Valencia Weekend Escape

Irene
Feb 26
6 min read

Valencia is one of the easiest and more convenient places to go for a weekend escape. Even though Valencia is the third-most populated municipality in the country, the city centre is not very big and you can practically walk everywhere.

Where to stay: we stayed at “Soho Boutique Turia” and we loved it. Modern hotel with good size rooms in a very nice area.

When to go: I would actually recommend to go during the winter as I think is a great idea to go during a quiet time and because the winter in Valencia is really mild and in general still sunny! I would definitely avoid July and August if you want to do sightseeing as it can gets too hot to walk around.

General advice: to get from the airport to the city centre you can use an Uber that will cost you around 25 EUR (it can be more if you arrive late at night or if it is a Sunday). Another option is to take the metro (lines 3 and 5). If you are taking the metro DO NOT buy single tickets to go from the airport to the city centre. Instead it will turn out much cheaper to get a “4 ride tickets” which cost 6EUR. These tickets accumulate in one card and this one card can be shared by few people (obviously up to 4). Just scan the card on the reader and let the first person through and so on.

Day 1: City Centre and Ciudad de las artes y las ciencias

On your first day you can have breakfast at “La Petite Brioche Sorní”, which is quite close to the hotel. Another good option in that area is “East Crema Coffee”.

After breakfast, head towards the “Plaza del Ayuntamiento” which is just 10 min walk away. This is the largest square in Valencia and is surrounded by a number of buildings from the 19th and early 20th century. The largest building is the town hall. Opposite the town hall is the neoclassical main post office. Walk inside and look at the beautiful glass dome.

From this point, walk 7 minutes to the “Mercado Central”. The market has been in this spot since 1839. The current building was designed by Valencian architect Enrique Viedma Vidal with a predominantly Art Nouveau style and was completed in 1928. The Central Market of Valencia is one of the largest in Europe; it covers more than 8,000 square metres. It is open Mondays to Saturdays from 7.30 to 15.00.

After, you can visit “La Lonja de la Seda”, which is just 2 min walk from the mercado. Built between 1482 and 1533, these buildings were used for trading in silk and it has always been a centre for commerce. It is open Monday to Saturdays from 10 to 19h and Sundays from 10 to 14h. Entrance is 2euros.

From here you can head to “La Iglesia de San Nicolás” which is just 3 min walk away. The church was initially built as a monastery for the Dominicans. However, after the Reconquista (recapture of the Moorish areas by the Spaniards), the church became one of the first Christian parish churches in 1242 with a gothic style. Between 1690 and 1693 the baroque style (which is known for its many murals) was added. The murals in this church tell the story about San Nicolás and San Pedro Mártir. The engineer of the church was Antionio Palominode and the murals were created by Dionís Vidal. However, after the construction which took three years, the walls were renewed with frescos. The frescos are very impressive and because of this the Parroquia de San Nicolás is a must-see in Valencia. You can visit Tuesday to Saturday from 10.30 to 19. Sunday 13h a 20h. The entrance is 11 euros.

The last two stops of the morning will be “Plaza de la Virgen” (5 min walk) where you will find the cathedral, and the “Serranos Towers”, which is another 5 min walk .The towers were designed to be defensive structures at one of the busiest city gates. They were saved from demolition when the city walls were knocked down in 1865 and used as a prison for the nobility between 1586 and 1887.

For Lunch we went to the area of Mercado de Mossen Sorell to the restaurant ‘Foc i Fum’. Even though it is not in the prettiest part of the city, and actually in the opposite direction of the Torres, we loved it here. The food was absolutely fantastic and the service incredible. I would recommend to order the turbot.

After lunch, head to probably what it has become the most famous place in Valencia – “Ciudad de las artes y las ciencias”. As this is not very close to the area that you have been exploring in the morning, you can take an uber or a taxi here. This space was designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava and here you can find the following buildings:

the Hemisfèric, where you can watch latest Imax films and there is also a planetarium and an innovative laser show.
The Science Museum with interactive exhibitions.
The Oceanogràfic, which reproduces all the ecosystems on the planet, with an astounding diversity of flora and fauna.
The Palau de les Arts, with its spectacular oval-shaped design, is the place for seeing the best operas, concerts and stage performances.
Lastly, the CaixaForum València where different types of events are hosted.

You can buy tickets that combine the first 3 or you can buy tickets for just one of them. The tickets are quite pricey and I would definitely encourage you to buy them well in advance. We decided to go only to the Oceanogràfic and the tickets for us were 36 euros per person. I have to say that the Oceanogràfic is super big and we spent around 3 hours walking around there. Opening times are from 10.00 to 20.00 on Saturday and the rest of the week 10.00 to 18.00.

For dinner we went to “Basea” restaurant and the steak was incredible, another great place which I highly recommend. After dinner we went for a cocktail to “Gato Negro” and the drinks were amazing.

Day 2: Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas and Barrio de Ruzafa

On your second day, start by having breakfast at “FAV COFFEE - Café de especialidad”, great coffee and great tostadas con tomate – if you are 2 people you most probably can share one between two.

After breakfast, we walked for 10 minutes to “Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas”. The Museum of Ceramics is located in this Baroque palace - the Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas. The museum houses a collection of ceramics, dating from the 18th century to the contemporary period, and includes pieces by Picasso. You can also find merchandise from the Silk Route and discover how one of the most iconic Valencian noble families of the age lived. You can visit Tuesday to Saturday from 10h to 14h and 16h to 20h; Sunday it is open from 10h a 14h. The entrance is 3 euros except for Sundays when the entrance is for free.

Once we finished at the palace we went walking (around 20 min) to the area of Ruzafa which we loved. It is an area full of restaurants, bars, coffee shops and loads of terraces. We went to few places to have a drink and when we were ready for lunch we headed to “Tecoletes”, a Mexican restaurant which was amazing. Super good price, excellent food and great service.

After lunch, we went back to the airport… and the conclusion for us is that we will probably come back! It was a great weekend escape.