Valencia – Truths & Trivia
Just a little fun...
So this post is our light-hearted view of Valencia.
It has some of the interesting stuff, a few trivial facts, and our thoughts on this Spanish city.
Quick Links
Let’s start with the Truths about Valencia
A Spanish city on the Mediterranean CoastLocation
The 3 C's
Continent
Europe
Country
Spain
Capital
Madrid
Valencia is one of Spain’s largest ports, but that will not be interesting to you, unless you are a port buff. You probably will be interested in the beach & harbour area, which although not nestled next to the old town as in Barcelona, is walkable, rideable or easily accessible with public transport.
The focal area for a mini-break will be the old city, centered around the cathedral.
National Flag
Regional Flag
It’s good to talk
What speaks?
Language
Spanish, Valencian, and a good smattering of English
International Dialling Code
+34
Currency
The Euro € (EUR)
What Time?
Timezone
Central European Time (CET)
Difference from UTC
+1 Hour
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Travel Reading
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So what’s this Trivia then?
(about Spain's third largest city after Madrid & Barcelona)Did you know?
- Like London (Londinium), Valencia (Valentia) was founded by the Romans, although a couple of hundred years before, (138BC vs 43AD)
- Through the city flows a wonderful open space of parks & gardens enjoyed by the Valencians and tourists alike, leading to the City of Arts & Science. The reason it flows so organically through the city is because it has been reclaimed from the old River Turia which was diverted as a result of the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957. The water is now split and used for irrigation, and the high flood waters routed through man-made channels, (similar to those in LA)
- Within the cathedral is a chapel said to contain the Holy Chalice, the cup that Jesus drank from at the last supper. We didn’t before we went.
- The Valencia Orange comes from… The USA – a hybrid orange developed in California. That doesn’t change one fact though: A freshly squeezed glass of orange juice, with a fresh cup of coffee, in the Valencian sunshine is a glorious thing.
It's famous for...
Food and Drink
Oranges
Hanging in abundance along the streets.
Horchata and Fartons
Refreshing ice cold tigernut based drink, served with a delicate pastry finger for dunking.
Paella
This is the birthplace and spiritual home for this wonderful rice dish.
Agua de Valencia
Thirst-quenching cocktail made from Cava, orange juice, vodka & gin.
Check out our ‘Culinary delights and tipples‘ post for more details
See and Do
City of Arts & Science
Step into the future and enjoy the space.
Cathedral
A chance to see the holy grail, or so they say.
Beach
What can be better than warm sand between your toes, why not have a paella whilst overlooking the beach?
Mercado Central
A splendid food market, set in a magnificent building. Find out more in our post about it.
Don’t forget to have a peek at “12 things to see & do in Valencia, Spain“
Movies & Music
Tomorrowland
Starring George Clooney (Confession – I had to look that up, not seen the film.)
Concierto de Aranjuez
by Joaquín Rodrigo (Over to Gary for this one.)
The Concierto de Aranjuez is a wonderful piece of music that sends shivers down my spine. Joaquín Rodrigo was born in Valencia, however the piece was inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real de Aranjuez in Madrid. My personal favourite version is from the 1996 movie, Brassed Off.
A helpful guide
There are so many incredible places to discover in Spain and I love planning road trips. I often use the DK Eyewitness books, I find them extremely informative, easy to follow and the pictures and maps tempt you into searching for more.
We used a previous version of this book to plan our Spanish road trips, now you can grab the revised copy.
And our thoughts on Valencia?
(Would we return? Is it good value? And did we feel the love?)Return-a-bility
or What are the chances of us revisiting?
(0% - You'll have to drag us over hot coals to go back 100% - Why am I not there now?)
Notes:
Great city, plenty to see & do, more than you can fit in a 2-3 day mini-break, and it’s easy to step away from the tourist hot-spots and you can mingle with the locals.
Value for Money
Our value for money index.
Don't forget we're Londoners, and that means our baseline is quite high.
(0% - How much? I wanted to buy a drink, not the bar 100% - How much? I'll take two.)
Notes:
As with so much of Spain, wine & beer reasonably priced, especially if you avoid the tourist hot spots such as Plaça de la Reina. That said, the prices there are not going to make your toes curl. Grazing on Tapas is a great way to eat reasonably too, move between bars and choose what takes your fancy.
Getting around town
What's it like discovering the city?
Is it walkable? do you need to use public transport? did we leave with weary feet?
(0% - It's mountainous and public transport's a joke 100% - I'm in paradise.)
Notes:
To be perfectly honest we walked nearly everywhere, it’s reasonably flat so, it’s easy to discover the old town. The locals are friendly too, so if you need directions, don’t worry about asking. Regarding heading to the beach, it’s a long walk from the town centre, around 3.5 miles/5.7km. So, I would suggest public transport here; if you have a Valencia Tourist Card, then public transport is free. Alternatively, grab a taxi.
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Janis's Hi's & Lo's
Highlight
Relaxed friendly city, with a small town feel. Enjoyed the long evenings dipping in and out of the tapas bars, sampling the Iberico ham and Rioja.
Lowlight
I really can’t think of anything, I loved Valencia but 3 nights just wasn’t enough to do this city justice.
Gary's Hi's & Lo's
Highlight
Café Museu on Carrer del Museu; Wonderful little place where I felt like we were rubbing shoulders with the locals in a warm & friendly atmosphere. I’ll also sneak in the City of Arts & Science – fabulous place.
Lowlight
Just not enough time to explore the city.
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Inspired to visit Valencia?
Why not give it a try as an alternative to Barcelona? You still get a beach, plus you can have the real deal Paella, see the holy grail and wash it down with the local's very own Agua de Valencia.
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