Enjoy the elegance and sophistication of France - indulge in Spain's sun kissed days and passion filled nights.
A Busabout Pass for the Western Loop will take you to the best of France and Spain. Cycle through ancient vineyards and salsa dance the night away! Start from any city on the loop and travel at your own pace - stay as long as you like at each stop .... then when you've finished exploring, jump on the next bus and move on to the next destination. Click on the destinations in the map to find out more...
< back to network
|
 |
| Population : 746,610 |
Exuberant, friendly and appealingly chaotic, Valencia is Spain’s third-largest city. Its Old Quarter brims with gracious baroque-fronted houses and its streets buzz with life until the early hours.
There is a main tourist office ((963 98 64 22; www.turisvalencia.es; Calle Paz 48; h10am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat) located in the centre and a handy tourist information point ((963 52 54 78 ext 1739; Plaza de la Reina; h9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 10am-2pm Sun). For Internet access, try Ono ((963 28 19 02; San Vicente 22; per hr €2; h9am-1am)
Sights
One of Spain’s prettiest markets, the Mercado Central (Plaza de Mercado; h8am-2.30pm Mon-Sat) is a feast of colours and smells with nearly 1000 stallholders crammed under Modernista (Catalan modernism) glass domes.
Valencia’s cathedral (h7.30am-1pm & 5-8.30pm)boasts three magnificent portals, the only Holy Grail recognised (albeit tentatively) by the Vatican, a fantastic Goya and the withered left arm of St Vincent. Climb the Miguelete bell tower (admission €1.50; h10.30am-12.30pm & 4.30-6.30pm Tue-Fri, 10.30am-1pm Sat-Mon) for sweeping views of the city
Among the city’s art galleries, the two unmissables are Museo de Bellas Artes ((963 60 57 93; Calle San Pio V 9; admission free; h10am-2.15pm & 4-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 10am-7.30pm Sun) and Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno ((963 86 30 00; Guillem de Castro 118; adult/student/Sunday €2/1/free). Don’t miss the sculpted rococo façade of the fabulous Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas (Calle del Poeta Querol).
Clubbing
Radio City ((963 91 41 51; Santa Teresa 19; h11pm-late) This is the mecca for post-bar dancing to salsa, house and cheesy pop. There’s live flamenco on Tuesdays at 11pm.
Bolsería Café ((963 91 89 03; Calle Bolsería 41; h11pm-4am) Fashionable, plays house music and has bizarre toilets with see-through walls.
The Black Note ((963 93 36 63; Polo y Peyrolón 15; hfrom 11.30pm) Jazz cats should try this joint.
Younger groovers head for the university 2km east (€3.50 by taxi from the centre). Along Av Blasco Ibáñez and particularly around Plaza de Xuquer there are scores of dusk-to-dawn bars and discos.
Getting around
EMT ((963 52 83 99) buses run until about 10pm, with night services continuing on seven routes until around 1am. Bus No 8 connects the bus station with Plaza de Ayuntamiento. The smart high-speed tram is a pleasant way to get to the beach and the port (€1)
Information
Festivals & Events
In mid-March, Valencia hosts what has become one of Europe’s wildest street parties, Las Fallas de San José. For one week the city is engulfed by an anarchic swirl of fireworks, music, festive bonfires and all-night partying. On the final night, giant sculptures of huge niñots (effigies), many of political and social identities, are torched in the main plaza.
Eating
Lots of cheap fishy eats can be found near the market. For authentic paella, head for Las Arenas, just north of the port, where a strip of restaurants serves up the real stuff from €6.60 per person.
Bar Pilar (Calle Moro Zeit 13; tapas €1.50; hnoon-midnight). This Valencian classic is where everyone comes to eat mussels, chucking the shells into plastic buckets on the floor.
La Tastaolletes ((963 92 18 62; Calle Salvador Giner 6; mains €7; h2-4pm & 8pm-midnight Tue-Sat, 2-4pm Sun) An excellent, colourful vegetarian restaurant, especially good at salads and vegetable lasagne to-die-for.
El Rall ((963 92 20 90; Tundidores 2; mains €8; h2-4.30pm & 9pm-midnight) A firm favourite, El Rall serves up paella and great desserts in a funky setting. Grab a table on the terrace
Drinking
The freebie mag 24/7 Valencia is a fantastic guide (in English) to Valencia’s bars, clubs and restaurants.
Much of the action centres on Barrio del Carmen, which caters for every taste from grunge to glam. Café San Jaume (Calle Caballeros 51; hnoon-1am) has a particularly fine terrace for eyeing up the characters on Calle Caballeros.
Café de las Horas (Calle Conde de Almodóvar 1; h4pm-1am Mon-Thu, 4pm-3.30am Fri & Sat) With red walls, theatrical drapes and frescoes, this bar-café has the feel of an 18th-century boudoir. Serves the best agua de Valencia (a mix of orange juice and sparkling wine) in town.
The Lounge Café-Bar ((963 91 80 94; Calle Estamiñería Vieja 2; h11am-1am) This popular international hang-out has comfy sofas and free Internet. It’s a good place to meet other travellers
© 2006 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. All rights reserved
We and our content providers (‘we’) have tried to make the information on this website as accurate as possible, but it is provided ‘as is’ and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs, and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.