Dear travelers,
Where We Stayed in Valencia: Hotel Ciencias Select
For our stay in Valencia, we chose Hotel Ciencias Select, and the location worked really well for our itinerary. The hotel is close to the City of Arts and Sciences and within walking distance of Oceanogràfic, which was especially convenient since this was one of the main places we wanted to visit. The rooms are modern and have air conditioning, a private bathroom, Wi-Fi, and tea and coffee facilities. It was a good base for our short Valencia trip, especially if you want to stay close to the City of Arts and Sciences while still being able to reach the historic center by public transport.
Exploring Valencia City Center
One of the things I liked about Valencia was how easy it was to explore the historic center on foot.
Valencia has more than 2,000 years of history, and its historic center is one of the largest in Europe. Some of its biggest attractions, including the Central Market, Valencia Cathedral, La Lonja de la Seda, and several of its most famous plazas are relatively close to each other.
So, instead of trying to jump from attraction to attraction, my recommendation would be simple: put on comfortable shoes and walk.
Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Valencia City Hall
A good place to start exploring is Plaza del Ayuntamiento, one of Valencia’s main squares.
This is where you’ll find the impressive City Hall, surrounded by beautiful buildings that immediately give you that okay, we are definitely in Spain feeling.
It’s not necessarily somewhere you need to schedule hours for. For us, it was more of a starting point for walking around the city center and slowly making our way toward the other attractions.
Mercado Central de Valencia
From there, make your way toward Mercado Central, or Valencia’s Central Market.
If you follow my travel guides, you already know I love markets. They are one of the easiest ways to get a little glimpse into everyday life in a destination, especially when food is involved.
And Valencia’s Central Market is worth visiting for the building alone.
The market is known for its Modernist architecture and is filled with stalls selling fresh produce and local products. Official tourism information describes it as one of the highlights of Valencia’s historic center, alongside the nearby Silk Exchange.
My tip would be to visit earlier in the day, especially if you actually want to experience the market rather than just see the building.
La Lonja de la Seda
Right by the Central Market you’ll also find La Lonja de la Seda, or the Silk Exchange.
Even if you have limited time in Valencia, it makes sense to combine the two because they are practically neighbors.
La Lonja is one of the most important examples of civil Gothic architecture in Valencia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Plaza de la Reina and Valencia Cathedral
Continue your walk toward Plaza de la Reina, one of the most recognizable squares in Valencia’s historic center.
This is where you’ll find Valencia Cathedral and its famous bell tower, El Miguelete or Micalet.
The cathedral is especially famous because its Chapel of the Holy Grail houses a chalice traditionally associated with the Holy Grail.
Yes. That Holy Grail.
Even if churches aren’t usually high on your sightseeing list, the entire area around the cathedral is worth visiting because it’s right in the heart of the old city and surrounded by some of Valencia’s prettiest streets and plazas.
Plaza de la Virgen
Just behind the cathedral is another square you shouldn’t miss: Plaza de la Virgen, or Plaça de la Mare de Déu.
It’s home to the Basilica of the Virgen de los Desamparados and forms part of Valencia’s historic cathedral quarter.
I would combine Plaza de la Reina, the Cathedral, and Plaza de la Virgen into one part of your itinerary rather than treating them as three separate attractions.
Walk around, sit somewhere for a little while, look at the buildings, people-watch.
You’re on holiday. You don’t need to turn sightseeing into a competitive sport.
Trying Horchata at Horchatería Santa Catalina
And then came one of those travel moments when the internet tells you: YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS.
So obviously, we did.
Valencia is famous for horchata, a traditional drink made from chufa, or tiger nuts. It’s often served cold and paired with long, sweet pastries called fartons.
We decided to try it at Horchatería Santa Catalina, one of the best-known places in the city for this Valencian specialty.
And? I didn’t like it. I know. Sorry, Valencia.
Maybe I was expecting something completely different, but the flavor just wasn’t for me.
Still, I’m glad we tried it.
I think that’s part of traveling too. Not every traditional food needs to become your new favorite thing. Sometimes you try something because it’s part of the local culture, discover that you absolutely don’t understand the hype, laugh about it, and move on to the next meal.
And speaking of the next meal…
You Can’t Visit Valencia Without Trying Paella
This one was much more successful.
If there is one food that Valencia is famous for internationally, it’s paella.
What many people don’t realize before visiting is that paella actually originated in Valencia. Traditional paella Valenciana is also different from the seafood-heavy versions many tourists automatically associate with paella.
So naturally, trying one was high on our list.
Before the main event arrived, we were served a simple starter with bread, aioli, and tomato.
Nothing overly complicated, but honestly, sometimes these are the things I love most about eating around the Mediterranean.
Bread. Tomato. Aioli.
Do we really need much more?
Then came the paella.
One useful thing to know when planning your Valencia food adventures is that paella is traditionally considered a lunch dish rather than dinner. So if you want to make the experience a little more local, plan a proper long lunch rather than leaving paella for 9 p.m.
And unlike my horchata experience, this is definitely one Valencian tradition I can get behind.
The City of Arts and Sciences: Valencia’s Futuristic Side
After spending time around the historic center, Valencia suddenly changes completely.
Enter the City of Arts and Sciences, or Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.
This was probably the place that visually impressed me the most.
The huge white futuristic buildings, water, bridges, curves… it feels completely different from the Valencia you’ve just been exploring in the historic center.
The complex is one of Valencia’s biggest attractions and includes several different venues rather than being one single museum. Among them are:
- Oceanogràfic
- Museu de les Ciències
- Hemisfèric
- Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía
- Umbracle
- Other cultural and event spaces
You can buy individual or combined tickets for several of the main attractions, including Oceanogràfic, the Science Museum, and Hemisfèric.
Even if you don’t plan to go inside every attraction, I would still come here just to walk around.
The architecture itself is an experience.
Visiting Oceanogràfic Valencia
We decided to visit Oceanogràfic, and let me warn you about one thing:
It is HUGE.
Like, “surely we’ve seen everything now… oh wait, there’s another entire section” huge.
Oceanogràfic is dedicated to different marine ecosystems, with areas representing habitats from around the world. The official aquarium describes it as a journey through some of the world’s major marine ecosystems, and the current site lists more than 650 species.
There are sharks, penguins, belugas, underwater tunnels, and so many different areas that you really shouldn’t treat this as a quick one-hour stop.
We found it genuinely interesting, but I would definitely recommend leaving several hours for the visit.
If you are planning a packed Valencia itinerary, keep this in mind. Don’t schedule Oceanogràfic, five museums, lunch, the beach, sunset cocktails, and three neighborhoods on the same afternoon.
Should You Buy Oceanogràfic Tickets Online?
We bought our Oceanogràfic tickets online before visiting.
You don’t necessarily have to do this because tickets can also be purchased at the ticket office. However, the official Oceanogràfic website recommends online tickets as a way to avoid queues and waiting.
I personally liked having everything organized beforehand, especially because we already knew we wanted to visit.
Ticket prices and opening hours vary depending on the date and season, so I recommend checking the official website before your trip rather than relying on a price you saw in an old blog post.
What We Didn’t Have Time to See in Valencia
This is the part of the travel guide where I admit that no, we did not see absolutely everything Valencia has to offer.
And that’s okay.
Two places in particular stayed on our list.
Turia Gardens
We didn’t have enough time to properly explore Turia Gardens, and I think this would be one of the first things I’d add if we returned to Valencia.
The garden follows the former course of the Turia River and stretches for more than eight kilometers through the city, eventually reaching the City of Arts and Sciences. It’s popular for walking and cycling and is one of Valencia’s most distinctive green spaces.
If you have more time than we did, cycling through the park toward the City of Arts and Sciences sounds like a really nice way to combine the two.
Saving that one for next time.
Valencia Beaches
And yes, despite going to a Mediterranean city famous for its coastline…
we didn’t go to the beach.
I know.
But there are only so many hours in a trip, and we decided we’d rather properly experience the places we had chosen than rush through everything just so I could say I’d been there.
If you have an extra day, Valencia’s main urban beach areas include Malvarrosa and El Cabanyal, while the Marina is another popular area to explore. The city’s tourism board highlights its beaches and Marina among Valencia’s essential places to visit.
So if you’re visiting during warmer weather and have three or more days, definitely consider adding some beach time.
How to Get Around Valencia
One thing that made our trip easier was that getting around Valencia wasn’t complicated.
Walking
For the historic center, walking is your best friend.
You can easily create a route around:
Plaza del Ayuntamiento → Mercado Central → La Lonja → Plaza de la Reina → Valencia Cathedral → Plaza de la Virgen → Horchatería Santa Catalina
You’ll see plenty along the way, so don’t worry too much about following the route perfectly.
Buses
For longer distances, we used the bus.
What made it especially convenient for us was being able to pay by card directly inside the bus, so we didn’t need to figure out where to buy a separate ticket first.
As transport payment systems can change, I always recommend checking the latest EMT Valencia information before your trip.
Uber in Valencia
We also used Uber to get to and from Valencia Airport, and for us, the convenience was worth it.
Is Valencia Worth Visiting?
For me, Valencia was much more diverse than I expected.
You have the beautiful historic center with its plazas, markets, churches, and traditional food, and then you have the City of Arts and Sciences looking like somebody dropped a piece of the future into the middle of Spain.
Add paella, Mediterranean weather, easy transportation, and a beach that I apparently need to return to actually see, and you have a pretty perfect city-break destination.
Truly yours,
The Creation of Us
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