What to see in Valencia
Three hundred bell towers of Valencia
Valencia is known as a city of former palaces, medieval cathedrals and more than three hundred bell towers, it is also third largest city in Spain.
One of the historical and also very interesting things about Valencia is that in Valencias's Cathedral is presently kept the Holy Grail, which is chalice from Jesus. It is claimed to be the original and was also used by Pope John Paul II, when he visited Valencia in year 1992. Valencia is easily accessible from many other cities like Barcelona, Madrid but it is also easily to reach from Balearic islands and Mediterranean coast.
Sightseeing in Valencia
The city of Valencia is a great combination of the new and old, there you can enjoy a route of the River Turia and walk through interesting 9 kilometre long park.
One of the biggest benefit of Valencia is that everything is very close, easily reach on foot and at hand. For example the Central Market with more than 1000 stalls which are lying in unique art deco architecture style, other historical buildings in the centre, the barrio del Carmen, the museum of fine art, the cathedral, the botanical gardens, the Port America's Cup, the Lonja, the Malvarrosa beach and so on.
Beside all this you can also visit modern and unique Sicences and City of Arts, the Palau de la Musica, the spectacularly Opera house, the numerous bridges and the Oceanografic aquarium, which is known to be the largest in Europe.
Trip to Valencia city
The busess ridethrough narrow streets of the old centre, quarter and the new city of sciences and arts. Busses are stopping all the time on their stopp-off points on the tour. Very popular are bikes, you can hire bikes in the old quarter of town. Usually are tourists and other travellers coming from the south and centre of Valencia, and they use the road A-3 (Valencia-Madrid). By the road CV-346 highway you can arrive to the Pena Cortada Aqueduct. The route is sign-posted and comes to promenade that leads onto the aqueduct, which is around four kilometres ahead. Lists of spectacles on offer in Valencia city never stops, the city was also host to the European Formula 1 Grand Prix street circuit in fall.
For people who love to shopp is Valencia the right place, it has lots of different varietys of shops from number of El Corte Ingles – this is their national department store to the typical clothe brands. You can find in Valencia the newly refurbished Mercado Colon and a lot of other selected markets which are all well visited. Calle Colon lies in a modernist, beautiful building, it a popular place to relax and unwind. The place is known for one of the most popular places in Valencia, if you are in a search for fancy fashion, thats a place for you. For cuisine delights is in Valencia very well provided, here we can find over 1500 places, restaurants to eat all from anything from anywhere to typical local specialities.
Valencia old town
The easiest way to see the city is by Metro. Metro can drive you to the Colon station in Valencia viejo, and from here you can go by foot to the old district.
The old district of Valencia is famous by great collection of various periods of built heritage since the foundation of the city in 157 B.C. Interesting to see is also the city hall (Ayuntamiento de Valencia), the Iglesia de San Martin and a wonderfull Medieval church Sta. Catalina, where you can drink a Horchata, this is a sweet drink made of chufas or tigernuts.
In the area of the gardens by the Torres de Serranos are many playing fields and sports pitches, where you can watch different sport teams. This is a place where many different exhibition and other festivals take place. Park is very popular for joggers, families and city wallkers.
Nearly the park lies beautiful Palau de la Musica, where you can admire wonderfull fountains, shady trees and lakes. Its nice to hire carriages or bikes which are fun for children.
In city centre is not hard to find the City of Arts and Sciences, a futuristic area with modern buildings. An architect Santiago Calatrava designed this futuristic theme, he was just a local boy from Valencia, his trademark is the broken white which you can admire from different staircases to benches. The complex captures science centre, aquarium, a concert hall and beautiful gardens.
This complex is set in the Turia Gardens. Its a paradise for all the photographer's. The architecture with metal sculptures, gardens and cool blue pools is amazeing. The place is a true jewel for every school trip or coach party. Famous in this complex are IMAX cinema, the concert hall in the Palau de les arts Reina Sofia, science museum in Museo de Ciences Principe Felipe or you can just enjoy nice walk around trees and other plants around the world.
Chelva route is also an interesting area in Valencia. Its pretty laid out and it lies in a circular itinerary surrounded with culture, nature and reachablle in two-hour walk. Famous in Chelva is beautiful, picturesque Plaza Mayor which is framed between the Church of Nuestra Senora de los Angeles. The archaeological remains can still be seen. For example some abandoned electric power station and ancient mills. Near Plaza Mayor we can find a small Muslim neighbourhood which was built in 11th century. The original layouts like Arab mosque are still here to see.
City quarters of Valencia
The city of Valencia is known by her city quarters. The popular ones are Moorish, Jewish, Christian quarters and the Playeta. Moorish quarter lies near via Plaza del Arrabal, which is historically known as town's neuralgic centre. There was located the first Town Council. The center of the Moorish quarter contains unique Arrabal stands, this was in the past the Mosque of Benaeca (built in the 14th century). The building has still its original layout: separated arches, Hispano-Muslim model mosques, rectangular ground plan.
The other known quarter in Valencia is soo called Jewish quarter, which lies on one sloping side of the town. The area stil has the original layout with access gateway, arcaded streets like Azoque Arch.
By the River Chelva we can find Playeta, another interesting spot on our trip. Here we can admire pools and waterfalls in unique bathing-site. Playeta means little beach, because of sand on the river banks.