Spain Road Trip: Impressed by Valencia

City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia

Spain Road Trip: Impressed by Valencia

Valencia has a lot to offer! Visit its historical center, the beach, parks, the central market, dine on paella and shop at the boutique stores or the large shopping centers. Below is a snapshot of what’s notable in Valencia and tips for planning travel.

Exploring Valencia, Spain

Duration: 1.5 days

Time of Year: early November

Why Valencia? Two reasons:

I studied abroad with FSU in Valencia in summer 2003 and was curious to return.

It was strategically a good stopping point on our road trip to Barcelona.

What did we find notable? 

Valencia has changed tremendously since my last visit 13 years ago. The heart of the historical downtown, known as “Ciutat Vella” or “Valencia Old Town” has been limited vehicle traffic to create more pedestrian zones. Dining and shopping have been upgraded. The “Plaza de la Virgen” was quite charming (although very crowded).

Plaza de la Virgen, Valencia

Plaza de la Virgen

 

There are dozens of points of interest that you can see in a matter of a day on foot.

Valencia bull arena

old bull arena

 

The Mercat Central (Central Market) is spectacular and likely the best produce market I have set foot in. We walked every aisle, buying cheese, nuts, saffron, honey wax chapstick, orange marmalade, and Valencia oranges.

 

Paella. You have to eat paella in Valencia. We made a lunch reservation at Restaurante Navarro and had a most delightful experience.

paella

paella

 

We took a long walk through the Turia Gardens (“Jardin del Túria”). It is an old dried riverbed that was transformed into a 9km-long lush green space that serves as a walking/running/biking path, includes soccer fields, and is lined with cafes, ponds, and sculptures. The gardens also lead to the stunning architecture and museums of the City of Arts and Sciences (“Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias”). If we had more time, we likely would have booked a tour inside the ‘city’ or seen the aquarium.

Our takeaway:

I think Valencia would be a wonderful place to live. It has a great vibe, is very clean, has yummy restaurants and a world-class market is easy to get around and has a modern section with condo high-rises within the downtown area. This thought was confirmed upon checking out Nomad List and finding it’s a popular destination for expats.

 

So you’re interested in going to Valencia… here are a few helpful planning tips

The hotel prices in Valencia appeared to be really steep. In researching on Booking.com, I discovered ‘Casa Cosy’ apartment rentals and it turned out to be a great deal, location, and service.

We could have enjoyed more time here. I would stay a minimum two days.

I know from a previous trip that it’s the perfect gateway to Ibiza and Mallorca. And if that’s your final destination, you should definitely consider spending two days in Valencia as well.

Valencia street performer

elaborate street performer

 

Want to read about the other Spain road trip destinations?

 

Park Guell iguanaBarcelona, Spain

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plaza de Espana, Seville

Seville, Spain

 

 

 

 

 

 

vista of Alhambra, GranadaGranada, Spain

 

 

 

 

 

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Adding Valencia to your bucket list? Or, if you’ve already explored Valencia, what was your favorite thing about the city?

Leave a comment!

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Lauren Martins
lauren@modernodyssey.co
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