Valencia is the center of an autonomous community and province of the same name, the third city in Spain in terms of population after Madrid and Barcelona. It is located at the confluence of the partially drained Turia River with the Mediterranean Sea.
This is a very popular city among tourists. Not without reason once upon a time it was called the blessed land by the Moors. That is why, going to this city, you should learn about local attractions, cultural features and everything else that annually attracts tens of thousands of tourists here.
City of Arts and Sciences
This is the name of a stylish architectural complex of six buildings located in the drained bed of the Turia River.
His story began in 1996. Now on the territory of the City of Arts are:
- Music Palace.
- Valencia Oceanographic Park in the open air. The largest aquarium in Europe. More than 45,000 different animals live on its territory, and more than 500 species of marine life. By the way, the parkdivided into 9 zones representing the most significant ecosystems on Earth.
- Museum of applied science, where you can touch any exhibit.
- 3D IMAX cinema with 900m screen2.
- Multifunctional center for cultural and sporting events.
- A huge botanical garden.
- The largest dolphinarium in Europe, consisting of 5 pools.
Of course, this is only a small part of what is in the City of Arts and Sciences. Also on the territory there are many markets, restaurants, souvenir shops and other interesting places. While on vacation in Valencia, you must definitely go here.
Torres de Serranos Gate
This attraction is located in the city's Plaza de los Fueros. The gate is considered an object of European importance. Not surprising! After all, Torres de Serranos is the largest city gate in Europe, dating back to the Gothic period. In fact, they are an example of medieval military architecture.
The gate can also be called the personification of the spirit of medieval Valencia. Their impressive appearance allows us to judge the former power that the old fortress walls of the city had. After all, they have been standing on the square since 1392-1398.
Earlier, the gate was the main entrance to the city and a triumphal arch used for solemn ceremonies of welcoming important guests, and today it is a grand breath into Valencia. They are also used for significant events. And in the towers of the gate, by the way, there is a maritime museumantiquity. By visiting it, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the Royal Navy.
IVAM
It is impossible not to talk about the Valencian Institute of Contemporary Art. It is abbreviated as IVAM. Many works of contemporary authors are concentrated on its territory - photographs, paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc.
About 11,000 works by foreign and Spanish artists are concentrated on two floors, including Joaquin Sorolla, Julio Gonzalez and even Pablo Picasso himself.
And on the lower floor, by the way, you can explore the remains of an ancient wall that once surrounded the city. The find was discovered during the construction of the IVAM building. After completing the construction of the building, it was made one of the exhibits.
It is also worth noting that the institute has a huge library, which includes about 47,000 historical documents.
St. Mary's Cathedral
If a person came to rest in Valencia, he must visit this place. After all, this building is not just the largest cathedral in the city. He also has his own museum, located in the heart of the Holy Grail Chapel.
It was founded in 1761. It presents unique works of art from the period of the 15th-16th centuries, and, having visited it, you can learn the amazing history of the cathedral, built on the site of a mosque, which, by the way, was previously built from an ancient Roman temple.
Today, the Cathedral in Valencia is the main religious and cultural center of the city and the most visitedSight. You should definitely climb the bell tower of the cathedral, and from there, from a 5-meter height, appreciate the stunning panoramic view of the metropolis.
Museum Fallas
This place is one of a kind and the only one in the whole world. The Fallas Museum, located in Valencia, invites residents and guests of the city to admire huge compositional monuments that ridicule significant realities and events of our time in a revealing satirical form.
Throughout the year, craftsmen make them, and on March 15, a carnival is held - almost at every crossroads of the city on this day you can see giant statues.
The holiday ends in a few days. On the night of March 19, all the statues are burned in a cleansing fire, which should call for spring. The figure that manages not to burn is sent to the Fallas Museum.
El Carmen Contemporary Art Center
After visiting the Valencia Oceanographic Park and all the above attractions, you should also go to this chic museum, located in the center of the bohemian district of the city. It is located in the building of an ancient monastery, founded back in 1281. It now houses the Cultural Center for Contemporary Art Exhibitions.
Various exhibitions and events organized by the Community of Museums of Valencia are often held here. But even if nothing like this is planned for the coming dates, tourists should still go here - take a walk around the building, explore the ancient wallsand a picturesque courtyard, appreciate the scale of the spacious cool rooms.
What is worth only one architectural ensemble of the building. It may well serve as a guide to a variety of historical eras. Over the entire period of its existence, the monastery has undergone a lot of reconstruction, as a result of which its image has become an example of an incredible mixture of styles.
National Museum of Ceramics
When discussing the color of the city of Valencia located in Spain, I would like to note this place with attention. The country is basically known all over the world for its colorful mosaics and ceramics. And the national museum, originally called El Museo Nacional de la Cerámica, is the best place to get acquainted with the most outstanding examples of this art. Also there you can learn the most amazing secrets of the masters.
In the same museum of Valencia, you can admire the fine furniture of past centuries, decorative art, traditional clothing and many other exhibits.
And it is located in an incredibly beautiful palace of the XVIII century, which once belonged to the Marquis of Dos Aguas. So tourists, coming here, will not only join the centuries-old ceramic tradition of the city, but also get incredible pleasure from the luxurious architecture and interiors made in the rococo style.
Sports
Studying the description of the sights of Valencia, it is worth noting the fact that everyone here leads an active lifestyle. This, one might say, is the highlight of the city. Sports in Valencia are developed and loved.
Alleys,parks, city streets - all the space is designed in such a way that people can comfortably move both on foot and on any type of transport (meaning scooters, rollerblades, bicycles).
Here you can often see young parents who, walking with their babies, push them in strollers not walking, but running.
And the former bed of the dried up hand is today a huge park that crosses the entire city. It can be called an open-air gym. Indeed, in every corner of the park there are treadmills, exercise bikes, fitness equipment and separate areas for basketball, baseball, volleyball and football. Valencia is a very sporty city. For connoisseurs of an active lifestyle, there are absolutely all conditions here.
Football
This is the most popular sport in Spain. Football is very popular in Valencia - there are two clubs that represent the city in the first division of the Spanish League, also called Primera.
FC Valencia CF was founded in 1919, March 18th. Its home stadium is the Mestalla, built in 1923, which can accommodate 55,000 spectators. But soon the team should move to a new field. The construction of the New Mestalla is underway. It was assumed that the capacity would be increased to 75,000, but then the figure was reduced to 60,000. At the moment, due to financial problems, construction is frozen.
"Valencia" can be called a successful club. The team became the champion of the country 6 times, won the Spanish Cup seven times, once -Super Cup, also won several UEFA European titles.
The second city football club is Levante. It was founded even earlier, in 1909. His home stadium is Ciudad de Valencia, with a capacity of 25,000.
Football club "Levante" has a difficult history - he only once, in 1937, won the Spanish Cup. The team often balanced between the third and second divisions, and rarely won a ticket to the European championships. At the moment, things are not going as badly as they used to be - the club is in 12th place in the national championship standings out of 20.
Ruzafa District
The most popular attractions related to cultural education were briefly described above. Now you can pay a little attention to the topic of entertainment.
Ruzafa district is the most stylish and fashionable in the city. Here is the maximum concentration of informals, hipsters, lovers of bohemian buildings, parties, vintage shops and author's cuisine. Although this was once a poor workers' district.
Once here, you can visit La Canalla Bistro, an establishment of the popular chef Ricardo Camarena, made in the style of a New York bistro. You should stop by for brunch at the Circa Almacén coffee shop with an unusual interior, relax in the library-cafe Ubik cafe, and get acquainted with the flavor of the vegan restaurants Copenhagen, Malmö and Oslo.
Also definitely worth a visit is the local Mercado de Ruzafa market and the Galería Imprevisual and Espai Tactel galleries. In general, in this area you can safely "get lost" for one day asminimum. No one has left it without impressions and a sea of emotions. This place is very popular in Valencia.
Port Saplaya area and other surroundings
Another colorful place for walking. Port "Saplaya" is interesting at least because it is built on the water. Very often this area is called Little Venice. It became residential only in 1970, until that moment Port "Saplaya" was a favorite place for out-of-town recreation for local residents.
Why come here? To enjoy the view of bright, elegant houses with openwork balconies and arches and admire the snow-white yachts. You can also try unusual dishes here - squid sandwiches, the freshest seafood, paella.
And then you can go to the Albufera National Reserve, where anyone can enter for free. Dozens of different species of birds live on its territory, which some watch for hours. Here you can also meet the sunset, sitting on the shore of the lake, ride a bike along the deserted beach.
Other neighborhoods worth exploring are the towns of El Pereyo, Saler and Pereyonet. There reigns a real country serenity. The coastline, which seems to have no end, merges with the blue sea. A peaceful vacation on an empty beach alone with nature itself will bring no less vivid impressions than trips to museums, cathedrals and theaters.
And most importantly - the weather here almost always has a beach holiday. Of course, the air temperature in January is about +17 °C, and the water is about+14 °C, but this will not stop the true lovers of sea coolness, but even inspire.
Travel Experiences
What do tourists leave about visiting Valencia? They are all positive, and this characterizes the city in the best way. After all, everyone has different, subjective opinions, but even here they agreed.
People describe with pleasure and in the brightest colors the impressions received from visiting this Spanish metropolis. The only negative, if you can call it that, is the following: no matter how many days a tourist comes to Valencia, he will still not be enough. It is so interesting here that you want to stay as long as possible.
