Valencia is a charming old city and the capital of the Old Kingdom of Valencia province of Spain that is well worth a visit. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea approximately four hours to the south of Barcelona and three hours to the east of Madrid. Valencia is famous for its Fallas Festival in March, for being the birthplace of paella, for hosting the "2007 America's Cup", and for the massive architectural project by Santiago Calatrava called The City of Arts and Sciences.
There used to be a river running through the center of the city, but the river was redirected a while back and replaced by a beautiful park. This is a very nice place to spend any free time you have in the city on a sunny day.
Valencia was host to the 2007 America's Cup. This fact, along with the construction of the "City of Arts and Science" by renowned architect and Valencian Santiago Calatrava have made Valencia a city in transition. Massive construction and transformation over the last 10 years have turned a once little-considered medium city into a meatier and more interesting destination.
Despite being on the Mediterranean Sea, even residents say that "Valencia has always lived with its back to the sea", meaning that the spirit and the core of the city is not necessarily integrated with its beach. The city center and the most visited neighborhoods are not particularly close to the beach
PLACE TO VISIT
City of Arts and Science . 10AM-9PM. Very interesting. It is located where the old river Turia used to flow and over there you will find a Science Museum, a Planetarium, an IMAX cinema, an Aquarium and, in the near future, the Arts Museum. It is famous for its architecture by Santiago Calatrava
The Barri del Carme neighborhood is in the old center. It is the perfect place for a stroll where you can witness the transition from a forgotten area to an up-and-coming diverse neighborhood. Barri del Carme has many outdoor cafes and trendy shops. There is an interesting mix of people, from lifetime residents, to alternative types, hippies, gays and lesbians, and other assorted peoples. The neighborhood swells at night with revelers, but please respect the neighbors who live there.
The Seu — A curious cathedral with doors from three distinct architectural periods. A trip up the Micalet tower (formerly Moorish, but now "Christianized") provides a pleasing view of the city.
The Llotja — This building is the site of the ancient local silk trade. It is also a UNESCO landmark and has recently been refurbished. Some of the gargoyles are quite naughty.
The Mercat Central — Located in an aging "modernist" building in the process of being renovated. See how the locals shop for food and buy some fantastic fresh produce, meat, or olives.
Walk along the old Tùria river bed, now a park with soccer and rugby fields, an artificial boating lake, athletics track, playgrounds, fountains, and trails. This massive elongated park spans many neighborhoods and ends at the City of Arts and Sciences. Abundant bike paths make it an ideal place to get in a little exercise and sun.
Torres de Quart, at the end of Calle Quart. This pock-marked medieval tower was part of the ancient wall that surrounded the old city. Another set of nearby towers called the Torres de Serrano were also part of ancient wall. The Serrano towers have been massively renovated and somewhat modernized, but they are still interesting and are located across the street from the park.
Lladró Porcelain Museum and Factory, take bus 16 from city center to its end at Tavernes Blanques suburb. Here is the Lladró Porcelain factory. Visit is free, but it has to be scheduled before. You visit the factory, the process or porcelain making and at the end a large collection of Lladro porcelain some worth $30,000. Photos allowed only at the collection.
WHAT TO DO
Fallas - Valencia has a fantastic festival each March called Fallas, in which local areas build big papier maché models. They are mostly of a satirical nature and can be as tall as a few stories. Fallas are constructed of smaller figures called ninots, Valencian for "dolls". The fallas take a whole year of planning and construction to complete. Each neighborhood has a falla, but 14 fall into the Sección Especial category and these are the most important, expensive, and impressive. Each falla has an adult falla (mayor) and a kid's falla (infantil). It is best to arrive by 16 March, as all of the fallas are required to be finished or they face disqualification.
La Tomatina, hosted by nearby Buñol on the last Wednesday of August. A festival that involves thousands of participants throwing ripe tomatoes at each other. Make sure you wear clothes that you can throw out after wards, as it gets very messy.
A big attraction from 2005-2008 is the presence of the Americas Cup Teams. The International Americas Cup Class Yachts are some of the most refined, technologically advanced racing machines in the world, with many teams spending hundreds of millions of dollars on development. This fleet are the cutting edge for aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and structures. The teams generally provide guest tours and attractions at their bases, which are all around the new main harbor. This event is so important, Valencia has built a new canal to the sea and massive developments (similar to those in Auckland — the last host) have refreshed the entire city waterfront.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Valencia Airport (IATA: VLC) is 9 km from the city center. The bus to Tùria station departs every 11 minutes and takes about 30-40 minutes. Additionally there is the Aerobus which goes directly to the city center, but costs a bit more. Local trains run every 20 minutes. Subway goes directly to the town centre from the Airport.
A taxi ride form the airport to Calle de La Paz, which is in the heart of the historic city centre and covering a distance of approximately 11km costs around €19 with an additional 'airport supplement' of around €4! The tarifs were on display in the taxi but were not easy to see and were written in Spanish, so be careful about getting ripped off. The same journey back from Calle de La Paz to the airport cost only €12! These fees are accurate as of August 2008.
By train - Many trains come from Madrid (eg: Alaris), Barcelona (eg: Euromed or ARCO), and many other cities. The main train station, Estacion del Norte, is located in the center of the city, near the Town Hall. Travel time by train from Barcelona Sants is about 3 1/2 hours.
The national train company is RENFE. You can check tickets and book online. The first time you buy a ticket online, you have to collect it from a station and show ID, the 'localizer' ticket code, and the credit card itself. Ticket staff are unlikely to speak much English. Saying in Castellano "Quiero recogerlo" (I want to collect it) and showing your documents should work. The big stations have a system where you get a number and then sit back and wait your turn.
By bus - There are also many buses coming from almost every big city in Spain and most of the cities in the Valencia region. The bus station is located by the river in Valencia, about a 15 minutes walk from the center.
By boat - Direct ferry routes exist between Valencia and Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, and Mahon.
