Valencia, the little sister of Barcelona

Ahhh Valencia, long planned and finally experienced. It's definitely a must-visit for those who love architecture and photography. Lufthansa Holidays was our travel planner this time, meaning it was discovered, approved, great value for money, and off we went.

Day 1 Departure

Monday evening around 9 pm from Frankfurt. It was late and we didn't arrive at the hotel until around midnight, but the whole day was so relaxed. We could sleep in, pack our suitcases leisurely, and drive to Frankfurt. Parking at Platzhirsch was no problem as always, the shuttle was right there. We had already checked in online, so we just had to drop off our suitcases and off we went.

Everything went smoothly upon arrival and we immediately had our suitcases, off to the taxi and to the hotel. We had booked the NH Hotel Las Sciencas in our package, right next to the opera with the bus stop right outside the door. There are plenty of restaurants and cafés in the immediate vicinity. It was really warm when we arrived in the middle of the night and it was so beautiful to drive through the city with the windows open, full of expectation and anticipation for our city trip.

Our biorhythm and the life of the people in southern Spain really match well. The late second breakfast, our first of the day, "Almuerza" around 11 am and then lunch around 3:30 pm, then back to the hotel and around 6 pm out again for dinner around 9 pm. Perfect.... that's how we lived for a week.

Day 2

First, get an overview... a beautiful summer day, pleasantly warm but not too hot and ideal for our first walk. We slept in and went to a café three steps away from the hotel for breakfast. We usually book without meals so that we can be free and flexible. The café was good and practical, and they had delicious coffee.

I was already enthusiastic about the photos of the opera and the entire Artes y Ciencas square, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful. Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela have created a monument here, with positive and negative opinions about it, but still beautiful. And I had the opportunity to take beautiful night photos during this week thanks to special illumination.

Here are the first impressions of the day...

Since our suitcase wasn't as full as usual and I had decided to browse a bit, which I usually don't have time for, we went to the nearby shopping center for a taste. But we only started shopping a few days later. So we spent our first day around the hotel, letting the evening fade away with delicious fish and good wine. How beautiful life can be when you have time for yourself and your partner without hustle and bustle.

Day 2

Good Morning Valencia

We slept so well in our small hotel room. Without much thought, we went for coffee in El bar and then explored the old town. So we set off, straight across the opera square and towards the old town.

Valencia was founded by the Romans and the Turia river, formerly used as a moat for defense, but also the lifeline of the city, runs through it as a garden where you can linger, have a picnic, jog, and bike. A beautiful park that winds its way through the city.

It's very relaxed to walk through Valencia, somehow more familiar, there aren't as many tourists as in Barcelona, simply not as crowded.

We first came across Mercado de Colon, the smaller market hall, a beautiful building with steel beams, mosaics, a jewel of Art Nouveau, and beautiful gourmet market stalls.

There are also very nice shops with fashion and more in the surrounding streets, this is the most expensive area of Valencia. Perfect for strolling, discovering, having coffee in between, and enjoying the day.

Day 3

This morning we went to another café for breakfast. Il peceno Café de la Mama. Freshly filled sandwiches, croissants, this will be our café for the remaining days, two steps away from the hotel. Perfect.

The bus lines in Valencia are super easy, they always follow the same route and are not really expensive at 1.50 per person. Bus line 13 takes us to the old town, where there is still much to discover, so we don't have to walk everywhere.

We drove to Mercado Central, because everything is within walking distance from here. The mercado is also a beautiful Art Nouveau building, similar to Barcelona, hosting all sorts of delicious food and market stalls that make any food lover's heart beat faster. It's a shame that we don't have something like this here, or if we do, it's too far away.

La Lonja de la Seda

The historic silk exchange, a former center of power, is located right across from Mercado Central and shouldn't be missed. It's worth taking a look inside. The inner courtyard with beautiful old orange trees, the halls with columns and a floor that looks almost plastic.

Plaza de la Reina is the heart of the city and if you climb the Micalet bell tower, you have a great view of the city and on clear weather, you can see all the way to the Costa Blanca.

From up here, you can observe the hustle and bustle of the city and decide where to go next.

Plaza Virgin, the soul of the city. Especially beautiful in the evening, start walking to the Barrio del Carmen district, have your first aperitif in the afternoon or have an ice cream. Whatever it is.... enjoy is the motto, sit down, look, observe.

Arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon and already a little tired, we rested for the evening.

We found really good restaurants in our area around the hotel, so we didn't have to go far in the evening and could enjoy the atmosphere of the opera and the whole illuminated square. We were lucky and thanks to a promotional tour by a company, everything was bathed in red.

There are great reflections in the water around the buildings.

I was really worried that there would be photographers with tripods everywhere, but no, and I could let loose.

Day 4

Today is a day for strolling and shopping, Corte Inglés around the corner, another shopping center not far away. We let ourselves drift, had lunch in a tapa bar, and had a nice dinner in the evening. So nice without pressure.

Day 5

Vamos a la Playa

At Oceanografico, the largest underwater zoo in Europe, is the bus stop that takes us to the city beach.

Playa de la Malvarrosa.

The palm-lined promenade, which we walked from the harbor almost to the end. The plan was to have lunch in a restaurant that still prepares paella on a wood fire. But no chance without a reservation. It was 3 pm when we arrived and there were probably still 30 people ahead of us waiting for a table. Who would have thought that on a Friday? So, if you ever go there, definitely make a reservation at Casa Carmela.

Before we arrived, we had picked out another restaurant and so we still got our paella, on the beach with a view of the sea and a tinto de verano.

We deserved it after our long walk.

By the way, paella originates from Valencia, it's basically the birthplace of the dish.

Day 6

Today, we took the bus to Plaza del Ayuntamiento around noon. The Avenida Marques de Sotelo is only a few hundred meters long, but here, the magnificent buildings line up next to each other. One of them is the town hall, which you can visit. There's a small museum accompanying it that explains the history, and you can also visit the plenary hall. In addition, we almost didn't have to pay any admission fees and had no additional costs.

The rooms inside are magnificent, with beautiful chandeliers and marble floors.

Our walk through the city passes beautiful squares and buildings, life is happening here.

Tapabar in the old town.

Everything about the Spring Festival is explained at the Fallero Museum, with the Fallas sculptures. It's the farewell to winter from March 12th to 19th, with fireworks and traditional dances.

On our last day in Valencia, we visited the Jardin Botanico and strolled through the old town once again. We said goodbye in the evening with a good meal and a good wine before heading to the airport very early in the morning.

Conclusion: Valencia offers a lot, is diverse, and can be combined very well as a beach and city vacation, or as a starting point for a tour of southern Spain.