After a catastrophic flood in the middle of the last century the Turia was diverted around the south of the city, and instead of paving the abandoned channel as a motorway, as the plans of the day intended, residents campaigned and it was planted instead. What runs through Valencia now is a green corridor of gardens, orange trees, playing fields and cycle paths, curving from the old town out towards the sea, and almost every good day here begins or ends in it. The engineering has since been tested: when a catastrophic storm devastated towns across the province, the diversion channel and the upstream dams held and the historic centre stayed dry.
The airport sits close to the centre with a metro line running straight in, and high-speed trains reach Madrid in under two hours. Room prices are softer than Barcelona or Madrid, which is much of the appeal, though the fallas in March fill rooms months ahead and lift rates sharply, so it is worth a moment to compare flights and hotels for Valencia and book early if your dates fall anywhere near that week.
Two points before you book. Spain is in the Schengen area, so visitors from outside the European Union are held to a short-stay limit of ninety days within any rolling period of half a year, the passport stamp has gone, and the Entry and Exit System records fingerprints and a facial image at the first crossing instead. A separate online travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors has been announced and postponed more than once, so check the official European Union page. Accommodation and car hire firms across Spain now collect far more personal detail at check-in, so keep your passport out. The better news is that there is no tourist tax here. The region passed one and then repealed it before it took effect, which leaves this the one large Mediterranean region in the country where nothing is added per night, unlike Barcelona or the islands, though older articles still describe a Valencian tax that does not exist.
In the old town a guided walk covers the cathedral, the bell tower known as the Miguelete, the modernista Mercado Central and the Silk Exchange, a Gothic trading hall that carries a world heritage listing and was built to trade silk under twisted stone columns. At the far end of the park the City of Arts and Sciences rises in white concrete and shallow pools, with an opera house, a science museum and one of Europe's largest aquariums.
Where you stay changes the character of the trip. In Ciutat Vella, the old quarter, boutique hotels hide in the lanes around the Plaza de la Virgen and the cathedral. In Ruzafa, small design hotels and apartment rentals sit among the bars around the Mercat de Russafa. Out at El Cabanyal, the old fishing quarter of tiled facades, guesthouses and apartments stand a block from the sand at the Malvarrosa. Around the Eixample, mid-range hotels gather near the North Station and the bullring.
For a city break this flat the bicycle is the real transport, so what repays booking is a bike, a guided walk and a boat trip rather than a hire car. The old riverbed works as a cycle motorway across the whole city, the metro and tram handle the airport and the beach, and a pre-booked transfer only matters with luggage or an early flight. The outing worth arranging is a boat trip on the Albufera lagoon through the rice fields towards sunset, and it comes in two very different shapes: the boatmen at El Palmar run short rides for a few euros with nothing booked in advance, while an organised tour from the city costs many times that and includes transport and usually a paella lunch. Decide which you are buying before you pay. You can check guided tour and boat trip options around Valencia and keep an afternoon free for the beach.
Season decides how much of this is comfortable. Spring and autumn are the best months by a distance, warm enough for the sand and mild enough to cycle at midday. March brings the fallas, spectacular and crowded and dear in equal measure. High summer is hot and humid, so move early and late and give the middle of the day to shade or water. Winter is mild, quiet and easy on a budget. One warning about lunch whatever the month: Valencian paella is made with chicken, rabbit and beans rather than seafood, it is a midday dish, and the picture menus along the tourist streets are not it. Head into a neighbourhood, or out to a village beside the lagoon, and order at noon. Personally, I would hire a bicycle on the first morning, ride the length of the old riverbed from the old town to the sea, and work out the rest of the trip from there.
Q: Is there a tourist tax in Valencia?
A: No. The regional government passed a stay tax and then repealed it before it came into force, so nothing is added to your nightly bill, which is unusual among the Mediterranean regions of Spain.
Q: What is the Turia park in Valencia?
A: The old riverbed, turned into a long park of gardens and cycle paths running through the centre to the sea after the river was diverted around the city.
Q: Is the Albufera open to visitors after the floods?
A: Yes. The lagoon villages run boat trips daily and the city itself was barely touched, though parts of the southern suburbs and the wider province are still rebuilding.
Q: Where do you eat real Valencian paella?
A: Away from the tourist streets, at lunchtime. The traditional version uses chicken, rabbit and beans, and the lagoon villages are its home ground.
Q: When is the best time to visit Valencia?
A: Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. The fallas in March are spectacular but crowded, and high summer is hot and humid.
Planning your trip to Valencia? Compare before you book.
✈️ Flights ·
🏨 Hotels ·
🚕 Transfers ·
🎟️ Tours
We compare trusted providers side by side — you pay nothing extra.
Comments
Post a Comment