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Please wait while Extravalencia Last Tweet loadThings to do
Explore the science and arts
Visit the City of Arts and Sciences, a great leisure centre for the diffusion of scientific and cultural knowledge, which includes unique buildings such as L´Hemisfèric (Imax, Planetarium and Laser) with a design that recalls a large human eye, the Science Museum Príncipe Felipe, a cutting-edge museum with interactive exhibitions that all share the philosophy of “Do touch, do think, do feel”; L´Umbracle (Promenade and Car Park) a conservatory with palms and plants; L´Oceanogràfic, the largest marine centre in Europe with a roof like petals of a giant water lily, offering a thrilling underwater journey. It is unique in the world for its size and its design, and for its important collection of all the main marine ecosystems of the planet. A piece of advice: book by phone the day before and save yourself a lot of queueing. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía is a driver of culture that puts the whole region of Valencia at the forefront of the world stage. The Agora is currently under construction and will offer a multifunctional area to welcome thousands of people. It will be able to host congresses, meetings, dinners, concerts, perfomances and public and private events such as the 500 ATP tennis tournament in November next year.
- Avda. Autopista del Saler, 1-7 / Phone: (+34) 902 100 031
- Website: www.cac.es
Get immersed in a natural environment
Explore the BioParc Valencia, a new state-of-the-art zoo, home to 4000 animals from 250 species, where people can enter the world of wild animals. Philosophy and zoo design technique that seeks to immerse the visitor in a meticulous recreation of natural habitats. Animals, vegetation and landscape form an environment that invites you to discover who runs the complexity of natural ecosystems. The barriers are hidden giving the sense of continuity between the enclosure where animals live and the space occupied by the public.
- El Parque de Cabecera / Phone: (+34) 902 250 340
- Website: www.bioparcvalencia.es
Enjoy the Mediterranean beach
The beaches of Las Arenas and Malvarrosa are a short ride from the city centre by bus or Metro. Try La Pepica, founded in 1898 (Paseo Neptuno 6, + 34 963 710 366, www.lapepica.com) is the place to go for Valencia’s best-known contribution to Spanish cuisine, paella. A few streets back at Calle José Benlliure 69 Casa Montana ( +34 963 672 314; www.emilianobodega.com) has particularly good tapas. If this is your last venue before the flight home, you can get Metro line 5 direct to the airport.
Take a stroll through the historic centre
The charming old quarter of the city is a great base to explore the historic sites, little squares and markets around it. You will find dilapidated palaces and townhouses of 19th-century noblemen and merchants that have been revamped as boutique hotels, restaurants and pubs. The Plaza de la Virgen behind the cathedral is still the heart of the city as it was in the days of the Romans. At the nearby L’Almoina archaeological centre, you can see the remains of the Roman as well as the Islamic period and the years after the Christian Reconquest in 1238. The city’s rich heritage also lives in the wealth of medieval buildings, notably La Lonja de la Seda, the 15th-century silk exchange. Across the street is the Central Market, one of the city’s Art Nouveau jewel, along with the glorious Colon Market, and the North Railway Station.
Have a view of Valencia
The Micalet tower of the cathedral (203 steps) a delightful, Gothic octagonal belltower which has become Valencia’s symbol. It provides an unrivalled view of the city… if you can face the climb. Originally, it was an outside tower close to the cloister under construction. At the end of the 15th century, it was joined to the Cathedral when the main nave was extended. Its access is through an angular door with archivolts, its exterior decorations include mouldings highlighting the different levels or sections of the tower. It opens daily at 10.30am-1pm and 4.30-7pm.
Enter the wonderful and fascinating world of wine 
Valencia is also famous for its wine production. The pleasant climate and soil consistencies form the perfect conditions for excellent wines. Learn about Valencian winemaking having a good time in the county with its natural charms, history, traditions and its people in the heart of the wine lands, the wine route Utiel-Requena.
- Website: www.rutavino.com
Interested in air baptism?
Get to know Valencia from a completely different perspective. Fly over superb urban and natural landscapes so that you can fully appreciate the beauty of this city. If you are a group of people, gather up a bit of courage and enjoy this unforgettable experience. Valencia has a number of flying clubs which offer microlight aircraft, hang gliding, parachuting or ballooning. But that’s not all, if you want a bit more independence, sign up for one of their classes on hang-gliding or motorized hang-gliding, for both beginners or those who simply want to improve on their techniques.
- Contact the companies directly for more information on prices and flight times:
- Escuela de Ala Delta y Parapente (phone +34 963 804 977)
- Website:www.totglobo.com (phone +34 629 611 889)
- Website: www.todoglobo.com (phone: +34 963 498 299)
Fancy an excursion in and around the city?
If you want to get away from the city for a day or two and enjoy the countryside or the coast but aren’t sure what to do or where to go, we recommend you contact Centro Excursionista Valencia. They organise numerous excursions all year long with professional supervision, and whether you are interested in sailing, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding or if you want to spend the day viewing Valencia from a hot air balloon, they are guaranteed to have something of interest for you.
- Prices and dates vary depending on what excursion you wish to do, so contact the centre for more details
- Website: www.centroexcursionista.org (phone +34 963 911 643)
Practice your favourite sea sport
Valencia is an excellent destination for water sports and sailing, with one of the best regatta fields in Europe and one of the most active and important harbours of the Mediterranean, as confirmed by the selection of Valencia as the location to hold the 2007 America’s Cup. Click here to see the companies in Valencia that offer water activities services.
In Cullera you can also enjoy windsurfing and surfing throughout most of the year (from Easter on) and is an ideal location for you to learn or improve your skills. In case you want to take up a course contact Club Sea Surf Patrol (Phone +34 961 725 093), we recommend you to book in advance, since at the height of summer the beach can get quite crowded and the resources of this club can be stretched quite thin.
Have you ever tried cyclotourism?
What better way to explore Valencia, both in the city and in the nearby areas? Cyclotourism is a different way to discover new places and meet lots of new people! Valencia is totally flat and there are cycle paths on most sidewalks. We specially recommend a route from the old town through the cycle paths in the park up to the City of Arts and Sciences and on to the revamped port, seeing everything in half a day.
Click here to see where you can hire a bike.
Are you short of time?
In that case, you can take in many of the city sights from the open top bus tour of the city; a tour of a couple of hours which shows you all the sights described below and gives you the opportunity to get off at various stages to explore further before picking you up again later.
What’s on?
Valencia hosts a wide range of regular and one-off events in and around the city. Visit the official website of Turismo Valencia to search the event you are interested in.
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