Valencia is a city where centuries-old traditions coexist in perfect harmony with new trends.
Walking through the streets and squares of its old town, contemplating the magnificent modernist buildings, visiting old churches or reaching the futuristic area of the City of Arts and Sciences are, simply, some of the experiences that you can live in Valencia.
The Barrio del Carmen is located in the heart of the city, in the center of the old town, being one of the largest medieval neighborhoods in Europe. An area full of terraces, bars, restaurants, markets and shops that give life during the day and where you can breathe the true essence of the city. However, when night falls, the neighborhood transforms and becomes the perfect place to go out to dinner, go for tapas or have a drink in one of its many places.
We could start our tour in La Plaza de la Virgen located on an old Roman forum. It is surrounded by the Cathedral of Santa María, the Palace of the Generalitat and the Basilica of the Virgen de los Desamparados. In this area, in addition to the incalculable cultural value that we are going to find, it will always be a good time to sit on one of its terraces and enjoy the atmosphere around the square.
The Church of San Nicolás and Pedro Martir is known as the Valencian Sistine Chapel. It was built in the Valencian Gothic style in the 15th century and its last major renovation was in 2016 by Gialuigi Colalucci, responsible for the restoration of the Sistine Chapel.
A visit to the Central Market, considered one of the best in Europe, is one of the most interesting things we can do in Valencia. The building is one of the jewels of modernism in the city with an incredible combination of glass and metal.
A few meters away is La Lonja de la Seda de Valencia, declared a World Heritage Site, another of the Valencian civil Gothic masterpieces.
The Torres de Serranos, is next to the Torres de Quart, the only two fortified gates that are preserved from the wall that surrounded the city in medieval times.
The Plaza del Ayuntamiento, surrounded by buildings such as the Post Office building, the Mercantile Athenaeum, the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas or the Estación de Norte, in a modernist style inaugurated in 1917 is another almost obligatory stop.
From the historic center if we continue walking through the Jardin del Turía we will reach our next destination.
The City of Arts and Sciences inaugurated in 1998 is an avant-garde style ensemble, the work of Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. This complex is made up of L'Hemisfèric, the Science Museum, the Umbracle, the Palace of the Arts, the Agora, the Bridge of l'Assut de l'Or and the Oceanographic.
The visit is worthwhile both in the morning and at sunset, being able to choose between walking along the shore of the artificial lakes that surround the buildings and going up to the Monteolivete Bridge to have good views, or enjoy the night lighting of this small city.
If we talk about gastronomy, we have from small neighborhood cafes to exclusive restaurants with Michelin stars.
Why visit Valencia? Because it is unique for countless reasons. For its more than 300 days of sunshine, for its gastronomy, for its beaches, for its lifestyle, for its green spaces, for its history, because it is an avant-garde symbol, for its unique spaces ... Valencia is unique
