Valencia: 10 reasons to book a trip to Europe's Green Capital
Valencia, Spain
From its Baroque architecture to its pocket-friendly tapas and five million square metres of green space, it's no surprise Valencia is quickly becoming one of Ireland’s choice destinations for a weekend break.
With the city recently awarded the Green Capital of Europe title, now is a great time to pay a visit and enjoy a bike ride through the Turin Gardens or a dip in one of Valencia’s spotless blue flag beaches.
And with 12 flights a week from Ireland to Valencia, including four from Cork Airport, Spain's third largest city has never been more accessible.
The jewel in Valencia's sustainability crown, the Turia Gardens are an example of the mightiness of civic power.
This magnificent 9km long stretch of green space, referred to as the city's green lung, was once destined to be a super highway.
But, the people of Valencia demanded better and today thousands of orange trees now cross the city from east to west flanking a path full of walkers, joggers, runners and rollerskaters.
The Valencia Open Bike Tour (€30), which starts in the old town and brings you right through the Turia Gardens and on to the City of Arts and Sciences, is the perfect introduction to the city.
A 3-hour tour on two wheels, guides are happy to answer questions and stop for photos along the way.
A 10% discount is available with a Valencia Tourist Card, available for 24, 48 or 72 hours.
As well as free travel on public buses, the metro, and commuter trains, the card free gains free admission to municipal museums and monuments, and discounts to other attractions, such as the Oceanogràfic.
It also entitles you to two free drinks and tapas in participating establishments.
visitvalencia.com/en/valencia-tourist-card
With 300 blue-sky days per year, and temperatures hitting the high 20s – mid 30s throughout the summer months, the turquoise blue of Valencia’s coastline will entice sea swimmers all year round.
For those of us less fond of a cool dip, the good news is the Mediterranean water here is warm from as early as April right through to October.
With 20km of golden coastline, there are any number of Blue Flag beaches to choose from, but the Playa de Las Arenas is the most central.
Accessible via lines 4 and 8 on the metro and multiple bus routes, it's the most convenient for those staying centrally, and offers plenty of choice in beachside restaurants, bars and knick-knack shops.
Rome has long been billed as Europe's open-air museum, but Valencia could give it a run for its money.
Meandering through the city's Old Town, there are marvels at every turn, from mosaics on street corners to gargoyles atop civic buildings.
Valencia even has its own rival for the Sistine Chapel, The Church of Sant Nicolau.
The Plaza de la Virgen is one of the city's most beautiful squares, with the Turia Fountain and the Miguelete two of the stand-out features.
The square is also home to The Water Court, which still takes place every Thursday at 12pm outside the Door of the Apostles.
The tribunal was set up in 10th CE to settle disputes arising from the use of irrigated water and is believed to be the world's oldest court.
It still functions today, with eight farmers at its helm and often draws crowds of curious tourists.
As Spain’s rice-growing capital, it’s no surprise Valencia’s hero dish is the paella. Many might assume the saffron-coloured rice dish usually consists of prawns, shrimp, and mussels, but there’s nothing traditional about that bastardised version we see all over social media.
Classic Valencian paella features no seafood at all. Instead, rabbit and snails are the usual meat sources, with wide green beans and chicken other traditional additions.
Whatever way you order (the vegetarian varieties are just as tasty), just don’t miss the socarrat — the layer of scorched rice at the bottom of the pan.
From the Museum of Fine Arts to the Marqués de Dos Aguas Palace (Ceramics Museum), you could easily while away a weekend in Valencia's museums and galleries. Prioritise the Centro de Arte Hortensia Herrero.
After a seven-year €40-million revamp, the city’s newest art centre opened in November 2023 in the restored Baroque Palacio Valeriola. It bears the name of Hortensia Herrero, a Spanish billionaire and art collector whose private collection of contemporary art is now on display to the public. Blue chip artists like Joan Miró, Thomas Ruff and Antonio Girbés are well-represented, along with Bradford’s David Hockney, and some stunning stained-glass windows by Ireland's Sean Scully.
The most fascinating piece, however, is The World of Irreversible Change (2022) from Tokyo’s teamLab — an interdisciplinary collective comprised of some 400 people including artists, programmers, mathematicians, architects and engineers. The interactive piece allows visitors to shape the future of the artwork — though doing so will only serve to quicken its path to destruction. We won't give away any more.
Free admission with prior reservation is available on Wednesdays from 3pm to 8pm, with guided English tours available on Wednesdays.
Just 10km south of the city lies a vast freshwater lake and wetlands.
A protected area, Albufera Nature Park feels like something out of the Daisy-Edgar Jones flick .
There are six walking routes in the L’Albufera vicinity, alongside opportunities to fish, or enjoy an authentic paella surrounded by the rice fields that provide the dish's star ingredient.
For the bargain price of €5 - €8, set out on the lake on one of the traditional boats, known as albuferencs.
Between bird watching and maybe even proposal spotting (it's a popular destination for it), there's plenty to keep you occupied.
Deep fried croquettes with thick béchamel and iberian ham, gigantic sweet Valencian tomatoes, slices of sharp Manchego, batter-fried calamari soaked in lemon juice, fried patatas bravas in that signature spicy tomato sauce, Valencian oranges with caramelised brown sugar on top — is your mouth watering yet?
Tapas is an essential part of Valencia, and Mi Cub in Mercado de Colón, as popular with locals as tourists, is a great place to indulge. Best enjoyed with a group of friends and plenty of Valencian wine.
With more than 1,200 stalls offering an array of fresh produce, Valencia’s central market can be a tad overwhelming.
Helpful then, that there are stalls offering take-away glasses of wine for just €1.20 a pop, with plenty of options for snacking from iberico and cheese, to punnets of strawberries and fresh oysters.
And while it’s a popular spot with tourists, rated #1 on TripAdvisor for top things to do in the city, it is also still very much a functioning market with Valencians doing their weekly grocery shop — so don’t be surprised if an old lady tuts at you for increasing her wait time.
In the same vein, a word of caution applies — some of the stall holders can react angrily to tourists taking photos of their wares.
It’s best to ask for permission before snapping a pic, especially if you aren’t planning on purchasing goods.
Approaching the City of Arts and Sciences, there’s a feeling you may have just accidentally crossed into the set of a futuristic Hollywood movie.
And on some days, you may have — it has served as a popular shooting location for blockbusters like and .
The brainchild of Valencian architect, Santiago Calatrava and Madrid’s Félix Candela, the city is home to a number of impressive structures including the L'Hemisfèric (a 3D Cinema, planetarium and laserium), Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe (an interactive science museum whose striking exterior resembles the skeleton of a whale), and L'Umbracle (an outdoor art gallery with as many plants to admire as sculptures).
The open-air aquarium, L'Oceanogràfic, is a particular highlight.
Each building represents a different aquatic environment with penguins to be found in the Antarctic, seals and sharks to be found in the temperate and tropical seas, and bottlenose dolphins in their own dolphinarium.
Enjoy Valencian orange juice pure and untinkered with at breakfast, order as a frappé in Mercat Central de València for a refreshing pick-me-up, or sip slowly on a balmy terrace at golden hour mixed with champagne, vodka and gin in Valencia’s signature cocktail, Agua de València.
If you ever tire of the oranges (unlikely), Valencia’s sweet, plant-based horchata, made from tiger nuts and water, often flavoured with a hint of vanilla and/or cinnamon, is another must-try cooldown.
Fly direct from Cork or Dublin to Valencia with Ryanair. The airline currently has good value return fares from €128 in August including a 10kg carry-on.
The airport is well connected to the city with frequent bus and metro services, the latter taking just 20-30 minutes and costing €4.80 (or free with the Valencia Tourist card). A taxi to the city centre will set you back approximately €20.
The four-star SH Colón Valencia offers a stylish, city-centre location complete with a generous breakfast and a nice rooftop area to enjoy a cocktail in the evenings. B&B from €185 per night.