Home Europe Spain Valencia: a city you'll love

Valencia: a city you'll love

února 11, 2023
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února 11, 2023


After visiting Seville / Cordoba in December, I had a strong urge to visit Spain again during the winter. And the opportunity came very soon... or he who seeks, finds :) I can tell you straight away that all my expectations were met by Valencia without any problems. We all had a wonderful time here: us mainly with the food, wine, sights and walks, Nina with the sand on the beaches and all kinds of slides and swings that are located almost everywhere in the city. This not-so-common Spanish destination, for example, compared to the brutally touristy Barcelona, is simply a win for all generations, even for families with children!


The biggest bonus then was the absolutely amazing sunny weather, with even February afternoon temperatures reaching 20°C. Only the return to reality was so... worse... especially when the thermometer in the Czech Republic just dropped to minus ten, brrrr.




Flights


Unfortunately, you can't get a direct flight from Prague to Valencia, but it's definitely worth looking around for flights from our neighbours. We specifically used our favourite Nuremberg, from which Ryanair flies twice a week. If you have to go to Germany, you can also try Vienna or Krakow, both also Ryanair.


Again, the slight disadvantage of this route was the very early morning departure, when we took off at 5:55am, i.e. we left Pilsen at about half past 2am, ufff. Anyway, the flight only takes two and a half hours, so you arrive in Valencia first thing in the morning and have a full day to explore, including breakfast :) As for the price of the tickets, I paid €162 (= €54/person) for the three of us.


Transport in the city

A huge advantage of Valencia Airport is its easy accessibility by metro, which takes you directly to the centre in 20 minutes. You even have a choice of two lines - 3 and 5. Just be careful of the city zones - the airport is in zone 3, so a ticket will cost €4.80 (+ you need to get a €1 card). Children under 10 travel free with an adult. You can find the metro website with prices, timetables and maps here.


And since we spent three full days in Valencia and knew we would use public transport more times besides the airport, we decided to get the Valencia Card (VLC), official website here. There is a 24, 48 and 72 hour option. I bought the VLC 72 hrs online for €22.50/person (it costs €25 locally), children under 6 don't pay. In the price of this variant you have:


  • all public transport in the city (metro, trams, buses)
  • free admission to some monuments and museums
  • 2 drinks and 2 tapas at a selected establishment
  • additional discounts on admissions or merchandise

You can then pick up your card (free of charge) at the airport self-service kiosk or a few metres away at the information centre, so you can really use it from the first moment. Honestly, I'd do it again just for the "convenience" of not having to deal with anything, buying, recharging, counting, etc.



Accommodation


In Valencia I preferred apartment-type accommodation, we wanted some privacy and to be able to have a quick breakfast in the morning before leaving. The choice for two nights fell on Bet Apartments, where I got a total price of €124. For us the advantage was mainly the good central location, self check-in and equipped kitchen + of course the low price. Or check out my other picks like this:





What to do in Valencia?


1) Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències - literally the City of Arts and Sciences, in real life a huge complex of ultramodern buildings of the National Museum, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava. As is often the case with such projects, its construction was accompanied by much controversy, but despite this, these complete white concrete structures surrounded by water have become symbols of Valencia. Now what is there to see?


  • Palau de les Arts - a modern centre for the musical arts
  • The Hémisferic - this building representing the human eye actually hides an IMAX cinema inside
  • Museo de las Ciencias - it's even the biggest museum in the whole of Spain. It kind of reminded me of Pilsen's Techmania, where the creators try to bring science to the general public through various experiments and interactive displays. Definitely worth a visit for me... even with a child, as it contains a lot of things to observe or try. Plus there is a huge and amazing educational playroom just for kids, it opens up in definitely time slots and they have it very nicely designed.
  • Museo Oceanografic - this aquarium also boasts one of the BEST, as it is the largest in Europe. There are also beluga whales and dolphins to see!
  • Umbracle - very beautiful gardens with tall palm trees, it's also the only part you can see for free. Make sure you don't miss it, because from here you will get a great view of the whole complex.


Ticket prices (and lots of other information) can be found on the official website here. I'm not going to list them because they vary by season + there are various combination admissions. There was also a 10% discount on tickets to the science museum with the VLC card. On the practical side, there are several refreshment options around the water areas and you can even rent a boat, kayak, pedal boat or other water craft. I didn't find the prices exorbitant either.


2) Llotja de la Seda - Gothic building with high twisted columns and an inner garden with citrus trees. Formerly a silk exchange, the building is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admission costs €2, free on Sundays and public holidays.



3) Seu de Valencia - stands in Plaza de la Virgen, where you will find an ornate fountain. The cathedral itself was built in the mid-13th century and over the years has become a mix of several styles (Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic). Oh, and one more interesting thing - it is said to contain the Holy Grail = the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper... so I don't know what the truth is :) Admission to the cathedral costs €5, official website here. If you still want to enjoy the view from the octagonal Miguelete (or Micalet) tower that is part of it, add another €2.

4) Almoina - the archaeological museum next to the cathedral. I highly recommend a visit, even if you are not really interested in history. The museum is located in an interesting underground space, from which you can see out through the fountain (see the first photo - the museum is located directly under the water tank). Admission is €2, free on Sundays and public holidays.


5) Jardins del Turia - one of the best things about Valencia is definitely these mega gardens. In the past, the Turia River used to flow through the city, but it caused frequent flooding. After the last one, when Valencia was badly damaged and dozens of people died, city officials decided to divert the river away from the centre. And in its bed, this stunning 9 km long strip of green space was created, full of sports fields, cycle paths, benches, fountains and children's play areas. It's really a lively place, with people gathering in the morning for all sorts of exercises from yoga to personal training, mothers with prams taking the park by storm in the afternoon and football games or dance lessons in the evening.


If you have kids with you, but definitely check it out without kids, I recommend not to miss Gulliver Park = a huge 60-meter long statue of a lying Gulliver full of slides, various nets, stairs and other obstacles. Admission is free, the area opens every day at 10:00 and closes according to the season (see here).



6) El Carmen - a neighbourhood full of narrow streets, often painted with graffiti, with lots of bars, cafes and souvenir shops. Here are some tips on what you shouldn't miss:


  • Torres de Serranos - two huge gothic towers as a remnant of the city's former fortifications. I recommend running up there, as you have a great view of Valencia's centre. Admission costs €2, free on Sundays and public holidays. Then there are the other surviving towers of the Portal de Quart in El Carmen, but we didn't visit those.


  • CCCC - Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània or a cultural centre with art exhibitions housed in the beautiful premises of a former monastery. Admission is free.


  • Cat House - a stupid... but it's right across the street from the entrance to CCCC, so if you're here :) 


  • La Estrecha - it translates to "narrow", and it's kind of bullshit number two :) but supposedly it's the narrowest house in Europe. It's only 107 cm wide.

7) Mercat Central - The main market, in operation since 1914, is full of stalls selling everything you can think of - meat, hams, cheese, fruit, pastries, fish, and even ready meals. However, beware of the short opening hours, which are Monday to Saturday 7:30am - 3pm, or the official website here. Even if you can't make it, don't despair as there are a huge number of restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the area.

8) Valencian beaches - sooooooo long and soooooo wide, full of fine sand. There are four of them right in the city - Malvarrosa, Las Arenas, Patacona, Cabanyal, but they build on each other so that you can't even tell where one ends and the other begins. At Las Arenas there is a promenade lined with a huge number of restaurants, and I was attracted by the industrial space of the former ice cream factory La Fabrica del Hielo.
a short walk away is the marina La Marina de Valencia :)


9) Museo de l´Arroz - yep, it's a rice museum, because rice is grown here in the nearby Albufera Nature Park. The museum even has three floors, albeit very small, and you can learn how such rice grows, how it is processed (including a demonstration of the machines) and see the differences between the different types. Admission is €2, free on Sundays and public holidays, official website here.


10) Albufera - And while I'm on the subject of the previous paragraph... the Albufera Nature Park is just 10 km south of Valencia and is very accessible by public transport (buses 24 and 25). You'll find Spain's largest lagoon surrounded by rice paddies, which is home to almost 300 species of birds, including flamingos. You will see most of this unique ecosystem during a boat ride on a boat called an albuferenc. Bicycles are also another popular means of transportation here, allowing you to be masters of your time and stop at any viewpoint or beach. And if you're not interested in boats or bikes, you could at least find something to eat here. It is here in Albufeira that the famous Spanish rice dish, paella, originated. A local specialty is also the eel stew with garlic, salt and pepper.



Accessibility: buses 24 and 25 leave directly from the centre, number 24 will take you to the final stop - Palmar - in about 45 minutes. In this fishing town there is basically nothing but restaurants offering paella and other fish dishes, pretty much side by side. Also, boat trips start from here, some offer a package = boat trip + lunch. Bus number 25 ends in the village of Saler, from there you can walk along the nature trail to the beach in a few minutes... and then continue to the next beach, etc. etc., as you wish.


11) Jardines de Monforte - a beautifully landscaped park in a chateau style, I mean all statues, fountains, ponds, and perfectly trimmed hedges. It's such a Valencian oasis of calm, by the way, lots of cats rest here too :) Free entry.



12) Museo Faller - this museum is linked to the Spanish popular holiday of Fallas, celebrated in mid-March in honour of St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters and joiners. The name is derived from the word falla = figure - local artists make huge figures out of different materials and a committee votes for the most beautiful one. The winning figure is placed in the museum and all the others are burned on the night of 19 March. The custom is meant to symbolise the getting rid of what is not needed, in short, a kind of 'spring cleaning', just as carpenters and joiners did in the past, burning all the sawdust and wood scraps before St Joseph's Day. Admission is €2, free on Sundays and public holidays, info on opening hours here.


Source: avalencia.com - https://avalencia.com/en/the-fallas-museum-valencia/

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