Exploring Valencia, Spain

Old Town

The El Mercat and La Seu neighborhoods are home to the oldest parts of the city of Valencia, dating back to 138BC, when it was founded as a Roman colony. Is this area, you can tour the Plaza de la Virgen, Valencia Cathedral (dating back to 1238), Plaza de la Reina and many other museums. If you love archaeology, you must visit the Almoina Archaeological Center, where you can see the original Roman baths and the first road leading into Valencia over 2000 years ago.

If you love to sample different foods and shop from local vendors, head south to the Mercat Central Valencia. Not only is the building beautiful itself, it contains 86,000 sq ft of vendors selling delicious local produce, meats, souvenirs and contains some restaurants. Central Bar, located inside the Mercat, is a delicious tapas bar — the line may be long, but it’s worth the wait! We recommend the fried zucchini flowers, meatballs in curry sauce, roast chicken croquettes and if you’re adventurous, the pig ears. And of course, the wine!

You can spend the rest of the day touring the beautiful streets of the Old Town. This is a great place to pick up some souvenirs and try some horchata and churros con chocolate.

Turia Park

The city of Valencia surrounds Turia Park, which was once the Turia River and was redirected in the 1950s. The Turia stretches from the northern suburbs and the Bioparc (a local zoo) down to the City of Arts and Sciences to the Marina. Walking down Turia Park is an attraction unto itself, with many smaller parks, children’s play areas (including Gulliver – a main attraction in Valencia with tons of slides for children to enjoy in the style of the infamous Gulliver’s Travels story). You may also see events and festivals on your walk, as well as beautiful gardens. You can also view Serrano Towers, which were designed to be defensive structures at the city gates, built in 1392. If you choose to visit this free attraction (and you should!), you can climb the steps to the top of the towers and view how the army defended their city against outsiders.

Near the end of the Turia is the City of Arts and Sciences, which includes the Reina Sofia Palace of the Arts, Hemisferic (an IMAX theatre), Museo De Las Ciencias Principe Felipe (a Science Museum) and Oceanografic (an aquarium). Not only are these buildings amazing and futuristic, they have also been used in the filming of several movies and tv shows — including recently in Star Wars! If you are visiting with children, the Science Museum is a fun attraction for those that enjoy hands-on play. The Oceanografic is the largest aquarium in Europe and includes Europe’s longest underwater tunnel and you can see dolphins, penguins, sharks, seals, an aviary, jellyfish and so much more. For an extra ambiance, I suggest lunch or dinner at the Submarino Restaurant, where you can dine surrounded by 10,000 fish.

Of course, you can’t visit Valencia without visiting the beach along the Mediterranean Sea. Located just a short walk, taxi, or bus ride from your hotel are beautiful beaches such as Playa de la Malvarrosa and Playa del Cabanyal. Bring your towel and relax while enjoying a magnificent breeze, or enjoy a walk and the view along the palm-lined promenade. Grab a drink and tapas or bocadillos at one of the many restaurants lining the beach.

Paella is a dish that was first cooked and made famous in Valencia, so you must try it on your visit! There are many amazing restaurants where you can find paella, with a website even dedicated to which restaurant is the best — wikipaella.org. My favorite is Racó del Turia located in the Gran Via neighborhood. Just make sure you reserve a table ahead of time. While you may find many restaurants that feature paella, make sure you enjoy it when it’s cooked to order in a large paella pan.

Lunchtime is a great time to try restaurants when they feature their Menu Dia – a 3 course meal featuring a started, entre and dessert or coffee, for a low price (usually between 10-20 euros). My Favorite: Saona (there are several locations around the city).

Of course you cannot visit Valencia without eating tapas. While tapas restaurants are not as prevalent in Valencia as they are in Madrid, you can still find tapas on most restaurant menus. You cannot go wrong with Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with a spicy sauce).