I’ve been to many cities over the years and it’s rare for me to find one that I’m not enthusiastic about, but if I had to pick a favourite then Valencia would be one of my top choices. I’ve only been there twice but both times were enough for me to realise how much I loved it. Valencia doesn’t attract as many tourists as some other places in Spain, but has a mixture of city and beach that should be enough to satisfy most people. It’s worth mentioning that there are quite a few hotels with rooftop pools, something that isn’t essential for us but is always enjoyable as a way to cool down and get a good view over a city.
We always like to do a football stadium tour when possible, so on the first day we went to the Mestalla stadium which was well worth visiting. It’s in a very central location, this is reflected in the sides of the stadium being steep so it can fit into the surrounding area. Afterwards it’s a short stroll into the centre where we sampled some local delicacies at the Mercat de Colón.
Fartons are a type of cake with a consistency similar to bread, a bit like a long bun. They’re a speciality of the region and go particularly well with a chilled glass of horchata (also spelt orxata), a sweet plant based milky drink made from tiger nuts.
Valencia is the home of paella, there are many different types and a good choice of restaurants along the beachfront area. It’s worth noting that some restaurants don’t open until 9pm, which takes some getting used to for those of us who tend to dine much earlier! Along with Spanish cuisine we found some excellent Italian and Chinese restaurants, a bonus being that prices are still far lower than many other places in Europe.
Whilst we’re not beach holiday people, we do enjoy having a walk along the seafront and perhaps a quick dip in the sea, this is easy to do in Valencia as the tram takes you directly there from the centre.
I haven’t yet mentioned some of the main highlights for me of a trip to Valencia – a walk through the Jardín del Turia, and the City of Arts and Sciences.
The Jardín del Turia is a long stretch of parkland that was created in a disused riverbed, it stretches approximately twelve kilometres through the city and is a wonderful place for walking or cycling. There are also some interesting bridges across the park, which ends at the magnificent City of Arts and Sciences.
One of my favourite architects is Santiago Calatrava, and some of his best creations can be seen in Valencia, in particular the cultural complex known as the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, which contains a science museum, opera house, aquarium and cinema.
We visited the Science Museum, which had many hands on activities including a Lego exhibition, it’s a fantastic area to walk around just to enjoy the architecture.
Also worth a visit are the Botanical Gardens which contain a huge variety of specimens, with the added attraction of lots of cats! These are part of a colony that live in the gardens and are fed and receive veterinary treatment.
We also visited the Central Market, the modern art museum IVAM, the Military Museum and the Museu de l’Arròs, which is a small but interesting renovated former rice mill.
Valencia is an ideal city for walking but also has trams and a metro system, which is particularly useful for getting from the airport to the centre. As someone who loves languages, I was fascinated by the use of the local Valencian dialect, a variant of Catalan, in street signs and place names, and it’s quite easy to understand if you know other Latin languages.
There is far more to do in Valencia than I’ve mentioned here, but hopefully I’ve given a bit of an insight into why I love it so much.
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