Valencia
The city of Valencia was founded in 138 B.C. by the Roman Consul, Decimus Junius Brutus. It fell under the rule of the Visigoths, Byzantines, and later Arabs, until, in 1238, Jaime I the Conqueror incorporated it in the Kingdom of Aragon.
Valencia is the gateway to the Costa Blanca's popular holiday resorts that we cover, such Calpe , Moraira, Javea & Denia, as well as the other resorts
It was established as the capital of the kingdom that takes its name, and had its own laws that subsisted for nearly five centuries. It was during this long period that Valencia forged and consolidated her material and spiritual personality, erecting magnificent monuments and creating cultural and judicial institutions.
The city gracefully mixes new and old, with modern public services, business establishments and leisure attractions, all moving against a backdrop of historically important civic and religious buildings, monuments and museums. Among these are the Fine Arts Museum, Modern Art Museum, Ceramics Museum, Taurine Museum, Fallas Museum, City of Arts and Sciences. Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, and has a population of over 800,000. It is a coastal city on the Mediterranean, and is surrounded by immense beaches. Because the regional climate is so mild (yearly average temperature 60 F), it is quite pleasant to visit the beaches during the greater part of the year.
The world-famous Fallas festival in March is well worth going to.
What to do:
Stroll through the old city center , visiting the Lonja, the Central Market, the Cathedral, the Palau de la Generalitar, the Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas, the Serranos and the Quart towers.
Wander up the Calle Colon where you will find Spanish brands Camper, Zara, Mango, Adolfo Dominguez, which are cheaper than in the UK. Continue on to the Mercado Central, Plaza de Mercado, an Art Nouveau glass- and girder-covered market with over 1,000 stalls selling everything from live eels and ostrich eggs to vegetables and cheese. Don't leave without sampling the paella.
Time for lunch and you have endless choices. You could stop off at any of the cafés near the market for some tapas or head up to 'A Fuego Lento' (00 34 963 371 956), Calle Caballeros 47, which serves the very best tapas and wine.
Visit the futuristic City of Arts and Science, Calle Arzobispo Mayoral 14. Forget walking: you have done enough. Pick up a cab and prepare for the jaw-dropping design by Santiago Calatrava. Puncturing the skyline like bleached cathedrals, the complex houses interactive exhibitions, an Imax cinema, galleries, a concert hall, a science museum, oceanographic park and Europe's largest aquarium.
In the evening, go for a boat ride on the Albufera. Don't miss the beauty of the sunset over the lake.
Time for dinner. Order a genuine Valencian paella, a dish of 'all i pebre' (eels in garlic and pepper sauce) in 'El Palmar', and a freshly made orxata in Alboraya.
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