Valencia - Spain

Inhabitants: 739.412

Altitude: 13m above sea level

Distances:

Castellon 69 km

Alicante 166 km

Barcelona 349 km

Madrid 352 km

Bright city…

One of the biggest cities in Spain, and among the most livelies. It is located at the Mediterranean sea, and you will find beaches right in the very heart of it. During the summer-months it is heavily visited by tourists, and if you want to spend holidays at the beach, with fantastic possibilities for any kind of sports (golf, diving, cycling, tennis, etc. are all very popular here) and a boiling nightlife, together with an ample cultural offer, then Valencia is the place for you. Important trade fairs confirm Valencia's position as one of the most dynamic cities in Spain.

After all that probably you will get hungry , and you have the chance to try Spain's most famous food right where it was born: "Paella Valenciana“

Then Valencia is of course the city where "El Cid", Spain's national hero, fought against the Moors, and popular festivals in the city and many villages around still remind of this epoch. 

The old tower

Valencia's old part of town is limited by the rails of the tramway, which run where have been the old town-walls until 1865. Most monuments date to the time after the reconquest of Valencia from the Moors, in 1238 by Jaime I.. That was the town's most blooming epoch. The Cathedral is mainly of early gothic style, though some parts of it were added in later eras. Its three portals are Romanesque, gothic and baroque , respectively. The main chapel, Capilla Mayor, is in baroque style, the two lateral chapels are neoclassic. The octagonal bell-tower, called Micalet or also Miguelete , is the landmark of the city. From there you have a great view over all Valencia, and Victor Hugo has counted 300 more bell-towers in all the city (to control if this number is right could be a challenge to patient and unstressed visitors ...

The old town

In the Cathedral's Museum are exposed works of Goya, Jacomart, Cellini, Paggibonsi as well as paintings of valencian school of 15th to 17th century.Close to the catherdral there is the Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados, ("Mare de Deu dels Desemparats") , a church consecrated to the patroness of the city, and the Almudín, a medieval granary that is nowadays used as a museum. In the closeby church Iglesia de San Esteban are said to have been married the daughters of legendary Cid.Some more interesting buildings in this area of town are the Palace of Almirantes de Aragón, the church San Juan del Hospital and the Convento de Santo Domingo.