Valencia – Truths & Trivia

So this page is a bit of fun, it is not meant to be a wiki one-stop-shop.

It has some of the interesting stuff , and then a bit of the trivial stuff, including our take on Valencia.

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.

Food & Drink

See & Do

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.)

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?)

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.

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.)

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.

What’s it like driving in the country.
Which side of the road do they drive on? They drive on the right.
(0% – They’re suicidal – they’re out to kill us 100% – I’m in driving paradise.)

We didn’t drive into Valencia; Taxi from the airport, very quick & easy. Fixed rate price too. The old town centre, not surprisingly, is tight and the grinding of the taxi’s wheels on the very narrow streets made Gary wince – I’m sure he wouldn’t risk his allow wheels through these narrow roads. However our experience of Spain in general has been good. Good driving standards, well sign-posted and generally easy to get around.

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.

I really can’t think of anything, I loved Valencia but 3 nights just wasn’t enough to do this city justice.

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.

Just not enough time to explore the city.