Flight time
2h 20m
Best season
March–June & September–October
Budget
Budget to mid-range
Best for
Paella, City of Arts & Sciences, beaches, nightlife
Overview
Why Valencia for a city break?
Valencia is Spain's most underrated city — bigger than Seville, livelier than Bilbao, far cheaper than Barcelona and with a beach that Barcelona can't match. The birthplace of paella (the real thing, made with rabbit and snails, not seafood) has one of the most dramatic pieces of contemporary architecture in Europe in the City of Arts and Sciences, a medieval old town of Gothic churches and Art Nouveau markets, and a food culture rooted in one of the most productive agricultural plains in the world. The Horchata and fartons alone justify the trip.
From most UK airports it's under two and a half hours — direct flights from London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and regional airports, making Valencia one of the better-connected Spanish cities outside Madrid and Barcelona. Go in March for Las Fallas — one of the great festivals of Europe, where the city builds enormous papier-mâché figures (ninots) over months and burns them all on the night of 19 March. April to June and September to October are the ideal non-festival months. The beach season extends well into October.
Where to stay & explore
Valencia's best neighbourhoods
Barrio del Carmen
The bohemian medieval neighbourhood in the old town — street art, independent bars, the best nightlife in Valencia, and the two ancient city gate towers of the Serranos and Quart.
Ruzafa
Valencia's creative neighbourhood — the best independent restaurants, the finest coffee shops, the best street market (Sunday flea market on Calle Russafa) and a young local energy.
The Beach (Malvarrosa)
Valencia's 4km urban beach — a proper wide sandy beach 20 minutes from the centre by tram, with the paella restaurants of Las Arenas on the seafront promenade.
Things to do
What to see in Valencia
1
City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències)
Santiago Calatrava's extraordinary complex along the old Turia riverbed — the Palau de les Arts opera house, the Hemisfèric (an IMAX cinema shaped like a human eye), the Museu de les Ciències (science museum) and the L'Oceanogràfic (Europe's largest aquarium). The complex, built between 1998 and 2005, is one of the most dramatic pieces of contemporary architecture in the world. Go at dusk when the buildings reflect in the water pools.
2
Mercado Central
The largest covered market in Europe — an Art Nouveau masterpiece of 1928, with an 8,000 sq metre trading floor under a stained glass dome, selling 300 varieties of Valencia's extraordinary agricultural produce. The oranges, the dried fruits, the fresh pasta, the ibérico products and the cured tuna (mojama) are all exceptional. Open Tuesday to Saturday morning. Eat a bocadillo de calamares (squid sandwich) at the bar stalls inside.
3
Cathedral & Holy Grail
Valencia's Gothic cathedral (construction began 1262) houses what the Catholic Church officially recognises as the most likely candidate for the Holy Grail — a polished agate chalice from the 1st century AD, in a purpose-built chapel. Whether you believe in the relic or not, the cathedral's Gothic nave, the octagonal bell tower (climb it for the views), and the Flemish and Italian paintings in the museum are all excellent. The Round Door (Porta dels Apòstols) on the north side is where Valencia's Water Court has met every Thursday noon for 1,000 years.
4
Turia Gardens (Jardí del Túria)
After the devastating 1957 floods, Valencia diverted the Turia river around the city and turned the old riverbed into a 9km linear park — the finest urban green corridor in Spain. Cycling, running, the Gulliver Park children's playground (a huge reclining figure children climb) and, at the eastern end, the City of Arts and Sciences. Rent a bike from any of the city's Valenbisi stations and ride the full length.
Food & drink
Where to eat in Valencia
La Pepica
Paella / Las Arenas beachfront
The most famous paella restaurant in Valencia — Hemingway ate here, the Valencian royal family ate here, and the paella valenciana (rabbit, chicken, ferrada beans, snails, saffron) is exceptional. On the Las Arenas promenade beside the beach. Book ahead; go for the Sunday long lunch that Valencians do properly, 2pm to 5pm.
Bar Pilar
Tapas / mussels / El Carmen
The finest clóchinas (Valencian mussels, smaller and sweeter than Atlantic mussels, steamed with local white wine) in the city — a classic bar in the Carmen neighbourhood that has been serving them since 1917. Order a ración of clóchinas and a glass of cold Agua de Valencia (orange juice, cava, vodka and gin — the local cocktail). Standing only, always packed.
Ricard Camarena
Two Michelin stars / avant-garde Valencian
The finest restaurant in Valencia — two Michelin stars, a tasting menu entirely built on Valencian produce (rice, citrus, seafood from the surrounding sea), and a cooking style that manages to be simultaneously technically brilliant and deeply rooted in local tradition. In the Bombas Gens arts centre. Book well ahead.
Itinerary
3 days in Valencia — a suggested itinerary
Day 1
Mercado Central, the Cathedral, paella on the beach
Valencia Airport is 8km from the centre — Metro Line 3 or 5 direct to the city (€3.90, 20 minutes). The Mercado Central opens at 7.30am: arrive before 9am for the best experience. Buy breakfast at the bar stalls (squid sandwich, fresh orange juice, coffee). Walk to the Cathedral: the Holy Grail chapel, the Baroque altar, the climb up the Miguelete tower. The Lonja de la Seda (the Silk Exchange, a UNESCO masterpiece of Valencian Gothic — the finest Gothic secular building in Spain) is five minutes away. Lunch on the beach at La Pepica: tram 4 or 6 from the city centre to Las Arenas (15 minutes). Order the paella valenciana for two; take your time. Back in the city for the evening: Bar Pilar in El Carmen for clóchinas and Agua de Valencia, then dinner in Ruzafa.
Day 2
City of Arts and Sciences, Turia Gardens, Ruzafa evening
Bike from a Valenbisi station along the Turia Gardens — the full 9km ride from the old town to the City of Arts and Sciences takes about 30 minutes. The Museu de les Ciències (science museum) is the most family-friendly building in the complex; the L'Oceanogràfic is the world's largest aquarium and genuinely extraordinary. The Hemisfèric IMAX. Lunch at one of the complex's cafés. Walk or bike back through the Turia Gardens, stopping at the Gulliver playground at the western end. Ruzafa neighbourhood in the afternoon: the Mercat de Russafa (the best neighbourhood market in Valencia), independent boutiques, coffee at the Dulce de Leche café. Ricard Camarena for dinner if booked weeks ahead; otherwise one of Ruzafa's excellent neighbourhood restaurants.
Day 3
Las Fallas Museum, Albufera day trip, final horchata
The Las Fallas Museum houses the ninots (papier-mâché figures) saved by popular vote from each year's bonfire since 1934 — the accumulated collection is extraordinary and bizarre. The Albufera natural park, 10km south of the city — the rice-growing lagoon where Valencian paella was born — is worth a morning: boat trips on the lagoon, the traditional fishermen's villages, and the finest arroz melós (soupy rice dishes) in the surrounding restaurants. Bus 25 from Valencia's Colón market to El Palmar. Back to the city for a final horchata: Horchatería Santa Catalina near the market, where the tiger nut milk drink is served ice-cold in a tall glass with a warm fartón pastry for dipping. One of the most refreshing things you will ever eat.
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