Valencia Cathedral:

Considered as one of the landmarks of the city, the Cathedral of Valencia is the mother church of the Christian communities of the city. First founded in the 13th century, this cathedral is built on the site of a mosque and includes several wonderful architectural styles such as Gothic, Renaissance art, neoclassical, Romanesque, and Baroque. The interior of the cathedral in Gothic style includes various artistic and religious treasures and the most notable among them are the Goya paintings. The bell tower is very impressive and is also a landmark where you can climb up the stairs and look at the views of the city.

Torres de Serranos:

One of the best preserved monuments of Valencia is Torres de Serranos. This monument is one of the twelve gates protecting the ancient wall of the Valencia City. It is built at the end of 14th century and in the entire Europe, the Serranos Towers are regarded to be the largest Gothic city gateway. It has been built by a famous architect of those times and includes the remarkable gothic interior, military pragmatism and ancient ornaments. The towers also house temporarily, a Maritime museum that has antiquities, which are recovered from the sea.

Plaza del Mercado:

Declared as a World Heritage Site, Plaza del Mercado is a Central Market of Valencia. This Central Market is one of the largest markets of Europe and is also a masterpiece of the modernist architecture. It is a perfect place for shopping offering all sorts of foods like meat, sausages, fruits, fish and many more for the domestic use and also it supplies for the main restaurants of the city.

Car hire services in Valencia are offered from Naitonal Atesa, Hertz, Avis, and Europcar.

There are two airports, one at Valencia and the other at Alicante that cater to the city’s tourism needs. It the eight busiest airport in the world and is the gateway of Spain. The Mediterranean coastal motorway is a lovely trail to drive in. it extends upto the border of France to Cadiz.

Like Cartagena and Cadiz, Alicante is one of those cities that have come to the forefront of the tourism business in the recent years and are worth driving to. The most popular locations are the beaches that also include some of the best restaurants and luxurious open air eateries. Overall, Alicante is a wonderful lively town which remains busy all through the day and most of the night.

The city of Alicante also holds a castle on top of the gorgeous Mount Benacantil which is a testimony to another historical era. There are beautiful gardens, bridges, dungeons, tunnels and other impressive structures that make it a must visit. Drive or ferry out to the beautiful Isla Tabarca which was one the hideout of the pirates and sea mongrels. Today the place presents seafood delicacies and is a worth visit for any foodie.

The city has stunning structures and beauteous beaches surrounding it. There are trendy bars that have come up in the suburbs that are really intriguing. The city also houses the largest aquarium in Europe and has great trails for shopaholics and art lovers. The cathedrals that design the city premises are great places to be in. the places that the city is particularly famous for are Grand Prix street, the La Liga football club and the museum at LLadro factory sidekicks.

There are many traditional towns that are present in the countryside that present a taste of the age old tradition. The Spanish shoe making industry is fame all around the world, so you can very well get a original pair for yourself in the local prices!

Both at the airport and around the city, there are various types of car rentals available. You can treat yourself to a wide range of cars be it the budget ones or the luxury ones. The major companies that operate here include Avis, Holiday Auto and Europcar. Online booking is a good option you will get to take advantage of a lot of discount offers that they normally don’t give in the kiosk. This is evident because the kiosks are too crowded to attract the attraction of the enthusiastic visitors. They are specifically meant for those who want spot booking and don’t care much about these secondary things.

All along Valencia there are fantastic trails that are worth visiting. A car drive will be unlike any other form of travel. Having a vehicle of your own will surely increase your comfort level driving around the beautiful city. Moreover the total cost that you will incur in the total travel through public means will be far more than the rental.

The Valencia airport gives you the first taste of the city. It is a beautiful airport exhibiting how great your trip is going to be. Along with the great restaurants there are various outlets and shops that provide for the various things you would want to do. Also in the city there are a huge number of restaurants that provide wonderful delights.

Waiting for the public transport will be a waste of time. Also you would not want to stick in between other local passengers on your vacation. A car rental will provide you with the option of driving out any time of the day and as long as you please. Don’t get worried with the odometer as all your fuel needs will be provided by the rental agency. You just need to concentrate about how much you can take back from the city.

Valencia, in Spain is usually known as a “Shopper’s Paradise” as the shopping possibilities in the city are endless. Being the Spain’s 3^rd largest city, all the products and items available throughout the region are of top notch quality thought the artisan trades and the industries ages back to the city’s Moorish history.

Though you can find only few gift shops, the city offers you much in the way of shopping with many streets lined up of shops and the best among them are the Calle Colon, Calle Pintor Sorolla and the Calle Don Juan de Austria. Many fashionistas in the city find themselves bordered by the shops, boutiques, shopping malls and department stores checking out for the products of different prices and styles. Most of the men and women tend to be very stylish and impeccable when they walk out from the door every morning, displaying the irresistible shopping scene of Valencia.

Valencia is fully packed with all kinds and sizes of flea markets keeping in view the ancient tradition as a commerce hub, especially the Mercado Central which is the biggest covered markets in Europe offering range of local produces like fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, seafood, along with the stunning stalls of iron, glass, decorative, toys and lots more.

Some of the major shopping centers include El Corte Ingles, Alcampo, Centro Commercial El Saler, Centro Commercial Valencia Nord, and Centro Commercial Nuevo Centro among a few, that offers up to date fashion trends in clothing and accessories and other high quality products like gifts, furniture, boutiques, home ware are available besides cinema complex, restaurants and bars at the shopping malls.

Avis, Europcar, Hertz, and National Atesa are the car hires you can find in Valencia.

The third largest Spanish city and the capital of the region of Valencia, the city of Valencia is considered by many as the romantic getaway of Spain.

A popular fashion destination, Valencia is modern combined with a rich cultural heritage, with architecture ranging from the Roman, Arabic to the ultra modern.

The Town center plays host to the annual festival of Las Fallas honoring San Jose the patron saint of the carpenters, with song, dance and fireworks displays.

The Old Quarter  contains the Santa Catalina church and tower, the Cathedral of Valencia, Basilica of the Lady of the Forsaken, the 15^th century market place of La Lonja with its silk exchange, the Valencia Institute of Modern Art and the Mercado Central which is one of the largest markets of Europe.

The New town of Valencia can be seen taking a walk along the 7Kms of the Turia gardens with its 19 bridges.

The city of Arts and Sciences is in the shape of an eye and was designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava of international repute. The center of the building which looks like the pupil of the eye has a planetarium, a laserium and an IMAX theater.

Housed in six buildings is the Valencia aquarium with its dolphinarium the largest in Europe.

Other museums of note worth visiting are the Bullfighting museum, the Prehistory museum, the Museum of Ethnology, Museum of History and the Museum of Pottery and Sumptuary arts.

Lined by orange groves, golf courses and vineyards, Valencia has 2.8Kms of white sandy beaches. The beaches have all the facilities for leisure time activities and are a great to visit with kids.

Valencia has a sports fare that could easily tire the most avid sports enthusiast. From Valencia FC a leading European soccer club to F1 motor racing Valencia has it all. Swimming, Golf, Sailing, Mountain walks, cycling, scuba diving, and the list is just endless.

At all the Plazzas the gastronomic fare offered by Valencia is just delightful, Spanish cuisine at its best with the best wines to accompany.

Valencia offers a great nightlife too with many clubs, discos, bars and theaters.

• Manises Airport Valencia.

The Manises airport is located 8Kms west of the city of Valencia.

The easily accessible airport has facilities including five shops, five cafes and eateries, two ATM and banking services, three VIP lounges, a meeting room and a conference hall, five information points, lost luggage, facilities for persons with reduced mobility, and six car hire desks.

The car rental agencies offering their services at the airport are Auriga Crown, Avis, Europcar, Hertz, and National Atesa.

Your visit to a city won’t be complete without savoring its local delicacies and unique culinary heritage.  You certainly can’t miss it in Valencia.  Anywhere you go, there’s a quaint bar or restaurant that offers some gastronomic delight that is unique to the city.

Valencia is well known for its Paella – a complete dish based on rice cooked with a delightful mix of seafood or meats such as chicken and rabbit and spiced with typical Spanish herbs and spices.  The breaded squid called the Calamares served in many fast food centers has its roots in Valencia, as well as the Spanish omellete, fartons, rosquilletas and the buñuelos.

Fine Restaurants

As a coastal city, you can expect only the marine bounties of the Mediterranean to end up on your gastronomic fare.  Some of the finest restaurants specialize in seafoods with its famous Paella cooked with a mix of lobster meat and squid.

• The Ca’ Sento along Mendez Nunez is one of the Valencia’s most outstanding restaurants offering the city’s top seafood prepared as haute cuisine.  Its seafood stews are among the best as well as the viver sucking land cooked with parsnip cream and rhubarb crepes.  Needless to day, it’s on expensive restaurant but well worth it.
• The Civera along C/ Lerida is a popular seafood restaurant most frequented by the moneyed class for its excellent cuisine at upscale prices.  It is considered the top seafood restaurant with its fish of the season baked in salt as most recommended.
• The La Riua along C/ del Mar  serves authentic local cuisine at very affordable prices with the Paella Valenciana is its most popular dish but some variant like the Fideua, paella served with noodles instead of rice, is just as delectable.

Nightlife

After Madrid, Valencia is noted for a vibrant colorful nightlife with its alternative Bohemian nightclubs and bars you can find in the Carmen district.  It even has a student nightlife centered around Blasco Ibañez and the Benimaclet.  The mainstream nightlife can best be enjoyed on weekends as they can be fond in the beaches just outside the city at the seaport, considered the biggest in the Mediterranean western coast.

And if you should end up in a bar, don’t forget to ask a glass of Aqua de Valencia.  It’s a cocktail drink made of cava or champagne wine with vodka, orange juice and gin and first popularized in 1959 by the Café Madrid de Valence.  It is the unofficial city’s cocktail. And don’t forget to get chauffeur for your car hire if you plan on attending a wild binge as driving and alcohol are frowned at in the country with its strict enforcement of fines for drunk driving. GP

Just about every major city in Spain is a history city steeped in centuries of tradition dating back to the Roman conquest of the Iberian Peninsula and enriched by both Christendom and the Islamic cultures brought in by the Moorish invasion around 700 A.D.

Valencia is one such city and it has the largest density of historic monuments interspersed with modern daring architecture that rivals the breathtaking Baroque and Romanesque architectures of the past with its own inspiring designs.

Understanding the rich culture of the country in the eyes of Valencia resident over the centuries can best be gleaned by visiting the city’s many museums and attending the festivals that dot much of the city calendar of events.  With museums and art galleries scattered over a 52 square mile area, visitors can best cover as many with car hires, especially if they are visiting with their families.

• A Culture Trip to the Past

There are roughly a dozen major cultural museums in the city and they include the Museu de Prehistoria de Valencia which is an archeological exhibit for the country’s past, the Museu Valencia d’Etnologia and the Museu d’Historia de Valencia as well as the fine arts museum Museu de Belles Artes, Museo Faller and the Museu Tauri de Valencia showcasing the bullfighting traditions of the country.

• A Culture Trip to the Present

Not only is the City of Arts and Sciences complex a feast to the eyes in terms of architectural wonders, it is home to a variety of contemporary exhibits that showcase modern Valencia and Spain to the world.  Its El Museu de los Ciences Principe Felipe is an interactive museum of science.

The l’Oceanografic is the considered the largest aquarium in the continent showcasing marine diversity of the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Polar regions.

• Its Festivals

The city is noted for its local festival, the Las Fallas, held every March in celebration of Saint Joseph and has inspired other similar celebration in other cities and towns.  The days and nights of Valencia are filled with parties during the 5 days of the festivities punctuated with a flurry of historical and religious processions in and round the city. Fireworks abound all day long.

The La Tomatina is an annual tomato fight that draws crowds to the town of Buñol every August.   Moreover, Catholic fiestas dot the calendar throughout the year like Holy Week celebrations that is considered the most colorful in the country. GP

As the 22^nd most populous city in the EU, the coastal City of Valencia sits on a 52 square mile land area that’s integrated with one of Spain’s industrial site, the Costa del Azahar.  The city is associated most often with its festivals, notably the Las Fallas, and its culinary traditions that have defined Spanish cuisine in the minds of epicures the world over – the Paella.

Things to see In Valencia

The city gets a more severe Mediterranean climate with hot summers with August reaching 34°C and it coldest in January registering a comfortable 10°C to 18°C. Getting around the city is best done during the colder months from October to April but if you get a car hire to go through a sightseeing tour of the city, even the hottest months won’t be a problem.  But once you get to the site, exploring the area on foot never fails to impress the visitor.

• Enjoy the Architectural Marvels

Valencia is home to Spain’s historic monuments which the visitor won’t miss as they get to be visible anywhere in the city.  The Llotja de la Seda is one landmark site declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.  The Cathedral, erected between the 13^th and 15^th century, exudes a Gothic architecture with Baroque and Romanesque influences. Beside it is the Basilica de la Virgen de los Desmaparados, another imposing Gothic structure with its awesome dome that can be seen from just about anywhere in the city.

But some of the most frequented sites are its modern edifices that are clearly among the most daring and most breathtaking in Europe.  The Ciutat de las Artes i less Ciences or the City of Arts and Sciences is a museum complex that carries an avant-garde architecture designed by world renowned architect Santiago Calatrava.

It is home to an opera house, a performing arts center, a science museum, oceanographic parks, a planetarium and an IMAX cinema.  In the same complex, there’s the jaw-dropping Hemispheric rising from the Mediterranean coasts of Valencia with its yellow interior lights visible from the outside and bathed in blue streams of floodlights  to define a spectacular skyline of the city in the twilight and evening hours.

• Public Squares

The city’s largest public square is the Plaza de l’Ajuntament containing the town hall, cinemas and man of the city’s well known restaurants and bars.  Here is the site of the noisy fireworks that take place every afternoon during the Las Fallas festivities. Another is the Plaza de la Verge that contains the noted Basilica de la Virgen and around the corner is the Plaza de la Reina where you can find the Cathedral. GP