Valencia is Spain's oldest and third largest city, founded by and named after the valiant Roman troops who put down the local Lusitanian tribes. It's surrounded by fertile lands and has the busiest container port on the Mediterranean Sea.
Valencia has over 300 days of sun a year, but has also been subjected to devastating floods. The diverting of the river to deal with this created an opportunity to build something new and the Valencians built the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) on the old riverbed. The striking design by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela also came with a striking 1 billion euro price tag, so local opinions on the project are mixed...
It also has a lavish set of old buildings to wander around such as the Cathedral, which was built on the site of the former mosque and contains the holy grail. The newly restored church of San Nicolás is also well worth a visit for its full-on cherub-filled baroque ceiling.
Paella originates from Valencia and although adopted as the national dish, where better to sample it - in particular arròs negre - black rice paella made with squid or cuttlefish ink. For drinks, Valencians invented xufa (also known as orxata), a sweet but thirst quenching 'milk' made from tiger nuts. A visit to the Central Market, Europe’s largest fresh produce market, is an excellent place to pick up a feast and also feast your eyes on the Modernist architecture.
The first part of March is devoted to Fallas - the creation of huge and hugely elaborate paper, wood and wax puppets (ninots) which are then all burned on 19th March. On each day leading up to the 19th is some sort of pyrotechnic display. This massive event has been recognised as a UNESCO intangible cultural treasure.
And on the subject of World Heritage, the 15th Century La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange) is also well worth a visit.
If all that sightseeing and feasting leaves you fancying a bit of a chillout by the beach, why not head to Malvarrosa beach?
But for me, the most appealing thing about this big old city is that it's easy to cycle around. Why not hire a bike and and explore by peddle power.
Highlights
Stroll around the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias - a massive 350,000 sq meter complex of futuristic structures including an opera house, science museum, cinema and Oceanogràfic aquarium
Check out the UNESCO listed La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange) with it's twisted pillars and courtyard filled with orange trees
Visit the mostly Gothic Cathedral which contains a Roman-era agate cup claimed to be the Holy Grail
Peruse the vast be-domed Modernist Central Market with it's piled-high counters of locally sourced seafood, meat, fruit and veg (...and some snacks for tourists)
Cycle everywhere.
Station stroll ideas
Tourist info have provided a set of downloadable maps and guides here. There is also a Valencia app to guide you around, which is available here.
Guided tours
If you would like a guided tour, including cycling tours, Tourist info have provided this list.
Luggage
If you want to stroll without a care in the world, including your luggage, you could try using the nannybag app to find a place that will take your bags.
Getting there
Valencia is just 1 3⁄4 hours from Madrid and 3 hours from Barcelona on the coast hugging Euromed service. If you stop at Amposta on the way, you can go and visit the Ebro Delta.
Useful links
Tourist info: https://www.visitvalencia.com/
Where next?
Why not continue to Alicante?