We are looking forward to our next visit on our trip. In Valencia we meet Mimi’s parents to walk through Valencia together, visit the city and discover fine restaurants. In addition, that we don’t have to worry too much about our van, we stay at an official camper site outside Valencia for the extended weekend and commute by metro right into the heart of the city. This is practical and cheap.

Historical center of Valencia

Not far from the historic center of Valencia we meet Mimi’s parents for our first excursion together. We visit some sights on foot. Among other things, we find our way to the Plaza de la Reina, not far from Valencia Cathedral. In the midst of historical buildings and in a nice café we exchange our experiences so far. After all, we had not seen each other for some time now.

Valencia Cathedral including Torre El Micalet

After the small refreshment the first highlight, the cathedral of Valencia, awaits our visit. The church was originally planned and started in Gothic style. Over the long period of construction, other styles such as the Renaissance or Baroque enriched the building. In the interior of the church, the ceilings are very beautifully carved. In addition, there is the large altar area and its magnificent decorations and images. This is a real contrast to the rest of the church, which, apart from some ornate paintings and statues, is quite plain.

Our visit continues in the associated tower. The Torre El Micalet is an octagonal bell tower that can be climbed via the stairs. This involves climbing a narrowing spiral staircase in the tower up to the current viewing platform. The view over Valencia is magnificent. We always like to climb towers for views like this.

Entrance fee church: 9€/adult, 6€/child up to 17 years old
Entrance fee tower: 2.50€/adult, 1.50€/child up to 17 years
01. March – 30. November: Mon-Fri 10.00-18.45, Sat-Sun 10.00-14.30 and 15.30-18.45
01. December – 28. February: Mon-Fri 10.00-18.45, Sat-Sun 10.00-13.30 and 17.30-18.45

Jardin del Turia and the Gulliver Playground

A real peculiarity that makes Valencia is the park Jardin del Turia. This is a several kilometers long park, which was created in the former riverbed of the river Turia. After a devastating flood, the river was diverted in the middle of the 20th century and since then runs south of the city. Due to the former course of the river, the park can be reached from many central parts of the city in a few minutes. It offers various facets and in some places sports equipment is set up. Elsewhere, the park invites you to linger under the trees.

A special highlight for young and old alike is certainly the Gulliver playground. It is dedicated to the novel Gulliver’s Travels and the play area is an oversized sculpture of the main character Gulliver. Gulliver can be explored via various paths. Clambering up over the boot and skirt tails, then sliding down another skirt fold. Really a refreshingly different playground. Predicate worth seeing!

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències

The City of Arts and Sciences, this is what the above heading means in Valencian, is located at the eastern end of the Turia Park. Accordingly, the combination of walking through the park and then visiting the modern landmark of Valencia is an obvious combination.

Various futuristic buildings by architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela form a complex. From an IMAX to a science museum and the opera to the largest aquarium in Europe, several buildings are grouped here for cultural enjoyment. We are content with the view from the outside. This is already quite imposing. The opera house, for example, does not have any straight surfaces from the outside at first glance and is mostly surrounded by a water basin.
The L’Hemisfèric, which among other things houses the IMAX, was designed to resemble a human eye. We are impressed by the many unusual building shapes that we can see here in a very small space. Definitely worth a visit, even for non-architects.

Hop On Hop Off Bus

Inspired by Mimi’s parents – they like to take a sightseeing tour on the Hop On Hop Off Bus in every major city – we join this attraction in Valencia. The line of the bus travels to many different tourist attractions of the city on a circular route. So, we see quite a bit of Valencia not only on foot, but also in between during the bus ride. Very typically, it is a double-decker red convertible bus. So especially from the upper passenger deck the view of the sights is quite unrestricted from the bus.
Since we are travelling to many foreign cities and usually also have plans of our own off the main tourist streams we finally exit the bus with mixed feelings about the Hop On Hop Off bus in Valencia. The trips were an experience nevertheless, we regret the ticket in no case. But whether we will book another Hop On Hop Off bus in another city depends more on the originality of the bus and less on the route and the timetable.
For all those who want to get a very comprehensive overview of the visited city in a short time, this trip is certainly recommendable. In addition, if the time budget in a city is rather small, such a Hop On Hop Off bus can also be a good way to connect between attractions, as there is no need to switch between several means of transport.

Playa de la Malva-Rosa

What would a Spanish city on the Mediterranean Sea be without its own beach? Hardly a superregional metropolis with strong attraction. Therefore, Valencia also has its own beach. The city beach is located east of the historic center on the Mediterranean Sea and is divided into several differently named sections. We visit the section Playa de la Malva-Rosa. The beach is remarkably clean and the sunbathing area is very wide. Here, everyone gets their money’s worth on the fine sandy beach. Occasionally there are beach bars and during our visit there is a small bazaar with many colorful items directly behind the beach. In addition, there are food stalls that offer plenty of food options to all hungry beachgoers. Here, for a moment, we really feel transported to another continent, as if we had landed on the African side of the Mediterranean. Wonderful!
Otherwise, the row of houses directly on the beach is also suitable for a food stop. Here, restaurants and cafes are crowded close together to get guests from the large stream of visitors. We as well are soon drawn back to a coffee.

La Fabrica de Hielo

At the ice cream factory, that’s what la fabrica de hielo in Spanish means, we sit down for a short breather. The place is really trendy and is located near the beach in a former factory building. We like the pragmatic conversion. In Spain, they obviously don’t flinch for long, and a few containers and furnishings turn a former factory hall into a full-fledged event venue, including kitchen and stage equipment. In this cozy lounge atmosphere, we can directly imagine coming back in the evening for a cozy round of beers.

Placa Redona

This square is very special. The shape gives it its own charisma. The square is round and the facades of the surrounding houses are adapted to the curvature of the square. We are standing in the middle of a circular courtyard in Valencia. Through various passages we can continue walking in all directions to explore the old town.

Café Sant Jaume and the Agua de Valencia

Valencia has a drink named after the city: Agua de Valencia. This is best drunk in a long-established city café, which is known for their Agua de Valencia. Translated, the drink means water from Valencia. With such an innocuous name, not so much can probably go wrong with it.
After ordering, it quickly becomes clear: Agua de Valencia is not a soft drink, it is a strong drink and what a strong drink it is. In addition to gin, vodka and champagne are added to the glass. Now sweeten it with sugar and, for an innocent conscience, top the glass off with freshly squeezed orange juice. With that a refreshing summer drink with a lot of kick is conjured up very quickly. Mimi is really not used to much alcohol anymore, so she has to leave it at a small glass. What was left was more Agua de Valencia for all those who wanted to try it too.

Torres de Serranos

The Serranos towers form one of the various ancient city gates of Valencia. The towers are built in Valencian Gothic style and originally stood right on the banks of the river Turia. As we noted above, the riverbed is now a park. Accordingly, from the towers we can see far across the historic center of Valencia on one side and across the green Turia Park to the adjacent neighborhoods of Valencia on the other.
The towers themselves are, due to the Valencian Gothic, not very ornate and make a very functional impression on us as a fortification building.

Entrance fee: 2€/adult, 1€/child up to 12 years old.
15 March – 15 October: Tue-Sat 10.00-19.00, Sun 10.00-15.00
16 October – 14 March: Tue-Sat 10.00-18.00, Sun 10.00-15.00

Silk Exchange

Fortunately, or unfortunately, we arrived at the Silk Exchange on a Sunday during our sightseeing tour. Always on Sundays the entrance fee is waived and the late gothic building can be visited without further ado. The hall of the Silk Exchange is imposing. The columns supporting the ceiling rise many meters into the air. The building is also otherwise magnificent and richly decorated. The Silk Exchange is a contemporary document of the wealth of the city of Valencia.

Admission: 2€/adult, 1€/child up to 12 years > Sunday free of charge
All year: Tue-Sat 10.00-19.00, Sun 10.00-14.00

Dulce de Leche Boutique

What would a Sunday afternoon be without coffee and cake? Admittedly, it would be quite dreary. That’s why we can’t leave without seeing the huge cake buffet of the Dulce de Leche Boutique from Valencia. And indeed, a visit to one of the various branches of the Dulce de Leche Boutique is well worth it. We have never seen such a large cake buffet in our lives. Colorful and sugary baked goods fill the large, refrigerated display cases. The selection of a suitable piece of cake is accordingly difficult and overwhelming. The Dulce de Leche Boutique is definitely worth at least a look, if not a bite!

Central Market

The Central Market is closed on Sunday. That’s why we must visit the market with its huge dome in Valencian Art Nouveau style on the following Monday. This would fit in wonderfully before Mimi’s parents have to leave soon on their return trip to Switzerland. Unfortunately, this Monday is a holiday in Valencia and the central market is still closed. Too bad! We all would have liked to visit this market together. So, we only have the emergency option to visit the market again on Tuesday and send photos of our impressions to Mimi’s parents. The fact that the Valencians had to declare this Monday of all days a holiday will probably remain in our memory forever.

All four of us like Valencia very much. The mixture of ancient sights, shopping opportunities and various leisure activities is very well balanced. Just the mixture makes it especially pleasant for us to spend a few days in Valencia. The historic center is quite large compared to other cities and offers something for all visitors. We will gladly come back to Valencia when the time is right.