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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 the third Spanish city in terms of importance and population, and the 15th in the European Union, with 810.064 inhabitants in the city proper and 1.738.690 in the Metropolitan Area (INE 2008). 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.

Understand

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.

When to go

• Summer — Like most European countries, August is a slow month as many of the residents are on vacation. At this time of year Valencia is extremely hot and humid with temperatures averaging between 30-40 degrees Celsius (86—104 degrees Fahrenheit).

• Fall — September and October are more active months and the weather permits beach outings. Sidewalk cafes are still open until around the end of October.

• Winter — Though temperatures are still relatively mild, it's too cold to sunbathe at the beach.

• Spring — A lovely time to visit. The annual "Fallas de San José" unofficially marks the beginning of spring. Cafes and restaurants open their terraces and life spills out onto the street once again.

Talk

Valencia's official languages are Valencian, a dialect of Catalan, and Spanish, but only Valencian is the native language of the city [2]. In the capital of Valencia, which is the third largest city in Spain, not many people speak Valencian and are not offended if addressed in Spanish. However, outside the capital, Valencian is often preferred. As in Barcelona, with Catalan, it helps to be sensitive to this language dynamic. You have some Spanish language schools in Valencia, for example "Lingua Valencia"[3]. English speaking skills of the locals can be hit or miss. Most people under 35 speak some English and some quite a bit, but most would obviously prefer being addressed at first in Spanish or Valencian. French may be spoken or understood by some.

Get in

By plane

Valencia Airport [4] (IATA: VLC) is 9 km from the city center. The bus to Túria station departs every 30 minutes and takes about 30-40 minutes. Subway goes directly to the town centre and links the Airport to the main train station, Estación del Norte (beside Xàtiva metro stop), running every 8 minutes and taking about 20 minutes.

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.

Valencia is served by Iberia, Spanair, Lufthansa, AirFrance, Clickair, AirBerlin, TuiFly, Lagunair, Ryanair, Vueling, and several other airlines.

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.

Get around

For train and bus transport it is possible to buy bonos in kiosks and tobacco shops. Both Bonobus (which as of 2006 costs €5.60) and Bonometro (which as of July 2008 costs €6.10) allow for 10 rides. If you want to use two lines to reach your destination, you have to use a B-T (which as of July 2008 costs €7).

By bicycle

Renting a bike is an increasingly popular way for visitors to explore this essentially flat city.

• Do You Bike, Calle Marqués de Busianos, 4, ☎ +34 96 315 55 51, [5]. 10AM-2PM, 5-8PM. Rents bikes at relatively reasonable prices. Also a store on Calle Puebla Larga, 13 and Avenida Puerto 21. €2/hour, or €7/day during the week, €10/day on weekends. Helmet and pump €1.

By foot

Aside from going to the beach and the City of Arts and Sciences, exploring the hub of the city requires no public transportation. Much of this city can be done walking, stopping for a coffee or a beer, and then walking more, all very leisurely. It's not necessary to have the mindset of mastering a complex public transportation system. However, for longer trips, see below for some pointers.

By train

The Metro Valencia [6] consists of five lines (from which one is a tramway to the beach) and connects the suburbs with the city. As of 2009, a one way ticket costs €1.40. This metro system is not extensive, but can get you to major points within the city. If you want to get the tram, you have to buy a ticket from the machine, then validate it, before you get on.

By car

By bus

EMT runs buses to virtually every part of the city.

See

• City of Arts and Science (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències), ☎ +34 90 210-0031, [7]. 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. edit

• 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.

Do

Fallas

What are Fallas? The origins of the Fallas Festivity goes back to an old tradition of the city's carpenters, who before the Festivity of their patron Saint Joseph, burned in front of their workshops, on the streets and public squares, their useless things and other wooden utensils they used to hold the candles that gave them light during the winter season. This is the reason why the night of the cremà (in which the Fallas monuments burn down) is always on March 19th, the Festivity of San José. In the 18th century, Fallas used to be piles of combustible materials that where called "Fallas" and where burnt the night before the day of San José. These Fallas evolved and acquired a more critical and ironic sense when showing in the monuments reprehensible social scenes. Around 1870, the Fallas celebration was forbidden, as well as Carnival. In 1885 this pressure created a movement that defended typical traditions by awarding in the magazine "LaTraca" the prizes to the best [htpp://www.lasfallas.net Fallas] Monuments. This competition, which began to be popular among different neighbourhoods, brought the creation of the artistic Falla, where critique was still an important element together with aesthetics. In 1901 the Ayuntamiento de Valencia awarded local prizes to the best Fallas. This was the beginning of the union between the people and the political power. This relationship has greatly developed this popular festivity in its structure, organisation and size. In 1929 the first poster contest for the promotion of the Festivities and in 1932 the Fallero weekend was established. It what then, when Fallas became the Mayor Festivity of the Region of Valencia. Today, more than seven hundred big and small Fallas are burned in the city of Valencia.

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.

Another feature of Fallas is the fireworks. It's like the city's a war zone for a week! They wake you up early in the morning and go on through the day. Every day, there are three fireworks events, la despertà, la mascletà, and el castillo. La despertà occurs every morning at 8AM in order to wake you up. At 2PM in the main square of the city, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, there's a thing they call Mascletá. This is 120 kilos of gunpowder translated into a lot of noise. It has to be experienced to be understood. This is very popular and you should arrive an hour in advance at least. Every night between midnight and 1AM, there is a castillo, a fireworks display. The last night it's called la nit de foc, the night of fire, and this is the most impressive. This is also very crowded and you need to arrive early to be able to see it. Along with these displays, people set off fireworks all day, making it very difficult to catch any sleep.

The days of 17th and 18th of March is La Ofrenda. The falleras from each falla take flowers to the Plaza of the Virgin. These flowers are used to construct the virgin. The processions are grand and very beautiful and worth catching. They follow two main paths: one down calle San Vicente and the other down Calle de Colon.

At the end of a week displaying the 'fallas' they are burnt. This is called la cremà. The fallas infantiles are burned at 10PM and the fallas mayores are burned anywhere from midnight to 1AM. The one at the town halls is burned last at 1AM. The most impressive to see are the fallas in Sección Especial, because these are the largest and most dramatic when they burn. These tend to be very crowded and one should arrive early.

Things one should do during fallas:

• Go around and see the various fallas, but especially the Sección Especial.
• Pay to enter one of the bigger fallas to get a closer look at the individual ninots.
• See la mascletà and the la nit de foc.
• See one of the various parades, especially the ofrenda.
• See the virgin made of flowers.
• Buy churros or buñelos at one of the many stands on the street.
• Go to one of the temporary bar/nightclubs set up on the street and dance all night long.

Things one should be aware of:

• Most of the streets in the city are closed to everything, except pedestrian traffic and it is difficult to get around. The best way to get around is either by walking or taking the public transportation. Driving a car is not a good idea.
• Most of the restaurants are very crowded and some are not open. There is usually very long waits and slow service and you should plan for this in your schedule.
• Most of the hotels are also very crowded and should be booked in advance.
• Many people throw fireworks near pedestrians and its very easy to get burnt or injured.
• Some of the fallas, like Nou Campanar, are well outside the city center and are quite far by foot, it is much easier to take a bus.

Other Events

• 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.

• 2008 European Grand Prix, Street circuit, 22-24 Aug.

Learn

For those wishing to make a real attempt at learning the language, there are plenty of Spanish language schools in Valencia. The bread and butter of these places is teaching English to Spaniards, but most of them teach Spanish as well. Each offers a variety of course styles and intensities, so they are mainly differentiated by location, whether they teach individual classes or in groups, and whether there's a social or cultural component. Worth mentioning are:

• Abla Lenguas is like the young, dynamic alternative to the big institutions. Private (one to one) classes mean you can basically start any time and choose when you want your lessons. This and the plenty of young people around make it quite suitable for travellers.
  • Tel: +34 963 125 614, email: idiomas247@gmail.com, address: Calle de la Paz 6, Planta 1ª, 46003 Valencia (near Plaza de la Reina in town).

Buy

Eat

Tips on Paella To recognize "real" local paella from tourist junk, avoid any places with large paella pictures on the door step. This is a sure sign for frozen/microwaved paella. When possible, make reservations or arrive early (no later than 2PM), especially on Sunday, because these restaurants fill up quite quickly on the weekend. Paella is typically eaten at mid-day (between 2-5PM), so many restaurants do not serve it at dinner. Be careful of those that do as this is not the custom here and the quality of the paella may be poor. The paella pan is of a size that almost all restaurants require a minimum of two servings for an order. Restaurants that allow ordering one order are likely serving frozen paella.

• Local paella — There are several versions of this tasteful rice dish, some with meat (chicken and/or rabbit usually), others with fish or seafood, or even meat and fish at the same time. It is very difficult to say which is the "real" paella, as every person has his/her own version (Though NO paella that deserves this name contains sausage, ham or meat broth, for instance). If you want to eat an authentic Paella, try it at the Malvarosa beach area; you will find there are several good restaurants. The authentic Valencian Paella is made only with fresh ingredients, in a special iron pan and using a fire made with wood (not gas or electricity).

• Arròs a banda and arròs negre — This rice is black because it contains squid ink. You can find these dishes at the same places as above.

• Fideuà, a paella-like dish, with short noodles and fish, was invented in the Gandía and Denia area (Alicante) and can be usually found in paella restaurants. It deserves a try too.

• All i pebre — All i pebre is made of eel, a snake like fish typical from the Albufera, a lagoon near Valencia. You can drive to El Palmar and taste it there. Delicious, but a very special taste. You can find good paella, and other traditional dishes at the restaurants here too.

• Llet merengada — A kind of milk-based soft ice cream with a cinnamon-lemon taste.

• Bunyols — Fried doughnuts, sometimes round shaped, sometimes like rings. Widely available only during March. Dip them in hot chocolate. Sometimes they are too oily, so don't eat a lot of them or you will not be hungry again for several hours. If you can choose the 'carabasa' (pumpkin) version, you should try it. They are generally tastier.

• Orxata — A drink made from "xufa", a root of the size of a peanut. Especially popular during the summer months.

Drink

Barri del Carme is a major nightlife destination in Valencia. There are numerous restaurants, bars, and dance joints, which tend to cater to a youngish crowd.

• Radio City, Santa Teresa 19-2, ☎ +34 96 391-4151 (medios@radiocityvalencia.com), [8]. A very popular night club in Barri del Carme with a crowded dance floor playing a variety of danceable world music. The crowd is very mixed with students from around the world and locals. However be careful of the bouncers, they have been known to hit first, then ask questions later.

• Calcata — This is a slightly upscale, younger crowd bar/nightclub in a beautifully renovated old building.

• Café Infanta, Plaza Tossal 3 Old Quarter, ☎ +34 96 392-1235. Bar and cafe with terrace decorated with Hollywood memorabilia. Located in the heart of the Barri del Carme at the Plaza Tossal. Good central locale to watch and absorb the spirit of the neighborhood.

• Blau — This is a newer bar on Calle Alta in Barri del Carme that plays groovy music and has a good mix of people.

• Venial, Quart 32, ☎ +34 96 391-7356. Gay and hetero-friendly disco in Barri del Carme, located near the typical drinking haunts of the neighbourhood, but open after everything else closes.

• Johnny Maracas, Calle Carmen. Very friendly. Plays Brazilian and Spanish flamenco. Always a good atmosphere, although drinks a little pricey.

• Blue Iguana, Almirante Cadarso, 30. This is one of the best nightclubs in Valencia. New and old good music all night offered by Dj Moisés.

Other centres of are night-life are Cánovas (more up scale), Juan Llorens (young also, less "alternative"), around the university (students), and increasingly in the area near the beach and port.

Traditional Regional Drinks

• Agua de Valencia — Valencia water is a very famous mixed drink. There are several recipes, mainly based on a mix of orange juice and Cava, the local sparkling wine.

• Orxata — Earth almond milk with "fartons" (pronounce it with accent in the second syllable).

• Cibada — An iced malt drink.

• Llima Granizada — Iced lemonade.

• Café del Temps — Espresso on ice.

• Blanco i Negre — Iced coffee with leche merengada.

Sleep

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Get out

• Albufera — A fresh water lake. Rice is cultivated in the surrounding area. The Albufera also hosts many interesting varieties of migratory birds. The local village in the area, El Palmar, is also a good place to try some paella or other local dishes.

• Saler — These beaches are on "protected" land and are the cleanest, most secluded beaches within easy reach of the city. Accessible by bus, but that requires a good level of organization. A round-trip taxi ride should cost between €10-20, depending on how far along the beach you go.

• Manises, 15 km south west of Valencia. It is not only the site of Valencia's airport, but also an important center for pottery. Some 100 ceramics factories are located in the municipality, where the art has been practiced for at least 700 years. At the MCM Museum, there are exhibitions about the history of ceramics in the area.

• Rent a car and do a day trip to any number of picturesque villages or small cities in the region, including Chulilla, Sot de Chera, Xátiva, Sagunto, among others.

Special credits to Wikitravel. Based on work by John Koen, Gloria Alarcon, Carlos Gutierrez and Jim Nicholson, Wikitravel user(s) Texugo and Edmontonenthusiast, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

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