Valencia used to have city walls, just like any major city in the past. The city walls of Valencia were still standing halfway through the 19th century. The access gate of the city walls is Torres de Serranos. It is a beautiful building in gothic style. Besides the gate it was rebuilt into a prison for the nobles. In England you can find a comparable prison (Tower of London). When the weather is dry you can climb the towers. When it is raining, climbing the towers is not allowed due to safety reasons. Fortunately it does not rain very often in Valencia.
L’Oceangráfic is the biggest aquarium of Europe. The building which hoses the aquarium looks special. The modern construction has mutliple large water tanks with a total of 42 million litres of water and thousands of different kinds of fish. Besides fish, you will see special sharks, dolphins and walruses. There are not many aquariums where you can even see a white whale swim. In Valencia it is possible in L’Oceangráfic. A department within the musuem is dedicated to doing research on the south pole. You will get information about the research that is sponsored by the aquarium. You can see a completely equipped base camp in real life here.
La Lonja de la Seda is the official silk fair of Valencia. This amazing constructions is on the official UNESCO list. It is a beautiful example of the late gothic construction art. On the outside the building looks a bit like a castle. In the contract hall of the building the trade would take place in the past. It would sometimes happen that a conflict arose during trade. When a conflict occurred both parties would be taken to the silk fair. This is the Consulado del Mar. It was a tribune in which conflicts between traders would be solved. When someone had immense debts, he could be held prisoner in the tower. Every day free tours are given in La Lonja de la Seda.
In Valencia there are different modern construction. It is a big contrast if you see the old cathedral La Seu in the midst of the modern buildings. In the museum of the cathedral is The Holy Grail. This is the drinking cup of Jesus during The Last Supper. You will also find a mummified hand of San Vicente Martyr in the museum of the cathedral. HE is the official patron of Valencia. The cathedral also has a clock tower that you can climb. After climbing the 207 steps you have a beautiful view over the city.
This beautiful modern building is designed by Santiago Calatrava. The building itself is worth seeing. Besides the building itself, the museum is also worth going to. The museum of science is housed here. The construction and the museum have an important role in the publicity of Valencia. The building had to help compete with other big Spanish cities such as Seville, Barcelona and Bilbao. The museum in the building is 40.000 m2 and thus enormous. Regularly exhibitions are held here and you can see the development of humans and robots here. Unfortunately the museum is non-interactive and you are not allowed to touch anything.
When you think about Spain you of course think about Paella. You can eat this dish anywhere in the country and it is one of the favourite dishes of most tourists. The recipe of Paella knows its origins in Valencia however. Of course you can eat Paella anywhere in the city. Unfortunately the quality is not the same everywhere and this is a shame if you are a real lover of this dish. When you want to get a real good Paella, you are best off leaving the touristy part of the city. Go to one of the back alleys and look where the locals themselves eat. You can probably find the best Paella in these kind of places.
Animal rights activists do not agree, but bullfighting is still part of the culture in Spain. In Valencia you will find a gigantic stadium where the fights are held. Every year there are 25 fights happening in Plaza de Toros. The stadium in Valencia belongs to the top in Spain. It is possible to pay a visit to the stadium when there is no fight happening. Every day the stadium is opened to the public, Sunday being the exception here.
Valencia used to struggle with floods of the river del Turia. Yearly people died because of this and the Spanish were sick of this. They decided to detour the river, but because of this the city remained with an empty riverbed. Of this riverbed, the government decided to make a park out of this, Jardín del Turia. The park is 9 kilometres long and the locals like to come and make a walk here.
In the middle of the city centre of Valencia you can find Plaça de l’Ajuntament. Plaça de l’Ajuntament is the most important square in the city. The town hall is located on the square and there is a beautiful fountain surrounded by flowers. The buildings around the square are built in neoclassical style. This gives the square a unique appearance.
Mercado Central is a large indoor market in Valencia. The building itself is wonderful to see, but a walk through the market is of course a must! It is the oldest indoor market of Europe. The dome of the market is made out of crystal glass and ensures light comes inside the building. On the market there are more than three hundred traders. The stalls open around 8 in the morning and close around 2 pm. You can buy fresh products and spices on the market. You can also find many products from the area, like olive oil and wine. Fish lovers are glad to go here. The supply of fresh fish is enormous and you can of course start cooking with the fish yourself.
You can of course go shopping everywhere in Valencia. But one of the best places to go is Plaça Redona. The name means round square and this square is really round. It looks a little bit like a stadium in which you can shop for souvenirs. The square is partly covered and partly open. Besides shops there are also some tapas bars and restaurants. Especially unique are the ceramics that are made in the region.
As you have read above, Valencia is a very diverse city in which you can enjoy traditional foods, famous sights and learn a little bit about the history of the city. And so it is time to book your trip! You can book your trip through any travel agency of course. These can offer you a package of flights and hotel. Be sure to check out if it is cheaper if you organise this yourself by simply buying a flight online and looking for a hotel. A few days in Valencia should set you back a couple of hundred dollars/euros. If you are coming from Europe then this may include your airfares already.
