Valencia (city)
From World travel guide
Valencia is a beautiful old city in the Valencia province of Spain that is well worth a visit.
There used to be a river running through the centre of the city but the river was redirected a while back and so now there's a beautiful park where the river used to be. This is a very nice place to while away any free time you have in the city on a sunny day.
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Get in
By plane
Using the international airport of Manises, which is 15 minutes away from the center of the city. From there, take the Bus line to Tùria station which departs every 11 minutes. The journey via bus takes about 30-40 minutes. A subway to the center (Line 5 to Ayora) is under construction and is going to be opened in 2008.
By train
Many trains coming from Madrid (eg: Alaris), Barcelona (eg: Euromed or ARCO) and many other cities. The train station is located in the center of the city, by the Town Hall.
The train company is RENFE and you can check the timetables and prices at the busweb page.
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, not far from the center.
Get around
- The Metro Valencia consists of 4 lines (from which 1 is a tramway to the beach) and connects the suburbs with the city.
See
- Valencia has a fantastic festival each March called Fallas in which local areas build big papier mache models depicting... well, everything really. At the end of a week displaying the 'fallas' they are burnt - which is fun. Another feature of Fallas is the fireworks. God - those fireworks! You can't escape them. 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. Each day in the main square of the city - the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (at 2pm) 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.
- It is also very interesting the City of Arts and Science (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències). 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 a near future, the Arts Museum. It is famous for its architecture by Santiago Calatrava.
Do
- Walk along the old Tùria river bed
- On the last wednesday of August nearby Buñol hosts La Tomatina, a festival that involves thousands of participants throwing ripe tomatoes at each other. Make sure you wear clothes that you can throw out afterwards, as gets very messy like sloppy joes.
Buy
Eat
- Try the local "Paella". There are several versions of this tasteful rice dish with seafood and fish or chicken and rabbit. The one with seafood and chicken is a Catalan invention; it's untypical for Valencia. If you want to eat authentic Paella, try it at the Malvarosa beach; you will find there are several good restaurants. The authentic Valencian Paella is made only with fresh ingredients.
Tip: to recognise "real" local paella from tourist junk, avoid at all cost any places whith large paella pictures on the door step. This is a sure sign for frozen/ microwaved paella.
- Try "Leche merengada" (a kind of milk-based soft ice cream with cinnamon-lemon taste).
Drink
- The "Agua de Valencia" (Valencia water) is a very famous mix drink. There are several recipes, which mainly base on orange juice and Cava, the local champagne.
- Try out "Orxata" (earth almond milk) with "Fartons".
- "Cebada" (an iced malt drink).
- "Limon Granizado" (Iced Lemonade).
- "Café de Tiempo" (Expresso on Ice).
- "Blanco y Negro" (Iced Coffee with Leche Merengada).
Sleep
Home Youth Hostel. La Lonja 4, Valencia. Located in the very center, 5 min walking from "Plaza Ayuntamiento".
Get out
External link
- Valencia, wide ranging English resource on Valencia including places to visit, events, sport and flights.
- Apartment accommodation in Valencia
- Apartment Rentals in Valencia
- Valencia Spain, city guide from a local citizen
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