Valencia
The third largest city in Spain (after Madrid and Barcelona) is also the capital of the autonomous region Valencia, which includes the provinces Castellón, Alicante and Valencia. Although Valencian is the most popular language in many villages, the region is officially bilingual with Castilian (Spanish) being just as important.
With a history dating back two thousand years, Valencia not only has one of the largest historic city centers in Europe, but also one of the oldest. Highlights such as the Estacio del Nord, Plaza de Toros, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Plaza del Mercado, Plaza Redonda, Plaza de la Reina, Plaza de la Virgen and Plaza del Carmen, will definitely make you lose track of time in the historic city center.
Have you already seen the city center and would you like to visit its modern yet iconic counterpart? The Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias was designed by the Valecian architect Santiago Calatrava as a place where culture and leisure come together.
Would you like to swap all that culture for a bit of nature? The Jardin del Turia is a nine-kilometer-long garden that was built along the old riverbed. Ideal to visit in combination with the other city highlights.
That Valencia is a very diverse city is evident. Would you like to discover it on your own terms, but use the expertise of the people that actually live there? Eline and Stephanie from Valencia Inside organize various city tours. To make sure that you have an unforgettable day, they can personalize the tour based on your wishes. For more information, you can visit their website.
Shopping
The Mercado Central is the oldest indoor market in Europe and is open daily (except Sundays) from 07:30 to 15:00.
Food and drinks
If you want to try the authentic Valencian paella, you should eat it for lunch.
Festivities
The highlight of Las Fallas, where hundreds of papier-mâché figures are burned on March 19, began with the tradition of carpenters burning their old materials in honor of San José.