Guest Post: Why Valencia Deserves to be Visited?

Author: Marco Geri (Voyagers Voice)

Surely, one of the tourist destinations that is becoming more established in the Iberian Peninsula is the city of Valencia. Valencia is not only a destination for sun and beach tourism (because it is a coastal city with a very good Mediterranean climate), but it is also a destination for cultural tourism. The city of Valencia offers a lot of places of historical, cultural and artistic interest, especially in the city center. Valencia has one of the largest and best preserved historic centres in Europe. Since its foundation and in over two thousand years of its history, different cultures have passed through the city, such as the Romans, the Visigoths and the Arabs. Walking through the centre you can enjoy the churches, museums, buildings, etc. so precious and important, some of which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cathedral of Valencia from Plaza de la Virgen

To start the tour, we can start from the central Town Hall Square “Plaza del Ayuntamiento”, surrounded by some buildings of architectural jewels, among which the Post Office building and the headquarters of the Valencia City Council stand out. In the middle of the square there is a fountain that turns into a multicoloured light show at night.

Plaza del Ayuntamiento (Town Hall Square)

Another place of interest is the North Train Station “Estación del Norte”, without a doubt one of the most beautiful train stations in Spain. Built at the beginning of the 20th century with its modernist-style façade and some incredibly beautiful murals inside.

Estación del Norte (North Train Station)

In the Plaza de la Virgen, one of the most beautiful and famous squares in Valencia, is the Cathedral of Valencia. The cathedral was built in the 13th century (period in which the Muslim Empire reigned in Valencia), as a mosque, until it was finished in the 15th century and became the Cathedral. The Cathedral has different styles among which we find the Gothic, Romantic, Renaissance and Baroque. Here you can see the virtual tour of the Cathedral of Valencia http://tourvirtual.museocatedralvalencia.com/tour.html

The Tower of Miguelete built between the end of the 14th and 15th centuries is considered the bell tower of the Valencia Cathedral. Gothic style octagonal tower, it was used as a refuge for those who were persecuted. From the tower with an approximate height of 70 meters, you can enjoy the wonderful views of the city.

Tower of Miguelete

Another architectural jewel found in the centre of the city is the Silk Exchange “Lonja de la Seda”, built between the 15th and 16th centuries in a Gothic style and declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. Using this building was for the silk trade, very popular with Asia, America and Northern Europe.

In front of the Silk Exchange in the heart of the Carmen neighborhood, we find the Central Market of Valencia. This building with modernist architecture is made up of stained glass windows, tiles, and iron columns. It is one of the largest and most fascinating markets in Europe. Besides delighting visitors with its attractive architecture and its dome covered with mosaics of different colours, here you can find all kinds of food products and typical products of Valencian cuisine and enjoy its flavours and aromas.

Central Market

Another emblem of the city is the Serrano Towers “Torres de Serrano”. Built in Gothic style at the end of the 14th century, they served as a gateway to the city, which was walled. The Serrano Towers have a symmetrical polygonal shape and in front of them, there is a moat that protected the city. In the 19th century, the Serrano Towers became a prison until the prison was closed because of protests against the inhumane conditions for prisoners.

Torres de Serrano (Serrano Towers)

In the centre is also the Church of San Nicolas, known as the Valencian Sistine Chapel. Rebuilt in the 15th century in a Gothic style, later in the 17th century, it was decorated in the interior in a Baroque style. Inside the church, you can enjoy impressive frescoes on the ceiling and walls.

In the centre, there are other places of interest that deserve to be visited, so a walk through the streets of the historic center is advisable. The Turia Garden (former Turia riverbed) is another place that deserves to be visited. Because of the overflow of the Turia river, which caused a great tragedy both on a human level and material damage, it was diverted the riverbed and in this way the Turia Garden was created. The Turia Garden is an authentic lung (8-9 km long) of the city, where besides different types of flora there are also a lot of artistic sculptures that decorate the park.

In this park, we also find the City of Arts and Sciences, which is an avant-garde architectural and cultural complex made up of six areas designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava. The six areas that make up the City of Arts and Sciences are: The Science Museum, the Hemisferic, the Umbracle, the Palace of Arts, the Agora and the Oceanographic.

For lovers of animals and nature, we recommend a visit to the Oceanographic. The Valencia Oceanographic is the largest aquarium in Europe with 500 different marine species. Represents the main marine ecosystems. The Oceanographic is also conceived as an educational project to raise awareness of the conservation of biodiversity.

The city of Valencia is known worldwide for its festivals called “Las Fallas”, which are celebrated every year from March 15 to 19. It is a creative festival, where around 800 artistic works made of combustible material are exposed in the streets of the city. At the end of the festivities, all the works (which are meticulously prepared throughout the year) are burned, except for the winning “fallas” (the big one and the small one), which are displayed in the Fallas Museum together with the winning fallas of the other years. Because it is a unique festival in the world, in 2016, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Also, for museum lovers, the city offers many of them. To name a few and the most important, we could name above all the National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts (World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2019), The Science Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Fallas Museum, etc.

To finish, you cannot leave Valencia without knowing the Port and the beach of Valencia, where you can discover the essence of the city, knowing its maritime neighbourhoods and enjoying the Promenade “Paseo Maritimo”.

For all this and for being a welcoming city with many activities to offer tourists, such are cultural, adventure, gastronomic, leisure etc. Valencia deserves to be visited and surely it will not leave you indifferent.

In short, if you want to know more about the culture or the art of any country look at our Blog.

Author: Marco Geri (Voyagers Voice)