Valencia
Spain
Backpacking Valencia
Information on Valencia, sights to see, nightlife, activities and more.
Valencia is Spain’s third-largest city. But it’s just a fraction of the size of Madrid or Barcelona. With a population of less than 800,000 in the city proper, and about 1.7 million in the great metro area, it’s a big city in a small, intimate package. For backpackers, Valencia offers a mild, Mediterranean climate, urban beaches, plenty of culture, and that large historic center to wander. This is a seaside city. Valencia lies smack in the middle of Spain’s Mediterranean coastline, just over 200 miles south of Barcelona and about 80 miles north of Alicante. Spain’s high-speed trains connect the city with major Spanish destinations. You can get to Barcelona in three hours and to Madrid in less than two. Valencia has long stretches of beach right in the city—you can take a bus or the metro there. Seaside restaurants and small hotels line the beachfront, and palm trees are everywhere, all over the city, leaving no doubt that you’re in a warm-weather climate. The city is also very green. There are numerous parks. But even more importantly, a great swath of greenway runs from northwest to southeast, in a long curve right through the middle of the city, all the way to the sea. Called the Turia Garden, this swath was once the riverbed of the River Turia. Today it’s home to green meadows, giant shade trees, walking and bicycle paths. Valencia’s historic center, the Ciutat Vella is practically a city-within-a-city. It’s filled with narrow, cobbled streets, some medieval Christian towers and monuments, the 13th-century cathedral, and remains of Moorish walls, all reminders of Valencia’s 2,000-year-old history.
Must See
Plaza de la Virgin - Here you can find the Valencia Cathedral with its Gothic architecture. In the area you can explore the ancient winding streets of the Barrio del Carmen, and the typical Spanish-style buildings with their large doors, balconies, and windows.
La Lonja de la Seda - This majestic late-15th-century building is a UNESCO site and held as the masterpiece of Valencian gothic architecture. La Lonja de la Seda is the finest a monument to Valencia’s golden age, when the city was one of Europe’s main centers for trade and culture. The name means “Silk Exchange”, where traders from far flung pats of the Mediterranean would meet and make deals.
Barrio del Carmen - The northeast side of the old-town is the youngest and most bohemian part of the city. El Carmen took shape in medieval times, situated outside of the 11th-century Moorish walls but within the Christian ones that went up in the 14th-century. What’s great about this place is the way the palaces next to these cool, shaded alleys have been converted into hip boutiques, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. Calle de Caballeros, which begins at Plaza de la Virgen, is where many nights out in Valencia will end up. You can also see fragments of Valencia’s late-medieval defences, at Torres de Quart and Torres de Serranos.
Must Do
La Tomatima - Held the last Wednesday of August in neighboring Bunol, the yearly food fight sees people from all over the world converge on the small village to throw tomatoes at each other, followed by the famously fun La Tomatina after party. Thousands head to Valencia to use as their base of operations and during the days leading up to and following the festival, the city is packed with people
Hang at the Beach - Within minutes of the old-town you can sun yourself on a Mediterranean beach. Malvarrosa is a wide strip of golden sand that stretches for a kilometer along the city’s seafront. There are plenty of restaurants right on the promenade next to the beach.
Nightlife
Valencia is a city that really knows how to party. From the endless bars filling the city center to its calendar full of raucous festivals. Decades ago, it had a bad reputation as a sort of Spanish sin city, where people from across the country came to indulge in their various vices. At the time, experimental DJs reigned supreme in Valencia – long before Ibiza was the place to go. Most of the big clubs from those days have now closed down but the party spirit lives on. For the best night out in Valencia pre-planning helps. There’s no main drag full of nightclubs here; the best clubs are dotted around the city, and pre-booked tickets go a long way to making your night more enjoyable. Like elsewhere in Spain, the clubs here don’t really get going until about 1am, but there are plenty of interesting bars to check out first.
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