Valencia Area Guide

The province of Valencia is situated in the centre of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline, overlooking the Gulf of Valencia and backed by mountains and rolling plains leading to the lands of Aragon and Castile-La Mancha. It is opposite the Balearics and equidistant from the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

Sightseeing in the city of Valencia starts in the old quarter which is marked by the rails of the trams which run in the space where the old town walls were until 1865. Still standing as proof of this are the graceful Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart and some remains of the apron wall in the basement of the Valencia Institute of Modern Art. The most outstanding artistic heritage can be found in Seu and Xerea, where marks left by the Romans lie hidden beneath Arab ruins and modern churches and palaces.

On the other side of the River Turia's old riverbed are the nursery gardens with the Fine Arts Museum and the very modern part of the city which. The futuristic face of Valencia is evident in the equipment at Gulliver Children`s Park and the leisure and culture complex. Life in this vibrant city spreads down to the sea front with its harbour and Las Arenas and La Malvarrosa beaches.

 

"Valencia es la tierra de las flores" (Valencia is the land of flowers) are the words of an old folk-song, and the parks and gardens of the city demonstrate it very impressively. The Jardines de la Alameda and de Monforte are romantic 18th century parks. Real Gardens has its own zoo surrounded by roses and large pine woods protecting the ruins of an old king's palace. Take a look at our guide to Valencia Local Attractions to find out more.

 

Valencia is located on the Mediterranean coast with beaches that rank among the best in Spain. More than 100 km of coastline offers some great seaside towns which have been awarded the prestigious European Blue Flag, guaranteeing clean beaches with excellent facilities. We have written an article on beaches in Valencia to help you decide which are best ones for you.

 

There are six championship golf courses within a 20 minute drive of the city centre, with more in the planning and construction stages.The green fees are similar to the UK and more reasonable than more famous Costa del Sol and Algarve courses. To find out more about Golf Courses in Valencia visit our guide.

 

Among the typical dishes of this region of Spain, the Paella Valenciana is an international Spanish dish in its own right. It is prepared over a wood fire until the rice sticks to the bottom and gets crispy (one of the best parts of the dish). Purists say the original paella was made just with eels from Albufera (Valencia's saltwater lagoon) but today a wide variety of ingredients including chicken, rabbit, snail, young beans, "tabella", "garrofo", tomato, olive oil, salt, saffron and red peppers find their way into a wide variety of paellas. We have put together some recommendations on restaurants in Valencia which we hope you will find useful.

 

The shopping streets of Valencia are filled with everything from hand made arts and crafts to the latest fashion designs. Fans, lace work, Manises ceramics and clothes are just some of the things you can buy here. Our shopping guide to Valencia gives you more details and you can also find a list of the Valencia markets in this guide.

 

If you are planning to explore the area outside of the city centre and play some golf or go to some of the more out of the way beaches then you might consider hiring a car. There are a number of car hire firms based at Valencia Airport who will be pleased to have a vehicle awaiting your arrival. This also cuts down on transfer costs for you and your family.

We also provide information on other sporting and leisure amenities in Valencia including an Area Guide to Valencia which contains information on Valencia local attractions, golf courses in Valencia, good places to shop in Valencia, Valencia market days and where the best Valencia beaches are. We have also included a list of recommended Valencia restaurants