Introduction
If you asked us to close our eyes and go to our “happy place”, I think both of us would go to Valencia. Our recent visit was way too short (only 48 hours), but during that time we fell in love with the city.
Valencia was the second stop on our recent trip to Spain. We started in Madrid, a city we knew very little about, but thoroughly enjoyed.
But Valencia was a different story. We had studied it at length before we moved to Portugal. This trip was a chance to see it for the first time.
Flashback
Before we moved to Portugal, we spent several years researching possible places outside the US to live. Central America (Costa Rica, Panama, Belize) had all been candidates. Mexico was a strong contender for a while.
Then in late 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, we turned our attention to Europe. We considered France for a minute or two, then began seriously considering Spain. Valencia quickly rose to the top of our list of potential landing spots.
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, after Madrid and Barcelona. Almost 850,000 people there. We were impressed with its rich history complemented by a contemporary, forward-looking attitude.
From our vantage point in the US, it appeared to be a vibrant, progressive city. We thought it would be a good place to live.
In the end, for a whole variety of reasons, we decided to move to Portugal. And we’re happy with that decision. But if the North Wind had blown in a slightly different direction, we might now be living in Valencia.
This looks like a fun place
We took the high-speed train from Madrid to Valencia. When we arrived, we stepped out of the train station into the bright Spanish sun. The first thing we saw were these two huge murals.
These ladies seemed to say, “Welcome! We don’t take ourselves to seriously around here. Get ready to have some fun.”
They were right.
Staying in the center of things – again
In Madrid, our hotel was adjacent to the busy Puerta del Sol, one of the capital’s main plazas. For our stay in Valencia, Mike had reserved a room in the Venecia Plaza Centro hotel. It was located on the Plaça de l’Ajuntament – City Hall Plaza – a large triangular esplanade surrounded by stately buildings that is also the gathering place for many local activities.
Most people we saw were strolling unhurried through the plaza. Many had their kids with them, and the children had plenty of space to run or ride their bikes and scooters.
Midway down the plaza was a large fountain with water jets that sparkled in the afternoon sun.
Around the south side of the plaza were a dozen small kiosks where vendors were selling all kinds of brightly colored flowers. Being able to buy fresh flowers on the way home from work or the market has, for us, always been an attractive part of city life.
Throughout the weekend there was a sports and fitness festival taking place in the plaza. Different areas were roped off to make space for various activities for kids, like martial arts demonstrations, an obstacle course, and a small-scale football pitch.
The adults got in the action, too. On Saturday morning there was an exercise / dance session open to the public. We didn’t join in, but we did enjoyed watching several dozen people bust a move.
During our walk that first morning, Mary commented that the atmosphere was festive and happy, just like at Disney World. So we weren’t too surprised to see Mickey and Minnie on the plaza, ready to pose for tourist photos .
The Mercado Central
A few blocks north and west of the Plaça de l’Ajuntament is the Mercado Central – the Central Market. It promotes itself as the largest active market in Europe and, after walking through the vast interior, we can’t argue with the claim.
Image source: visitvalencia.com
A market was first opened in this location in 1839. The current building, a modernist structure of iron, glass, and ceramics, was constructed between 1920 and 1928.
The interior of the market is 8,000 square meters – that’s 86,000 square feet! It houses over 1,000 stalls with vendors selling fresh fruit, produce, seafood, meat, nuts, spices… if you can eat it, you’ll probably find it here.
The displays are large, colorful, and beautifully arranged.
That’s the only squirrel we’ve seen since we moved to Europe. Sox would have loved it!
The City of Arts and Sciences
If you zoom out in Google Maps to see the entire city, you’ll notice a wide green band winding through Valencia. It looks like a big green river. And, in fact, it once was a river – the Turia River.
The Turia River often overflowed its banks, flooding Valencia. After a particularly serious flood in 1957, the Spanish government and the Mayor of Valencia collaborated to devise a plan to divert the river away from the city. In response to requests from residents for more green space, the old riverbed was converted into the largest urban park in Spain.
Turia Park opened in 1986 and has been improved since then with new additions like the Zoo of Valencia, which opened in 2008. One area in the park that had captured our imagination as we read about Valencia was the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias – the City of Arts and Sciences.
This complex of futuristic buildings in the Turia Park includes a planetarium, L’Hemisfèric, and an opera house, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia
Image source: J.M. Llorente via Wikimedia Commons
There is also an interactive science museum that resembles the skeleton of a whale and the largest oceanographic aquarium in Europe. All the buildings are surrounded by water, making them seem like large floating objects from outer space.
It’s hard to convey how big these buildings are. We walked around the Palau de les Arts and felt dwarfed by it.
The end of the day
After a couple days of exploring our corner of Valencia, we were ready to kick back and relax. And what better way to do it than with a cold beverage that epitomized the spirit of Valencia. Our friend Heather had suggested that we try a bar called Babilonia, which happened to be around the corner from our hotel. It was a great choice. They had outdoor tables where we could relax, reflect, and enjoy a couple cold drinks.
Mary ordered an “Agua de Valencia” – a local favorite made with cava (a Spanish sparkling wine, similar to prosecco), orange juice, vodka, and gin. This is one of those drinks that you can only have one of, but boy, was it refreshing!
Mike enjoyed his go-to cocktail, and the drink of choice for many locals – a gin and tonic. This one was made with Bulldog gin – one that he hadn’t tried before. Another good choice.
Adios, until next time
We learn many of our travel lessons the hard way – through making mistakes. And sometimes we have to make the mistake multiple times before the lesson is obvious. This trip reinforced our learning that anything less than 4 days in a new place is too short a time to fully experience it.
Our trip to Valencia was far too short, but it was just long enough to convince us that we’ll have to come back again. Maybe for a month. Or three. We’ve already started the list of things to see next time.
In an earlier post, we wrote about how we enjoyed tapas in Madrid and Valencia. During this trip we did not get to try paella, a classic Spanish stew that originated in Valencia. That’s at the top of the list for the next visit. And we want to come back for the Fallas Festival, to see the ninots and all the spectacle that surrounds them.
So for now, we’ve said adios to Valencia. But we’ll be back!
Until next time / Até a próxima vez
Mary and Mike
The Cook and The Writer
What city would you visit again if you had the chance? Tell us about it in the comments below or with a note via the Contact Us form.
Oh great photos! I have never been to Valencia but now it’s on the top of the list!
Hey Bonnie,
Yes, keep it on your list!
Mike