In short
Valencia has a feature no other large European city shares: its river was diverted and its bed turned into a park. After the 1957 flood, the Turia was rerouted to the south; the nine kilometres of dry bed crossing the city became the Turia Gardens, with cycle paths, sports grounds and gardens.
El Carmen, in the old town, holds the lanes and the nightlife. Ruzafa is the district of the contemporary scene. The City of Arts and Sciences, by Santiago Calatrava, occupies the southern end of the park. La Malvarrosa is the city beach.
Arriving and getting around
The airport is linked to the centre by metro. High-speed trains take under two hours from Madrid.
The Turia park is the best way to move around: it crosses the city west to east, without cars or traffic lights, and links the old town to the City of Arts. A bicycle is the obvious answer.
What it really costs
Valencia is markedly cheaper than Barcelona or Madrid, for housing and for eating out, which explains its growing appeal for long stays.
The Central Market, one of Europe's largest modernist market halls, remains a neighbourhood market rather than a showcase.
When to come
April–June and September–October. Summer is hot and humid.
Las Fallas, 15–19 March, inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, transform the city: monumental sculptures burned on the final night, firecrackers all day. Hotels book months ahead and the noise is constant — to seek out or to avoid, not to meet by surprise.
What nobody tells you
The floods of 29 October 2024 killed 223 people in the province. Valencia's historic centre was spared, precisely because of the Turia diversion; it was the municipalities south of the metropolitan area — Paiporta, Catarroja, Benetússer, Sedaví, Massanassa, Torrent, Picanya — that were devastated. Reconstruction is supported by European funds and continues. Visiting the city presents no difficulty, but ignoring this would be out of place.
Paella was born in the Albufera, the lagoon south of the city, and the traditional Valencian recipe contains no seafood. It is eaten at midday, not in the evening.
Horchata de chufa, made from tiger nuts, is the local drink; Alboraya, to the north, is its home.