Artistic, landscaped and cultural treasures but not only. Valencia also offers a rich gastronomic and luxurious supplies for the most demanding guests.
Founded in 138 a.C. from the Romans and influenced over the centuries by the passage of the Visigoths and by Muslim domination until 1238, when King Jaime I conquered it by converting it to Christianity, and then became the commercial hub of all Europe from the 14th to the 16th century, Valencia today presents itself as a a city full of life and initiatives and projected in the future.
Art and Architecture
- The Graal Chapel of the Latin Cross Cathedral with three Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque gates preserves from 1916 one of the most admired and celebrated relics of the Catholic Church, the Holy Grail.
- Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Court of Waters, the oldest legal institution in Europe and the Lonja de la Seda, considered the jewel of civilian Gothic architecture.
- Valencia is one of the Spanish cities to have more modernist works, including Mercado Central, the largest indoor market in Europe with 8,000 square meters of surface and more than 1,200 stalls.
- The third millennium is characterized by a wide range of state-of-the-art spaces and areas in art, architecture, science and business, including Palau de la Música, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, located in the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences and IVAM, the Valencian Institute of Modern Art, the second most important contemporary art museum after Madrid’s Reina Sofia.
Marina, Beaches and Cruises
- By hosting the America’s Cup in 2007 and 2010, Valencia has recovered one of the most important tourist assets in the city: the Marina de Valencia, a Marina Blue Star Marina certification awarded by the International Marine Certification Institute. The harbor has an inner basin with a mooring capacity of 800 boats from 10 to 150 meters in length and is located near the beaches of las Arenas and the Malvarrosa, whose promenade hosts numerous restaurants, bars and nightclubs, only 15 minutes from the city center.
- Valencia boasts 19 km of Blue Flag Award-winning beaches, well connected by city buses, trams and bicycle lanes and accessible by car. In the south of Valencia, near the Dehesa Natural Park, the wildest beaches are located, while the urban ones are next to the Marina. The waterfront combines the beaches of Las Arenas, Malvarrosa and Patacona, where you can enjoy outdoor sports or sample Valencian cuisine with sea views.
- The harbor is a landmark in the Mediterranean: here they have sailed Queen Elizabeth II as well as The World and there are numerous companies that use it as a reference port, with departures all year round.
Food & Wine
- Valencia is the homeland of Paella and has over 2,000 bars, cafes and restaurants offering a gastronomic variety that perfectly blends traditional cooking with the author. Five starred restaurants: Riff, Ricard Camarena, El Poblet and the new entry Sucede.
- The Denomination of Wine of Valencia includes 17,800 hectares of vineyards subdivided into four wine-growing zones: Alto Turia, Valentino, Moscatel and Clariano. The 650,000 hectoliters of annual average production of the various varieties of vines give rise to red, rosé, white and liqueur wines from 80 different companies. Typical of Valencia is the Mistela, a wine that is extracted from the variety of grapes called Moscatel, with a crisp, brilliant appearance and a sweet taste.
Destination Wildlife
- A green carpet of more than 2 million square meters includes the Parque de Cabecera, the largest in Europe, with adjacent Jardines del Turia, a large green area of 10 km closed to traffic that allows you to cross the city to walking or cycling almost to the Mediterranean Sea. To the east lies the Oceanogràfic, the largest European aquarium, where over 500 different species live, forming a big family of over 45,000 specimens of dolphins, beluga whales, sharks and sea lions. To the south of the city, in the Albufera Natural Park you can admire the migration of birds in the winter.
- The Bioparc is a lively place where more than 4,000 animals belonging to more than 250 different species live in full respect of their living conditions.
Excellence and Shopping
- The city is equipped with several Spa including Balneario La Alameda. Top wellness experiences include those offered by The Westin Valencia’s Caroli Health Club, the 5-star SH Valencia Palace and Hotel Caro *****, whose restaurant Sucede was proclaimed in 2014 as one of the most beautiful in the world.
- Silk market birthplace, Valencia boasts well-liked designers and in the jewelery sector Vicente Gracia has been chosen as Vogue’s choice of one of the 20 best jewelers in the world. The “Golden Mile” for shopping is between the Poet Querol area and Plaza of Patriarca, where are located famous international griffes as well as Lladró, a Valencian company of renowned international prestige and creator of the most delicate porcelain statuettes. For an exclusive experience, in some of these stores Maximice Group Events offers a visit with a Personal Shopper.
Credits: visitvalencia.com
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