With dynamic museums, a flourishing restaurant scene, lively nightlife, great shops and miles of beach, Valencia is bursting with Mediterranean exuberance. Stunning public buildings have changed the city’s skyline during the last 15 years: Sir Norman Foster’s Palacio de Congresos, David Chipperfield’s award-winning Veles i Vents structure beside the inner port, and, on the grandest scale of all, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencas, designed in the main by the famous architect Santiago Calatrava. An increasingly popular short-break venue, Valencia is where paella first simmered over a wood fire. It’s a vibrant, friendly, mildly chaotic place with two outstanding fine-arts museums, an accessible old quarter, and Europe’s newest cultural and scientific complex. Bus lines serve all city beaches, tourist attractions and business venues and buses are all wheelchair accessible vehicles equipped with ramps and low steps. In addition, the International Manises Valencia Airport is connected to the city center by two wheelchair accessible metro lines (lines 3 and 5).
La Albufera is just a 15 minutes drive distance from Valencia. This freshwater lake six miles south of the city is one of the most important wetlands in Europe. Separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand dunes, this is where the all-important rice is grown. Not surprisingly, there are excellent paella restaurants here too.
[su_custom_gallery source=”media: 2568,2567,2569,2566″ width=”275″ height=”200″ title=”never”]
[su_heading]WHAT TO SEE IN VALENCIA[/su_heading]
Valencia Cathedral: One of the city’s main attractions is the Cathedral of Valencia, or Saint Mary’s Cathedral, where first a Roman temple stood on this site, then a mosque, before the cathedral was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque features. The museum contains a chalice recognised by the Vatican as possibly the original Holy Grail. It hosts paintings by Goya and other major artists and the Micalet bell-tower were one can find a sweeping city view. Some reasons for the simplicity and sobriety of Valencia Cathedral are that it was built quickly to mark the Christian territory against the Muslims, and that it was not a work by a king, but by the local bourgeoisie. The Cathedral can be entered by access ramps.
Central Market: Another reference point to visit in Valencia is the Central Market (Mercado Central). Talk about a feast for the eyes. With 1,000 stalls piled high with the best seasonal produce, this is a dazzling reminder of what real food looks like. Built in the 1920s, the art nouveau market is one of the largest in Europe. Both of the market’s floors are organised into straight alleys, crossed by two main lanes where the hundreds of stalls are set. The ceramic covered partitions along with the stone, wood, and the colorful glass make the masket an excellent example of the modernist architecture of the time. The main entrance is not accessible, but you can enter by the side. The inside is all accessible and there are also adapted restrooms where the elevators and customer service are.
Llotja de la Seda: Opposite the market, the 15th-century silk exchange La Lonja is one of the best examples of Gothic civil architecture in Europe and has World Heritage status. La Lonja is made up of four parts: the Tower, which houses a cell in which silk thieves and merchants and merchants were introduced, the Consulate Sea, formerly the town house, the Patio de los Naranjos and the main hall (Hall of Contract). La Lonja is flat in the inside although there are 2 small steps at the main entrance.
City of Arts and Sciences: Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, the project underwent the first stages of construction in 1996 and was finished in April 16, 1998 with the opening of L’Hemisfèric. The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is situated in a two-kilometre-long area on the old Turia River bed. The different centres of the city of Arts and Science organise conferences, exhibitions, projections and workshops related to science, technology, nature and art, designed to stimulate the curiosity of the audience. The whole area of the arts and sciences enjoys good accessibility and can be used in wheelchairs as there are elevators and ramps in many of the areas.
See our accommodation in Valencia
See our tours and activities in Valencia