Tear out page here then fold along the dotted lines TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS
Fold 1Weekend
in Valencia
Happy to let Madrid and Barcelona steal the
limelight, Valencia charms as a sophisticated
cultural centre with quality museums, great
restaurants and an understated beach life.Turia Fountain in
Plaza de la VirgenFriday
Saturday Sunday
PLAZA DE LA VIRGEN
The heart of historic Valencia is
the North Ciutat Vella,
containing several key sights.
Busy Plaza de la Virgen was once
the forum of Roman Valencia and
is still the centre of the old town.
On it, Valencia’s crowning
cathedral (£6) is said to be the
resting place of the Holy Grail.
Free Tour Valencia offers
pay-what-you-think walking
trails from the plaza
(freetourvalencia.com).MERCADO CENTRAL
Valencia’s vast Modernista
covered market, constructed
in 1928, is a swirl of smells,
movements and colour. The
quality and presentation are
sky-high and the sheer spectacle
merits a visit. Have a whip
through, then find the bar at the
western end (misleadingly called
‘Central Bar’). This is the best spot
to absorb the ambience, over a
wine or coffee and some tasty
tapas (mercadocentralvalencia.es;
Plaza del Mercado; 7am–3pm
Mon–Sat).RUSSAFA
Take a few small city blocks
and jam as many tapas places,
bohemian bars, alternative shops
and quirky galleries into them as
humanely possible, and you have
Valencia’s Russafa district. A night
out here is the best way to get a
feel for what the locals get up to.
If you’re into theatre, don’t miss
the Microteatre València. Its plays
lasting under 15 minutes, for
fewer than 15 people, in less than
15 square metres make for a local
icon (microteatrevalencia.com;
Calle de Cádiz 59; £3).TORRES DE QUART
Dive straight into the Barrio del
Carmen, the city’s oldest
quarter. It’s full of bohemian
character, narrow medieval
lanes, museums, little bars and
restaurants. The 15th-century
Torres de Quart, Spain’s most
magnificent city gate, faces
towards Madrid and can be
climbed (Calle de Guillem de
Castro; 9.30am–6pm or 7pm
Mon–Sat, 9.30am–3pm Sun;
£1.70, Sun free).YUSO
Offering fantastic value for
home-style Valencian cooking,
this Barrio del Carmen restaurant
has a regular coterie of customers.
The set menus are cheap and
delicious. Valencia is famed as
the home of paella, so consider
one of Yuso’s succulent rice
dishes and fideuàs – similar to
paellas, but with fine pasta
(restauranteyuso.es; Calle de la
Cruz 4; 1pm–5.30pm &
8.30pm–1am Fri–Sat, 1pm–
5.30pm Sun; mains from £7).CAFÉ TERTULIA
Composed of three small levels,
this historic café is a handsome
spot with exposed-brick walls,
but has also reinvented itself by
installing a gin bar downstairs- perfect to end your first
evening. The coffee is strong and
just about the best in the Barrio
del Carmen, so Café Tertulia is
equally handy for a morning
pit-stop (00 34 600 02 92 01;
Calle Alta 4; 7am–1.30am
Mon–Fri, from 8am Sat, from
8.30am Sun).
CIUDAD DE LAS ARTES
Y LAS CIENCAS
The beautiful City of Arts &
Sciences occupies a 350,000-
square-metre swathe of the
old Turia riverbed. It’s mostly
the work of world-renowned,
locally born (and controversial)
architect Santiago Calatrava.
His architecture is awe-inspiring
stuff, even if you don’t fancy
visiting any of the multifaceted
institutions sited here (cac.es).MUSEO FALLERO
The exuberant swirl of flames
and fireworks at Las Fallas in
mid-March marks Valencia’s
biggest festivities. Each year,
only one of the thousands of
ninots, the grotesque figurines
at the base of each falla (huge
papier mâché statues), is saved
from the flames. Those
reprieved over the years are
displayed here (00 34 963 525
478; Plaza Monteolivete 4;
9.30am–7pm Mon–Sat, to 3pm
Sun; £1.70, Sun free).Legs of ham hang at long-standing
El Maño in the Mercado CentralThe late-Gothic style Torres de
Quart, part of the old city wallsThe Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia
at the City of Arts & SciencesFold 2MINI GUIDE
MERCADO DE COLÓN
This magnificent building, now
colonised by cafés and boutique
food outlets, was formerly a
market, built in 1916 to serve the
rising bourgeoisie of L’Eixample.
The handsome metal skeleton
is garnished with Modernista
flourishes. It’s a good place to
try horchata: a sugary drink
made from tiger nuts, into which
you dip finger-shaped buns
called fartóns (mercadocolon.es;
Calle de Cirilo Amorós; 7.30am–
2am daily).