Valencia, capital of the Valencian Community, lies on the Mediterranean at the mouth of the Turia. With about 840,000 residents, it is the third most populous city in Spain. Founded by the Romans in 138 BC, it combines a walkable old town of Gothic monuments with a long sandy city beach and the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences.
Visitors come for the Silk Exchange, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Cathedral and its Holy Chalice, the Central Market, the green Turia Gardens laid out in the old riverbed, and the Falles festival in March, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2016. Valencia is also the birthplace of paella, and the rice fields and freshwater lagoon of the Albufera lie just south of the city. Winters are mild and summers hot and dry, so the beach season is long. Apartments in the old town suit sightseeing, while flats near the sea in El Cabanyal or by the Malva-rosa beach suit families and long summer stays.
Ciutat Vella, the old town, keeps the Cathedral, the Silk Exchange, the Central Market and the medieval Serranos and Quart towers within walking distance. Its Barrio del Carmen has winding streets with buildings dating back to Roman and Arab times, much of it renovated, and a lively evening scene. Just south, the Eixample district includes Ruzafa, a former separate town annexed at the end of the 19th century and now a busy, mixed neighbourhood, and the elegant streets of the Pla del Remei.
By the sea, El Cabanyal, part of the old maritime quarter, lies beside the Malva-rosa and Les Arenes beaches and suits families and beach lovers, with a palm-lined promenade about 4 kilometres long. The modern districts near the City of Arts and Sciences, at the end of the Turia Gardens, are convenient for the aquarium. Benimaclet, another former village annexed in the same period, lies north of the gardens. Tourist-home rules vary by area, and Ciutat Vella has its own regulation.
Valencia Cathedral holds a chapel with a purported Holy Chalice that many believe to be the Holy Grail, and its bell tower, the Micalet, is a symbol of the city. Every Thursday the Water Tribunal of the Valencian plain, which settles irrigation disputes, meets in the Plaza de la Virgen beside it. Nearby, the Lonja de la Seda, or Silk Exchange, a civic building in the late Valencian Gothic style, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The Central Market and the main railway station, Estació del Nord, are fine examples of Valencian Art Nouveau, and the Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart survive from the old walls.
At the far end of the Turia Gardens, the City of Arts and Sciences, designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, opened in 1998 with L'Hemisfèric. The complex groups an opera house and performing arts centre, a science museum, an IMAX cinema and planetarium, and L'Oceanogràfic, a large aquarium with Mediterranean, polar and coral reef habitats.
After a deadly flood in October 1957, the Turia was diverted south of the city from the 1960s, and the old riverbed became the Turia Gardens, a green ribbon about 8.5 kilometres long with playgrounds, fountains, sports fields and the Bioparc zoo. It is the easiest way to walk, run or cycle across Valencia.
The urban beaches north of the port, Les Arenes and the Malva-rosa, are wide strands of fine golden sand backed by the Passeig Marítim, while the beaches south of the city are less built up and feel more remote. From Pinedo to El Perelló, more than 15 kilometres of sandy coast protected by dunes lie within the Albufera Natural Park. The Albufera itself, a freshwater lagoon just south of the city, has belonged to Valencia's city council since it was bought from the Crown in 1911. Its surroundings are farmed as rice paddies and used for fishing, making it a natural outing for anyone curious about the origins of paella.
Valencia was founded as a Roman colony in 138 BC under the name Valentia Edetanorum. Islamic rule from the 8th century brought new irrigation systems and crops, and on 28 September 1238 King James I of Aragon obtained the city's surrender; it then became the capital of the Kingdom of Valencia. Trade across the Mediterranean made it one of the largest European cities by the end of the 15th century, the age of the Silk Exchange. It hosted the America's Cup sailing race in 2007 and 2010.
The Falles, the city's patronal festival, has its five main days from 15 to 19 March, but the Mascletà, a thunderous daytime barrage of firecrackers, takes place every day from 1 to 19 March, the main one in the town hall square. Each neighbourhood group builds a falla, an elaborate monument of cardboard and papier-mâché, which is burned on the last day. Valencia is also the birthplace of paella, a simmered rice dish made with chicken or rabbit or with seafood.
Sagunto, about 30 kilometres north of the city on the Mediterranean coast, has the remains of a castle on the hill above the town and a long history: the Romans built a circus and a theatre for 8,000 spectators there, and in 1811 the town saw a battle of the Peninsular War. Xàtiva, to the south, stands at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia–Albacete railways and was praised in the 12th century by the geographer Al-Idrisi for the beauty and strength of its castles; it is also known for baked rice dishes such as arròs al forn.
The Albufera Natural Park, with its lagoon, dunes and quieter beaches, is the easiest nature escape, reachable by bus or bicycle. Further afield, Alicante–Elche Airport, about 133 kilometres south, is a second gateway to the region and to the beaches of the Costa Blanca. With a rented apartment in Valencia as a base, these places fit easily into a week.
Valencia Airport (VLC), also known as Manises Airport, lies about 9 kilometres west of the city centre. Metrovalencia lines 3 and 5 stop at the airport and reach the city centre in about 15 minutes and the Estació del Nord, the main railway station, in about 20. High-speed trains to Madrid, Cuenca and Albacete use a separate station close to the Estació del Nord.
Metrovalencia combines metro, light rail and tram lines across the city and its metropolitan area, buses fill in the gaps, and the Valenbisi bicycle-sharing scheme is open to visitors as well as residents. The flat terrain and the Turia Gardens make cycling easy, and the old town is compact enough to walk. A car is not needed for a city stay, where parking near the centre is limited; it is mainly useful for inland trips or for beaches further along the coast.
Valencia has a subtropical semi-arid climate bordering on Mediterranean, with mild winters and hot, dry summers. In January daily highs usually range from 15 to 20°C, and in July and August from about 28 to 32°C, with warm nights of 21 to 24°C. The city averages around 2,700 hours of sunshine a year, from about five hours a day in December to about ten in July.
Rain is scarce overall but peaks in autumn, when episodes of very heavy rainfall, known locally as gota fría, can strike the western Mediterranean coast; large floods hit the area in October 1957 and October 2024, so follow weather warnings in autumn. Spring, with the Falles in March, and the weeks from late September are pleasant for sightseeing, summer is the beach season, and the mild winter makes Valencia popular for longer stays.
Ciutat Vella and the Barrio del Carmen keep the Cathedral, the Silk Exchange and the Central Market on foot. Ruzafa, just south, is a busy mixed neighbourhood, El Cabanyal and the Malva-rosa area suit beach holidays and families, and the districts near the City of Arts and Sciences are modern and close to the aquarium.
Spring and late September to October are pleasant for sightseeing, and March brings the Falles. July and August are the beach months, with highs of about 28 to 32°C. Winters are mild, with January highs of 15 to 20°C, though autumn can bring heavy rain.
Valencia Airport (VLC), also called Manises Airport, is about 9 kilometres west of the centre. Metrovalencia lines 3 and 5 reach the city centre in about 15 minutes and the Estació del Nord in about 20, and taxis are available.
Yes. Les Arenes and the Malva-rosa, north of the port, are wide urban beaches of fine golden sand with a palm-lined promenade about 4 kilometres long. South of the city, more than 15 kilometres of quieter, dune-backed beaches lie within the Albufera Natural Park.
The Falles take place every March. The five main days run from 15 to 19 March, when the falla monuments are displayed and finally burned, but the daily Mascletà firecracker displays start on 1 March. It is the busiest time of year, so plan well ahead.
No. Metrovalencia, buses and Valenbisi bicycles cover the city, the old town is walkable and the Turia Gardens make cycling easy. A car is useful only for inland trips or more distant beaches.
Yes. Tourist homes must be entered in the Valencian tourism register, after a favourable municipal planning report, and the number must appear in all advertising. City rules approved in March 2026, which exclude Ciutat Vella, allow tourist apartments only on ground or first floors with independent access, up to 2% of homes per neighbourhood; residents' groups have challenged them in court. Check current rules.
Yes. The Turia Gardens with their playgrounds, the Bioparc, L'Oceanogràfic and the science museum, and the wide city beaches all suit children. A flat near the beach or by the gardens gives space and a kitchen, and the flat, bike-friendly city is easy to get around with a pushchair.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .