Valencia is the center of the autonomous community of the same name and province, the third city in Spain in terms of population after Madrid and Barcelona. It is located at the confluence of the partially drained Turia River in the Mediterranean Sea.
This is a very popular city among tourists. No wonder once upon a time it was called the Moors the blessed land. That is why, going to this city, you should learn about local attractions, cultural features and everything else, which annually attracts tens of thousands of tourists.
City of Arts and Sciences
This is the name of the stylish architectural complex of six buildings, located in the drained channel of the Turia River.
His story began in 1996. Now in the territory of the City of Arts are:
- The musical palace.
- Valencia Oceanographic Park in the open air. The largest aquarium in Europe. On its territory live more than 45,000 different animals, and more than 500 species of marine life. The park, by the way, is divided into 9 zones representing the most significant ecosystems on Earth.
- Museum of Applied Science, where you can touch any exhibit.
- 3D cinema IMAX with screen size 900 m 2 .
- A multifunctional center designed for cultural and sports events.
- The huge botanical garden.
- The largest dolphinarium in Europe, consisting of 5 pools.
Of course, this is only a small part of what is in the City of Arts and Sciences. Also on the territory there are many markets, restaurants, souvenir shops and other interesting places. While on vacation in Valencia, you must definitely go here.
Gate Torres de Serranos
This attraction is located in the Plaza de los Fueros. The gates are considered an object of European importance. Not surprising! After all, Torres de Serranos is the largest city gate in Europe related to the Gothic period. In fact, they are an example of medieval military architecture.
The gate can also be called the embodiment of the spirit of medieval Valencia. Their impressive appearance allows us to judge the former power that the old city walls had. After all, they have been standing on the square from 1392-1398.
Previously, the gate was the main entrance to the city and a triumphal arch used for ceremonies for meeting important guests, and today it is the grand breath to Valencia. They are also used to hold significant events. And in the gate towers, by the way, the Maritime Museum of Antiquity is located. By visiting it, you can learn a lot of interesting things about the Royal Navy.
Ivam
We can not help but talk about the Valencia Institute of Contemporary Art. Abbreviated as IVAM. On its territory are concentrated many works of contemporary authors - photographs, paintings, sculptures, drawings, etc.
On two floors, about 11,000 works of foreign and Spanish artists are concentrated, including Joaquin Sorolla, Julio Gonzalez and even Pablo Picasso himself.
And on the ground floor, by the way, you can explore the remains of the ancient wall that once surrounded the city. The find was discovered during the construction phase of the IVAM building. Having finished the construction of the building, it was made one of the exhibits.
It is also worth noting that the institute has a huge library, which includes about 47,000 historical documents.
St. Mary's Cathedral
If a person came to rest in Valencia, he must visit this place. After all, this building is not just the largest cathedral in the city. He also has his own museum, located in the heart of the Holy Grail Chapel.
It was founded in 1761. It presents unique works of art from the XV-XVI centuries, and after visiting it, you can find the amazing history of the cathedral, erected on the site of a mosque, which, by the way, was previously erected from a Roman ancient temple.
Today, the Cathedral in Valencia is the main religious and cultural center of the city and the most visited attraction. You should definitely go up to the bell tower of the cathedral, and from there, from a 5-meter height, appreciate the stunning panoramic view of the metropolis.
Museum "Fallas"
This place is unique in its kind and the only one in the world. The Fallas Museum in Valencia invites residents and visitors to the city to admire the enormous compositional monuments that in satirical form ridicule the significant realities and events of our time.
Throughout the year, craftsmen make them, and on March 15 a carnival is held - at almost every intersection of the city on this day you can see giant statues.
A few days later the holiday ends. On the night of March 19, all the statues are burned in a cleansing fire, which is supposed to invoke spring. The figure who manages not to burn out goes to the Fallas Museum.
Center for Contemporary Art El Carmen
Having visited the oceanographic park of Valencia and all of the above attractions, you should go to this chic museum, located in the center of the bohemian district of the city. It is located in the building of an ancient monastery, founded in the distant 1281. Now there is the Cultural Center for Contemporary Art Exhibitions.
It often hosts various exhibitions and events organized by the Community of Museums of Valencia. But even if nothing like this is planned for the coming dates, tourists should still go here - take a walk around the building, explore the ancient walls and the picturesque courtyard, appreciate the scale of the spacious cool rooms.
What is the architectural ensemble of the building alone? It may well serve as a guide for a variety of historical eras. Over the entire period of its existence, the monastery underwent a lot of reorganizations, as a result of which its image became an example of an incredible mixture of styles.
National Museum of Ceramics
Discussing the color of the city of Valencia, located in Spain, I would like to note this place with attention. The country, in principle, is known worldwide for its colorful mosaics and ceramics. And the national museum, originally called El Museo Nacional de la Cerámica, is the best place to see the most outstanding examples of this art. Also there you can find out the most amazing secrets of the masters.
In the same museum of Valencia you can admire the elegant furniture of past centuries, elements of decorative art, traditional clothes and many other exhibits.
And it is located in the incredibly beautiful palace of the XVIII century, which once belonged to the Marquis of Dos Aguas. So, tourists coming here will not only join the centuries-old ceramic tradition of the city, but also will enjoy the magnificent architecture and interiors made in the Rococo style.
Sport
Studying the description of the sights of Valencia, it is worth noting the fact that everyone leads an active lifestyle. It can be said the highlight of the city. Sport in Valencia is developed and loved.
Alleys, parks, streets of the city - the whole space is designed in such a way that people would be comfortable moving both on foot and in any form of transport (meaning scooters, rollers, bicycles).
Here you can often see young parents who, while walking with their kids, push them in wheelchairs, not walking, but running.
And the former bed of dried hands is today a huge park that crosses the whole city. It can be called an open-air gym. Indeed, in every corner of the park there are treadmills, exercise bikes, fitness equipment and separate areas for basketball, baseball, volleyball and football. Valencia is a very sports city. For lovers of an active lifestyle, there are absolutely all conditions.
Football
This is the most popular sport in Spain. Football in Valencia is very fond of - there are two clubs that represent the city in the first division of the Spanish League, also called Example.
Valencia CF FC was founded in 1919, on March 18. His home stadium is the Mestaglia built in 1923, which seats 55,000 spectators. But soon the team should move to a new field. The construction of "New Mestalla". It was assumed that the capacity will be increased to 75,000, but then the figure was reduced to 60,000. At the moment, due to financial problems, construction has been frozen.
Valencia may well be called a successful club. The team 6 times became the champion of the country, won the Spanish Cup seven times, once - the Super Cup, also won several UEFA European titles.
The second city football club is Levante. It was founded even earlier, in 1909. His home stadium is Ciudad de Valencia, with a capacity of 25,000.
The Levante football club has a difficult history - it only once, in 1937, won the Spanish Cup. The team often teetered between the third and second divisions, and rarely got a ticket to the European championships. At the moment, things are not going as bad as they were before - the club takes 12th place in the league table of the country's championship out of 20.
District Ruzafa
Above it was briefly described about the most popular attractions related to cultural education. Now you can pay a little attention to the topic of entertainment.
The Ruzafa district is the most stylish and fashionable in the city. There is a maximum concentration of informals, hipsters, lovers of bohemian buildings, parties, vintage shops and author's cuisine. Although once there was an area of poor workers.
Once here, you can visit La Canalla Bistro - an institution of the popular chef Ricardo Camarena, made in the style of a New York bistro. You should look at the brunch in the Circa Almacén coffee shop with an unusual interior, relax in the library-cafe Ubik cafe, get acquainted with the color of vegan restaurants Copenhagen, Malmö and Oslo.
It is also worth a visit to the local Mercado de Ruzafa market and the Galería Imprevisual and Espai Tactel galleries. In general, in this area you can safely “get lost” for one day at least. Without impressions and a sea of emotions, no one has ever left him. In Valencia, this place is very popular.
Port Saplaya and other environs
Another colorful place for walking. The Saplaya port is interesting at least because it is built on water. Very often this area is called Little Venice. It became residential only in 1970, until then the Port of Saplaya was a favorite place for local recreation of local residents.
Why go here? To enjoy the view of bright, elegant houses with openwork balconies and arches and admire the snow-white yachts. Also here you can try unusual dishes - sandwiches with squid, fresh seafood, paella.
And then you can go to the Albufera National Reserve, where anyone can get for free. Birds of dozens of different species live on its territory, some of which are watched for hours. Here you can also meet the sunset, sitting on the shore of the lake, ride a bike along a deserted beach.
It is worth exploring other neighborhoods - the towns of El Pereio, Saler and Pereyonet. The real country serenity reigns there. The coastline, which seems to have no end, merges with the blue sea. A peaceful vacation on an empty beach alone with nature itself will bring no less vivid impressions than trips to museums, cathedrals and theaters.
And most importantly - the weather for a beach holiday here has almost always. Of course, the temperature in January is about +17 ° C, and the water is about +14 ° C, but this will not stop true lovers of sea cool, but even inspire.
Travel Impressions
What do tourists leave about visiting Valencia? They are all positive, and this best describes the city. After all, the opinions of all are different, subjective, but even here they agreed.
People with pleasure and in the most vivid colors paint the impressions received from visiting this Spanish metropolis. The only negative, if one can call it that, is the following: no matter how many days a tourist arrives in Valencia, he will still not have enough. It is so interesting here that I want to stay for the longest possible time.