro into the centre.
Carrer de Puig de Santa María 14, 46135 Albalat dels Sorells, Valencia
the metro is seven minutes on foot and reaches the centre in under a quarter of an hour; by bike it is half an hour on a marked cycle path, and a bus passes not far away. The site is a signatory of the Valencian Tourism Ethical Code.
Bétera, 46117 Valencia
hot showers with no tokens, a pool in season, a bar restaurant with paellas and tapas, a small shop and a playground for children. The metro station is 300 metres away and the centre is twenty five minutes off.
Getting around
Seeing
Five stops: the futuristic complex in the bed of the Turia, the medieval knot of the centre, the market, the beaches to the east and, to close, the ceramics museum. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Museum · paid entry · 39.45429, -0.35193
the complex designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela in the reclaimed bed of the Turia, today the modern face of the city. The Oceanogràfic is the largest aquarium in Europe, more than 500 marine species among beluga whales, dolphins, sharks and tropical fish: it asks for four or five hours and is best early in the morning or late in the afternoon, to keep clear of the crowds. The Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe is interactive, with exhibitions that change by season between biology, technology and space. The Hemisfèric is an IMAX cinema and a planetarium. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía puts on opera, classical music, ballet and theatre, with the programme online. The Umbracle is a raised garden and a walkway from which you look over the whole complex. The Àgora is the multi-purpose space for exhibitions and concerts, and today it holds the CaixaForum.
Square · 39.47613, -0.37533
the heart of the city. The Plaça de la Verge is closed off by the basilica and by the metropolitan cathedral, which holds together styles from the 12th to the 18th century; from the Micalet bell tower, 207 steps, you see the city as far as the coast. A short walk away stands the Lonja de la Seda, a UNESCO site, one of the finest Gothic buildings in Spain, with its great hall of twisted columns and its orange tree courtyard, the Patio de los Naranjos. The full walk between the various sites takes two or three hours.
Market · 39.47383, -0.37844
the largest fresh produce market in Europe, under a modernist roof of iron, glass and ceramic. Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and the Valencian specialities, with stalls that work for the city before they work for the tourists: this is where you understand how people eat here.
Beach · 39.47652, -0.32362
the Malva-rosa is the busiest, long and pale sand, chiringuitos at the water's edge and the seafront promenade; Pinedo lies further south. You get there by tram on lines 4 and 6, and from the centre it is easier to take metro line 5 to Maritim-Serrería and then tram line 4 towards Les Arenes. This is the day to keep aside after two days of sightseeing.
Museum · 39.47277, -0.37464
Valencian ceramics told century by century, a wide collection and a careful display.
When
Next: Valencian Community Day · 9 Octin 3 days
the regional holiday, with parades, traditional music and local food.
the biggest festival in Valencia, UNESCO intangible heritage. Hundreds of giant paper and cardboard monuments, the ninots, built all year by teams of volunteers, are raised in the squares and avenues and then burned. They are real satire, often on the political and social subjects of the moment.
a month of jazz, concerts, shows and fireworks. In mid month the Gran Nit de Juliol brings music to several parts of the city and ends with fireworks at the Serranos bridge; on the last Sunday the Batalla de Flores fills the Paseo de la Alameda with carnations.
lights and stalls in the squares through the whole festive season.
Remember
Valencia · part two
and then?
What to do, what to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
What we did starting from here, ordered by driving time.
The most typical dish, to cook again at home.
Looking
18 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.
