Valencia Trip

VALENCIA

Valencia is a vibrant city on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, known for its mix of historic charm and futuristic architecture. It’s home to the City of Arts and Sciences, an iconic cultural complex with an opera house, science museum, aquarium, and IMAX cinema. Valencia’s old town reveals centuries of history with highlights like the Silk Exchange, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Gothic Valencia Cathedral, where the Holy Grail is said to be kept. The city is also famous for being the birthplace of paella, offering visitors an authentic taste of Spanish cuisine.

Every March, Valencia hosts the Fallas festival, a dazzling week of fireworks, music, and giant sculptures burned in celebration. Long sandy beaches stretch just minutes from the city center, perfect for relaxing after a day of sightseeing. With a large student population and a warm climate, Valencia is ideal for Erasmus students and culture lovers alike.

Town Hall Square

The Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the heart of Valencia - a spacious square where locals gather for major events and celebrations. At its center, a large fountain and flower stalls add color and life, while a statue of Francesc de Vinatea (1273–1333) pays tribute to a key figure in Valencia’s history.

Dominating the square is the grand Town Hall, built in 1915, with an eclectic façade adorned with sculptures by Mariano Benlliure. Just across the way, the Main Post Office building stands out with its elegant dome, decorated with neoclassical garlands, flowers, and ribbons - one of the architectural highlights of the square.

Carmen’s Neighbourhood
This thousand-year-old city neighbourhood grew between two walls, the Muslim and the Christian. The emblematic neighbourhood is situated in the city’s old quarter, the Ciutat Vella, and takes its name from the Carmen Calzado convent, the church and adjacent square. It is, for all intents and purposes, the authentic historical centre of Valencia.

Towers of Serranos
The Serranos Towers are considered to be the largest Gothic city gateway in all of Europe, and were constructed at the end of the 14th century by Pere Balaguer as part of the city's fortification. They provisionally housed prison cells and served as a triumphal arch on many festive and solemn occasions. You can enjoy splendid views of the city and the river Turia from their terraces.

Tribunal de las Aguas de Valencia

The Water Tribunal is a justice institution and its function used to be to settle the conflicts of the use of irrigation water among the farmers in the several canals of Valencia. 
 

Turia’s Garden

It is one of the largest urban natural parks in Spain, a green space of more than 9 km that crosses the city with recreational and sports areas and romantic places to get lost. With 18 bridges, the trace of centuries of history, the old riverbed touches on both banks with some of the main museums and monuments of the city. This garden is built on the old riverbed of the Turia River, which was diverted to avoid the continuous flooding that the city suffered. In addition, it is bounded by the Parque de Cabecera and the Bioparc on the west side, and the City of Arts and Sciences on the opposite side.

L'Oceanogràfic
L'Oceanogràfic is an oceanarium designed by the architect Félix Candela. It is a part of the City of Arts and Sciences, probably the most famous tourist attraction in Valencia. It is the largest complex of its type in Europe, holding a capacity of 42,000,000 liters of water. It is home to 45,000 animals, including sharks, dolphins, penguins, belugas, sea lions and much more. You can see all these animals also in a the see-through tunnel. The oceanarium is divided into several parts according to where the animals are from (Arctic oceans, Mediterranean habitants, Red Sea,..)