Valencia, Spain

[Saracarbonera]

I´m looking for things to do in Valencia. Going next week for a few days but not really planned anything to do once we ge there.

We used to drive up to Valencia quite often when we lived abroad and you couldn't pick a nicer place,you must try the Paella (you can get meat if you are not fond of fish) but the fish one is to die for,go to small Spanish Bars for Tapas find some run by families as they are more authentic,don't be affraid of the house wine it is very good and drink the local beer its good if not better than UK beer.
You can buy a ticket for a hop on hop off tourist bus from Queens Plaza in Town it runs from Nov-March from 10am till 7pm and later in summer time,you can get a ticket to take you to 2 different tours depending what you like one is Monumental and the other is Maritime you go to 9/10 different stops where you can hop off and look around and pick up the next bus.Go to The Cruise Port and people watch and don't forget to visit one of the Spanish bars that do original flamenco in the evenings some of these are never advertised and just occur on the spur of the moment. Enjoy its a fab place.

You must go to the Bioparc. Fabulous zoo like no other. Pricey but brilliant, unforgettable day out. We also enjoyed the beach - short train (or was it tram?) ride from the city centre and the Ciudad de las Artes y Las Ciencias which is the iconic group of buildings you see in all contemporary photos of the city - comprising a couple of museums, botanical gardens, planetarium and aquarium. Don't miss the indoor market near the cathedral as well - I forget the name - but well worth a visit. Have fun - it's a great city.

I'm giggling at the idea of spur of the moment flamenco in Valencia. Any flamenco you see here has been laid on for the tourists - it's not a Valencian thing at all, it's Andalucian.

OP - Russafa is great for restaurants and nightlife. Head for Calle Cadiz, Calle Sueca, after about 10pm.
For lovely paella, go to L'Eriço on the seafront. It's the Marina Real stop on the tram then a walk down to a long strip of restaurants.
The Oceanografic is a must, as is the Bioparc. Get off at Alameda metro stop and walk a mile along the dry riverbed (which is now a gorgeous green park) to get to the former.
If you need any tips in particular, PM me! I've lived here 12 years

Ooh yes, the Mercado Central is absolutely unmissable, too!

Sorry, glamananna, I've just read that back and it looks like I'm being rude to you. I'm sorry, that's not how I meant to come across.

Essentials: plaza de la reina, plaza de la virgen, torres de serrano, cathedral, barrio del Carmen, plaza del ayuntamiento, lonja and, if you have time, Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas. All of this are close to each other so the can form part of your first day of visits.

Oceanographic is good and you can walk along the gardens of the old river bed afterwards.

Don't carry any showy jewelry and always keep you bad under your arm.

Food: I prefer the areas on the side of Mercado de Ruzafa

Interesting thread

I was thinking about driving to Valencia some time, with a stop in France (we dont usually fly)

If anyone has done it I'd be interested to hear what it was like

We went to Valencia as a last city break before we had DS - absolutely loved it. It's small enough to walk around everywhere (even when six months pregnant!) and I'd echo other posters with some of the things to do -the dry river bed park, City of Arts and Sciences, the beach, and the beach 'front' for a walk.

I also remember the cathedral square and little streets around being lovely for a wander, and there was a lovely little hidden gardens (whose name I can't remember) and some botanical gardens nearby which were also lovely for a wander round. And the sealife centre place (which I think is the Oceanografic PP mentioned) was excellent too.

We stayed really near the beach and went for dinner every night at the row of seafront restaurants that do paella etc right on the beach - lovely. We also went there for breakfast as our hotel was v ££ so we booked room only - lovely having breakfast virtually on the beach.

This has reminded me how much I loved it! - hope you have a lovely trip.

I think I need to dig out the thesaurus and find an alternative word for 'lovely'...

Came on here looking for inspiration for a summer holiday and this has reminded me of two trips to Valencia as a 19 year old student learning Spanish. I'd love to go back, but gave young children now...id love to stay in self catering accommodation near a beach and an easy journey to the city. Would anyone have any suggestions?

yes yes we have just booked caserio del mirador about an hour south of valencia, been before and its simply perfect for little ones, you have your own kitchen so kind of self catering except there are meals prepared everyday anyway so the kids can all eat together (no washing up/plenty of vino included) and valencia jsut up the road for a day trip or two.. we went last year to the amazing zoo, this year will do a bit more wandering around the market, the Russafa area for bars and tapas, cant wait..

Thanks for the tip. That sounds good, although a little further from the city than I had in mind. Are there good transport links to Valencia?

Caserio del mirador is fab, although quite far out if you want to be going to the centre. Shopgirl1 why not try Airbnb? I find renting apartments through them better than booking a hotel now I've got a toddler. Neighbourhoods to look for would be Malvarrosa for right-on-the-beach, or Cabanyal for a bit more life (although that's a bit gritty in the night-time), although to be honest I'd probably pick an apartment in Russafa or El Carmen (both central neighbourhoods) because there's more to do and see, plus the beach is only a short metro/bus/tram ride away.

Depends on your budget, but these two in Malvarrosa look nice and are really well located:

number 1

number 2 my favourite but pricey

Thanks for the tips. I'm a bit nervous of airbnb for some reason, but going to explore those areas, I love the idea of having all the city has to offer nearby but still being at a beach location.