Valencia Travel Guide
Travel guide to Valencia, Spain with comprehensive information about events, shopping, and major Valencia sporting events to help you enjoy your visit more.
Valencia Overview
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, and is also the most important port in the country. Lying on the Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a city which has been reinvented in recent years, as the local government and other wealthy benefactors have invested heavily in order to beautify the city and make it more tourist friendly in order to attract the people who pass through on their way south to the Costa Blanca to stay a few days and enjoy the culture and art that the city has become famous for.
Valencia's centre is where most of the most important tourist attractions such as the palace of music, the famous cathedral, and the institute of science (one of Europe's most popular tourist attractions) can be found, and there are plenty of parks to relax in during the day. In the evenings Valencia boasts a vibrant nightlife with many quiet wine bars and lively clubs where you can dance away the night.
Valencia is much more than just an alternative to Alicante as a gate way to the Costa Blanca, and is well within driving distance of the popular resort of Benidorm, the port of Valencia is a popular starting point for many Mediterranean cruises, and you can catch a ferry from the city out to the islands of Majorca and Ibiza if you fancy a change of pace.
Top Valencia Attractions
Aside from the nearby water parks and beaches of the Costa Blanca, Valencia offers tourists visiting the region the chance to soak up some culture in its many land mark buildings. The Arts and Science Centre is a futuristic project built for the millennium and provides a fascinating insight into the world. The Museum of Fine Art houses works by some of the great classical artists including El Greco and Goya, while you can see a more abstract style of art in the collection of Mondriaan paintings on display at the Institute of Modern Art.
Valencia's Cathedral of Santa Maria is a stunning gothic building that dominates the city both physically and spiritually. Aside from its amazing architecture, the cathedral also holds one of several cups that are claimed to be the Holy Grail alluded to in Arthurian legend.
Shopping in Valencia
Valencia itself offers a great variety of shopping experiences for visitors, and no matter what you are looking for, you should be able to find it quite cheaply in one of the city's many shopping centres. There is a regular market close to the cathedral where you can pick up some great souvenirs, while the out of town stores are the places to go for cheap designer goods or any holiday essentials that you might need.
Good bargains to hunt for in Valencia include the local Chorizo sausages, bottles of Sangria, and the famous leather goods from the region, all of which make great presents or souvenirs of your holiday in Valencia.
Valencia Sporting Events
When you get tired of lounging on the beaches, or wandering through Valencia's great attractions, there are plenty of activities available in and around Valencia. The region's popularity destination for golfers means that there are plenty of courses available if you fancy a round. You can try your hand at any number of water sports along the coast including sailing, jet skiing, even Scuba diving on wrecks and reefs just offshore.
The main local football team is Valencia who have developed a reputation as a major force in European football. Local rivals Villareal are frantically catching them up, and games between the two sides are fiercely fought affairs that provide a great atmosphere for fans.