We visited Valencia as part of our eastern Spain road trip adventure, and it was definitely one of the highlights. We spent three days in the Old Town and could have easily used an extra day to explore the newer revamped port area. And we visited at the end of November hoping to enjoy the popular attractions with smaller crowds and less heat.
While it was a little cold (45°F or 7°C) in the mornings, the sun quickly warmed things up and we carried around a couple of layers we could peel on and off. We did need a light hat and gloves most nights but we didn’t mind, and even preferred this to the summer temperatures that can reach 100°F (38°C) or more here. And we don’t even think that the sea breeze would help much!
Arriving in the late afternoon we simply checked into our hotel and walked over to the Old Town to get our bearings. They were putting up Christmas decorations everywhere and it was starting to look pretty festive.
We learned later that the end of November is a celebration in many Spanish towns. Somewhat of a lighting ceremony for the Christmas lights! The venues all became packed with tourists as well as locals coming into the historic center to kick off the holidays.
Exploring Valencia’s Old Town
Valencia is a city with a lot of history! Founded by the Romans in 138 BCE it was named Valentina Edetanorum. Later ruled by the Moors and Aragons the city prospered with a golden age centered around the arts and economics in the 15th and 16th centuries under James I of Aragon. In the 18th century it was reabsorbed by Spain as part of the Spanish succession, but you still see a lot of mentions of Aragon in the ancient monuments.
Valencia Cathedral
We just had to start with the impressive cathedral in the heart of the old city of Valencia. The cathedral started off as a Roman temple, then served as a mosque and remnants of its colorful past are visible on the walls and supporting structures. Be sure to check out the Renaissance frescoes behind the main altar.
Today, the cathedral is the seat of the archbishop of Valencia. Admire the numerous small chapels dedicated to various saints and historic religious figures, including the Borgias, as you explore the interior.
There is so much to see here that it’s hard to know where to begin. The beautiful altar with intricate carvings, all the marble, the stained glass, but one thing that really impressed us was the translucent alabaster windows.
The altar used to have an ornate silver altarpiece, but this was melted down to make coins during the war with Napoleon.
Notice Saint Vincent’s entire arm (the Saint of Valencia) behind the altar under glass.
The Holy Grail (allegedly the chalice that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper) is also on display in a separate dedicated chapel here. Pretty amazing.
Definitely get the audio guide as there is so much information on all there is to see in the Valencia Cathedral. Had we been self-touring we would surely have missed many of the highlights. Imagine coming here and missing the Holy Grail! Your friends would all be laughing at you!
San Nicolas de Bari Church
Next on our list was the Iglesia Parroquial de San Nicolás de Bari y San Pedro Mártir. With its Baroque frescoes, many locals refer to it simply as Valencia’s Sistine Chapel (also a bit shorter!). The ceiling is indeed spectacular with its detail and beauty making this a definite must-see attraction in Valencia.
The whole church is painted with Baroque frescoes, and you can gaze at the scenes for hours and continue to find more and more details. And as if that is not enough already, the church puts on a laser light show every hour on the hour projecting images over the frescoes telling the story of the history of the church.
Take in the various scenes and take your time. No one is chasing you through the church tour here like at the real Sistine Chapel in Rome!
Valencia’s Central Market
For a change of scenery and a small snack, we made our way next to Valencia’s Central Market. It is housed in a beautiful Valencian Art Nouveau building not far from the cathedral.
Built in 1928 this nice closed-in market is made up of stalls selling everything from Iberian hams (of course!), cheeses, various meats, fruits (fresh and dried), and more. The stores were all well-appointed with glass counters and they all looked clean and proper. Quite unlike some of the rickety souks we’ve seen elsewhere that were filthy and crammed.
You still have to keep one hand on your wallet in the crowded market but at least it looks safe to buy and eat the produce. We opted for a small container of cheese and dried chorizo to give us a little energy to continue our exploration.
The Silk Exchange
Next door to the market in a building that looks much like a castle, is the Silk Market building: La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia.
While it only cost €2 to get in. The interior was pretty empty but we could appreciate the impressive size with twisting columns and vaulted ceilings.
Built in 1482 -1538 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. We quickly went through the rooms as there was not a lot to see inside. We opted not to get the audio guide, which may have been a mistake.
Serranos Towers
About 10-minute walk away are the Serranos Towers which used to be part of the old medieval wall and were built between 1392 and 1398.
You can pay a couple of euros to enter and climb up the imposing structures and it’s worth navigating the steep staircases for the views you are rewarded with.
Jardín del Túria
To head back to our hotel, we walked along the Jardín del Túria. This 9 km long park is actually the old riverbed of the Turia River that used to flow through the center of Valencia. After a major flood in 1957 that caused catastrophic damage to the city, the river was diverted to the south, and the old riverbed was transformed into a huge park.
It was opened in 1986 and includes soccer fields, jogging and bike paths, and a lot of gardens, statues, and greenery. It is one of the largest city parks in Spain. It’s very cool to see the ancient bridges that used to span the river still in use as pedestrian crosswalks to get over the park into the Old Town.
Plaza de l’Ajuntament
This huge public square in Valencia in front of the city hall was bustling with activity. In late November, it was already decorated with Christmas lights and a huge Christmas tree. Everyone seemed to be gathering there for photos. Feliz Navidad indeed!
A cultural day in Valencia
Our second full day in Valencia was all about museums! We strolled back into the Plaza de l’Ajuntament with the giant Christmas tree to resume our discovery and exploration of Valencia.
Valencia City Hall:
We started with the City Hall of Valencia, which is in itself a nice museum. Entry is free and you can admire the ornate ceilings, walls and marble staircases.
Don’t miss the beautiful hemicycle room with marble decorations and beautiful stained glass. It is still in use today by the city council and is occasionally closed to the public when they are in session.
You can also go out onto the balcony where you get a great view of the square below.
National Museum of Ceramics
Next, we strolled over to another famous building, which now houses the Museum of Ceramics. The façade of the building is impressive on its own although it was under netting and being restored when we visited.
The Valencians seemingly used ceramics everywhere! See the wonderful horsedrawn carriages decorated with ceramics. There were even some original Picasso ceramic pieces. So many beautiful ceramic vases too.
Be sure to look up and down to see the intricate floors, painted ceilings with artwork and reliefs.
We were really impressed with what looked to be large glass cases of dried flowers. On careful inspection, these were actually all ceramic renditions of these flowers with each petal a tiny ceramic piece. It was unbelievable how much detail there was and how much work must have gone into making these. Placing them into the glass vase in itself must have been something!
There were multiple sets of chairs and mirrors decorated with, you guessed it, ceramic.
It was definitely an impressive collection of ceramic and the many applications of where and how to use it.
Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia
Next, we wandered across the Jardín del Turia to the Museum of Fine Arts.
This museum was free which we thought was a great thing allowing everyone to visit and learn about the arts. It was close to the university, and we were impressed to encounter more than one young adult enthusiastically looking over the art pieces and asking questions. Likely art students.
In addition to a vast collection of religious paintings there are numerous sculptures. Everything is nicely displayed in three halls, some of which have multiple floors.
We enjoyed our visit here spending about an hour if not a little more.
Jardines del Real
We later made our way over to the large Jardines del Real which is a nice historic park with many statues and fountains. We heard a squawking in one of the trees and were delighted to see some green parrots.
Lots of people were just relaxing in the park on the many benches and under the trees on the grass despite the weather getting colder. We expect that this must be a popular spot to relax in the summer months.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Westin Valencia which was a wonderful historic hotel in its own right and even looked like a palace. Originally a wool factory, the Art Deco style building is now a luxury hotel. We were thrilled to get an upgrade to a balcony suite only to later realize that it was so cold in the mornings we barely stuck our noses out there to peek.
While the hotel was a couple of blocks over from the main attractions, the 10-minute walk was fine with us, and we were happy with the perks and benefits we get with our loyalty status at the Marriott brand.
The breakfast buffet was superb and I’m sure we each gained at least one or two pounds being unable to resist all the temptations! You could order à-la-carte too, which we did on some days, but even just the buffet area offered enough choice on its own.
Where to eat
The first night, we unfortunately got lured in by a sign for traditional paella. Paella was after all invented in Valencia, so we thought we’d have to try it. Eating at a touristy spot on the main strip is a novice mistake and we should have known better. We ended up with a bad €40 paella that was mostly lukewarm rice and very little else. I’m sure that if this was how paella was invented, it would have been a short-lived craze and it would never have become so popular!
On subsequent nights we looked more at restaurant reviews. We saw many of the locals going 3-4 blocks off the main strip into an area filled with restaurants. We had much more success at these places for getting a good and reasonably priced meal.
Having given up on paella, we had a delicious Italian meal at Osteria da Gianni and came back the second night for a superb Argentinian meal at Gordon 10. Five stars for both.
Conclusion
We very much enjoyed our visit to Valencia but it was time to move on with the rest of our Spanish road trip adventure.
The next morning as we headed out of Valencia to our next destination, Zaragoza, we took a look at the end of the long Jardín del Turia park and saw the impressive City of Arts and Sciences complex with a science center, aquarium, performing art center, and other modern buildings in the port area.
While we didn’t have time to explore this area this time, it is definitely something that looked like it could have been worth a visit. Perhaps if we return on a cruise or on a subsequent trip.
With three nights and two full days our visit of Valencia’s Historic Center was done at a comfortable pace. If wanting to explore the port area we’d suggest adding a day or being more selective over the sights to see in the Old Town.