Hotels in Valencia

We loved the City of Arts & Sciences with its futuristic architecture. It had bicycles for hire there so you can cycle around it all, then head down to beach which is about 15 minute ride away. There is huge park, Turia on edge of town where river was diverted which is fantastic for cycling & walking which goes around most of city. The old part of city is very interesting with huge stone gateways around town, & lots of churches, art galleries, museums etc. People are all very friendly & helpful. Don't buy tourist card for use on metro, bus & with discount to museums-not worth the money. Better value to buy daily or 2-3 day bus card-don't need to use the metro unless going to airport-which we bought at El Cortes Ingles- a department store which you find everywhere in Valencia. The beach is fantastic-huge expanse with shallow water so ideal for children. There is a wide broad walk, one side has cafes & restaurants. Buy your paella there & also your hot chocolate. We went into cafe which had menu card just for hot chocolate where you chose strength & sweetness-fantastic! Aquarium was a disappointment as lots of building work going on but it was middle of winter. I did enjoy seeing sharks & rays swimming overhead.

1) Valencia Cathedral in itself and meeting of young people from Taizé community and their songs and prayers, and also the liturgy of the first day of the year. 2) architectural perspective of city buildings, from romanic and 'moresco', gothic and barocco, then wonderful rococo and liberty, till to the contemporary outllook of the city of Arts Science. 3) Naturlistic aspects: Turia gardens and Oceanographic. Little disappointed we were from IVAM exhibitions, that ought be implemented by more important pieces of contemporary art. 4) as for lunch, we eated good paella, 'magretto' (duck breast), tapas, and salad (at Taverna Espanola and Zumm Salad). 5) Get around Valencia was relately easy, even if we usually make great deal of visits by foot, in order to get a more direct and physical appreciation of our leisure goals. 6) Travel was definitely good, so that nothing should be avoided, because also wheather was good and pleasantly warm.

Historic sites are lovely, especially the city hall which is open to tourists and there are charming restaurants and shops at every turn. Free Tours Valencia gives two city walking tours of about 2.5 hours each which are very informative and fun--pay what you feel the tour was worth at the end--definitely a highlight of our stay. There are free music concerts at the University Nau, a lovely way to spend an hour or so before heading out for tapas or some traditional Valencian paella! It's very easy to get around Valencia, especially the old city centre, either on foot or by the metro. Museum entry frees are reasonable and you can buy a 3-day ticket for €6 which will take you into the Silk Exchange, Serrano and Quart Towers and many other municipal museums and galleries--well worth the price. Valencia is a place that you will want to return to again and again!

The old part of the city contained within the inner ring road is compact and easy to explore and is a must for history buffs.Other places to visit are the City of Arts & Sciences(not forgetting the Oceanografic), Bull Ring & museum,the water front, and the vast town beach.I was there to take in a football match as a bonus, and the stadium is very close to the city centre. If more time is available I would highly recommend a day or two just south of the city in the Parque Natural de La Albufera. Bars & restaurants abound, from tapas to budget(menu de dia) or a la carte. For transport round the city, multi-journey(bus & metro or metro only)tickets can be purchased at all the metro stations.Also, if the mood takes you, there are lots of cycle hire possibilities,both on street sites and shops. Next time I visit I would hope to unearth more gems of this vibrant city - or at least I could just revisit all the places I saw this time without a chance of getting the least bit bored!!

The Central Market is amazing. I walked in and felt very emotional and overwhelmed by the experience. The Turia is a must to see, we saw alotr of it using the tourist bus which gave us a 72hr hop on and off ticket. We took the children to the Oceanagrafic (aquarium) which is based in the city of arts and science. It was expensive but you can get cheaper tickets from the tourist offices which means you can avoid the queue too. This was the only place we found we had to pay for the children as the tickets start for 3yrs and under. The metro and trams are clean, cost effective, efficient and rarely busy - we went for New Year. You can buy a Valencia card which is good if you are going to be using the metro often, we didn't use it as often as we thought so wouldn't purchase it next time but this was because we had two young children in tow.

there is a lot of interesting buildings and musea to see in the center and of course: take the hop on hop off bus to bring you to the sea or to the city of science and arts. The people are friendly and often they speak english (if you don't speak spanish). Lots of places where you can take tapas for lunch or even diner as we did when we arrived. In the center you can eat your dinner on a time when it suits you, otherwise you have to wait til half past eight, for the Spanish dine quite late. Prices are normal. You can easily hire a bike to cycle in the park where formerly the river Turia was and now it is all green. Don't forget to visit the Town Hall, when you are lucky there is a concert, and the Ceramic Museum, a former palace where you can admire the beautiful art products.