Ten reasons to visit Valencia.

Around eight years ago, my wonderful, faithful parents-in-law packed up their life and emigrated to Spain. They had heard God's call to this beautiful country many years ago and had patiently waited for his go ahead. So, when the last of their children left home, they left all that was familiar and found themselves in the gorgeous city in Valencia. 

Life hasn't always been easy but they have persevered and are now loving life on the continent. Luckily for us, this also means holidays full of good food, hot weather and local expertise. 

This weekend, Steve has made a flying visit to Valencia. He left a rather sleepy wife in bed yesterday morning at 3.30am and headed off to surprise his mum for her birthday. Since then, he has posted an annoying amount of pictures of sunning himself in the 30 degree sunshine on the internet. Fortunately for us all, he returns to England tonight so our newsfeeds will soon be free of pictures of a rather smug Steve. 

So in celebration of his trip, this post is a guide to 'must-do' experiences in the best city in Spain. 

1. Playing safari at the Bioparc

Every time we visit Valencia, one place we have to head to is the Bioparc. As I mentioned in my Portugal posts, Steve is not a fan of zoos... at all! However, even he is fond of the Bioparc. 

It specialises in African animals which is a big plus for me - give me an elephant any day of the week! 
What is so special about the Bioparc is it's fairly unique concept (forgive me, if it's not unique - as an avid zoo goer, i've never seen it anywhere else.)


If you glance across the park, the whole place looks like the African plain. There are no fences or visible barriers. Only the gorillas and lions are behind glass. The rest of the animals are separated from the public by cleverly designed ditches, levelling or in some cases water. This gets rid of one of those annoying problems in visiting the zoo - trying to peer through the fence to get that unobstructed photo. The bonus of this is some amazing photo opportunities (of which these photos should not be considered an example ;)) which my father-in-law is particularly good at capturing.

The Bioparc is definitely worth a visit and is only a short drive to the east of the city. 

2. Hiking at Montanejos 


If you drive an hour or so out of the city, you find the jaw-dropping beauty of Montanejos; a mountain range and canyon with hot springs. There are a number of marked routes along the mountains, ranging from relatively easy to the more taxing. Hiking is not my favourite thing but the views and a happy husband are definitely worth it. 

If visiting Valencia, you will need to have use of a car to get to Montanejos. The journey winds along mountains but seems relatively straight forward. 

Best of all, when you arrive back to the bottom of the mountain, and if you're anything like me, you'll be pretty sweaty and unglamorous by this point, there is an amazing, fresh lagoon to cool yourself off in. It's enveloped by the impressive mountains and the gorgeous cliffs and clear waters mean it would be out of place in paradise.

3. Visiting Peniscola

The town of Peniscola is gorgeous both at the height of tourist season and in the Spanish winter. In winter, it's almost deserted but the castle is open and many of the restaurants will welcome you in with open arms; grateful of the tourist income. During the summer, the place is busy, creating a infectious buzz and the whole place opens up. The winding walk up to the castle is full of little backstreets with charming cafes and restaurants. There are shops full of quality leather goods and little nicknacks. We love it here and ask to visit every time we come. 

5. Lunch in El Palmar


Okay, so I cheated - the delicious paella you can see to the right is made by my father-in-law and not in El Palmar. The point still stands though that Valencia is the place to go for incredible paella. None more so than the sleepy town of El Palmar which is essentially made up of many paella restaurants and not a lot else. Whether you try a basic paella or opt for the Valencian paella (full of yummy rabbit and snails), the food is to die for. 


After you've eaten yourself into a food coma, there's always time for the obligatory boat ride on the lake. I warn you, there isn't a lot to see unless you're big into birdwatching but it's a nice relaxing way to snooze off your paella.  

6. Jazz club

For the most part, Valencia is a young city. Home to the University of Valencia, the city is teaming with students and young professionals. This means that the night life is pretty decent with plenty of bars and vibrant parts of the city. 

On a couple of our trips we have taken a late night trip into the city, had a late dinner and gone to a jazz club. There are a few in the city and they have always had a fantastic line up when we've visited. 

7. Tapas

For me, the best thing about Spain is tapas. Hands down. No contest. 

There are so many great places to get tapas in Valencia (we honestly eat it every day when we visit) and every restaurant has their own way of doing things. Patatas Bravas (my favourite) will differ so much from one place to another. 

One of our favourite places is 'Tapas y hambeurgers' off Plaza de la Reina. However, I can find it anywhere on the internet so hopefully it's still there when we next go. The tapas is more high end and the restaurant is full of Spanish business people. 

For a more relaxed atmosphere and traditional tapas, pull up a chair at any one of the city's restaurants, you'd be hard pushed to find a restaurant that doesn't know how to serve a good calimari and bravas. In my experience, the restaurants away from the big tourist squares are often the hidden gems. 

One of Valencia's traditional foods is Orxata (Horchata) and fartons, a drink made from submerging rice for long periods of time and the pastry fingers that are intended to be dunked in to it. Personally, I am not a fan but it's definitely a cultural experience every visitor to Valencia needs to try once. 

8. Exploring the old Town

Valencia is not short of old world charm. It has a rich history, founded by the Romans and invaded several times. As a result, the city is a mix-match of different cultures and architectural styles. Many of the city's most famous sites are a stones throw away from one another and any first-timer to Valencia should spend a day or two touring the historical parts of the city. 

9. Walk through the river bed

Right at the heart of the city, there is a dried up river bed which has been been transformed into a beautiful park. In my eyes, this place becomes even more special when you find out it was born out of a terrible tragedy. In the 1950s, the river flooded, overflowed it's banks and caused a lot of devastation to the surrounding areas. To prevent this happening again, the river was redirected and the land used to create such a wonderful space. It's a long walk from top to bottom (9km) but a fascinating place to people watch. The park is a hub for meditation classes, couples, families playing in the many playgrounds, joggers and people going about their day to day business. 

When you reach the end of your wander through the river bed, you reach an incredible place: the city of arts and sciences. Here there is the science museum, art galleries, opera houses and the Oceonarium. It's a surreal place which makes you feel as if you've just stepped off a space ship into an unknown extra-terrestial world. There are crystal clear ponds (usually sky blue!) and looming, glass dome buildings. It's a spectacular place and certainly worth the long walk. 

10. Chilling with walruses at the Aquarium

My own personal favourite activity whilst in Valencia is a visit to the oceanarium. It advertises itself as one of the biggest in Europe and while this claim is disputed, it is certainly a wonderful day out and full of interesting things to do and see.

It's beautifully designed and most of the action takes place underground where you can find different spheres representing different oceans of the world, all tingling with exotic sea life.

There are regular feeding times and a fantastic dolphin show in both Spanish and English. It even has whales, dolphins and hippopotamuses!

On a practical note, although it cost 30 euros or so to get in, the food court is reasonable and they don't seem to hike up the prices like most other tourist attractions.