This is a message for all tomato lovers...and haters! Once a year (actually, one hour a year!) the quiet city of Bunol becomes the core of a ruthless fight, a bloodbath of tomatoes. Be part of it and let off steam crushing the fruit into one massive gooey red mush! You have one hour to throw as many as you can and then keep on partying in Valencia.
Ah...Valencia. Great people, culture, food and atmosphere. There are massive nightclubs where you'll have the chance to get all dressed up, but also small charming pubs where the locals go in the beautiful El Carme district. Not only that, you can also head to the beach where you can also find bars and clubs open after hours if you want to keep on partying after dawn.
Talking about beaches, in Valencia you have the enormous beach of La Malvarosa, where you can take advantage of one of the best assets the city has to offer: Famed for its amazing weather, Valencia boasts over 300 days of sun a year. A great place to chill out and bathe in the warm tranquil waters of the Mediterranean.
Things to do in Valencia
Grab some lunch (maybe a take-away paella with a bottle of horchata?) and head to the Malvarosa beach or to the beautiful Turia Gardens. When the river flooded in 1957 the local authorities rerouted the river and left its banks totally empty. Thanks to the protests of the people, today we can find these awesome gardens instead of the originally planned four-lane intercity motorway. A must see. There's also the City of the Science and Arts. Modern buildings where you can find interactive museums, a planetarium (human eye shaped) and the biggest aquarium in Europe.
More: Barrio del Carme. Infinite bars, restaurants and all the charm you can find in the old part of the city. Not far from there you'll find the 'Plaza de la Virgen' (The Virgin Square), the Cathedral (with the officially recognised Holy Grail!) and the Miquelet Tower. Walk a bit further and you'll find the Lonja. Admire the huge marble columns of this UNESCO heritage site. Just in front of it you'll find the Mercado Central (Central Market), one of the oldest in Europe still used every day up 'til 2.30pm; maybe grab a bite before visiting the bullring to witness one of the oldest and most famous Spanish traditions, a bullfight.
Local food
Paella
Originally a thin layer of rice cooked with rabbit, chicken, beans and saffron, you can now find it with a huge range of ingredients including possibly the most popular one - seafood. So yummy! Do not forget to scratch the bottom of the pot (also called paella, by the way) with your fork to get the 'socarrat', the burnt rice stuck to it!
Horchata
A really Valencian drink, a sort of milkshake made with the juice of the previously collected, dried and squeezed tiger nut...it doesn't sound appealing? Give it a go, absolutely delicious, refreshing and filling! Avoid the bottled and branded horchata. Try to get it from stalls in markets or specialised 'horchaterias'.
Fartons
Almost exclusively made to accompany the horchata. Soak this sort of doughnut into your glass and enjoy its heavy sweetness.
Sepia a la plancha
The most typical Valencian tapas. Simply grilled cuttlefish with Aioli. Amazing.
Agua de Valencia
Orange juice (from the renowned orange trees of the region) mixed with champagne. A bit of a strange combination...but it actually tastes very good.
Arros a banda
Boil loads of different kinds of seafood and then use that same water to make rice so it takes all the flavour from the Mediterranean Sea. Spectacular.