Valencia combines a walkable old town with the City of Arts and Sciences, a long beach, a huge urban park and Spain's best paella. Spring has the Fallas festival; summer is hot but lively.
Good to know
- Authentic paella is lunch food; avoid restaurants serving it at night with photo menus.
- Rent a bike; the Turia Gardens path crosses the city.
- Fallas (March 15-19) is spectacular but loud and crowded; book early.
Eat this
Places the planner can use
Mark places as a must or something to skip. The itinerary is built only from this list; ★ marks the destination’s highlights.
Climb the Miguelete for views of the roofs, and see the Holy Grail in the cathedral.
One of Europe's largest fresh-food markets, in a modernist building with ironwork and tiles.
UNESCO Gothic silk exchange with a hall of spiral columns.
Calatrava's gleaming complex with an oceanographic park, science museum and opera house.
A 9-kilometer park in a former riverbed, perfect for cycling and picnics.
Eat authentic paella cooked over orange wood near the Albufera lagoon.
Wide urban beach with chiringuitos and calm water.
Boat at sunset through rice fields and a lagoon full of birds.
Medieval lanes with street art, bars and plazas.
Try the cold tiger-nut drink with sweet pastry dunking.
Modern art museum with a strong collection of Julio Gonzalez and Valencian contemporary art.