On the east coast of Spain, Valencia is a great place to keep your body happy. Fill your days with spa sessions and the freshest fruit you’ll ever taste.
I arrived in Valencia after five days at the nearby Benicassim music festival – an extravaganza of great bands and beery Brits. The high: dancing to bands and remembering my youth. The low: someone urinating on my foot, in the middle of the watching crowd. Well, those portaloos were miles away…
The side trip to Valencia had been an afterthought and the mega-popular Valencia Mansion B and B was fully booked. But its owners were kind enough to put me in touch with a friend of theirs – Ita, a drama teacher who occasionally rents out rooms in her apartment in the historic centre.
She greeted me with a tray of iced water and a bowl of peaches and nectarines. I needed sleep. And a spa. She phoned a spa-loving Norwegian neighbour who supplied the address of her favourite pampering oasis.
So, after a blissful siesta and armed with Ita’s recommendations, I began my feel good 48 hours in Spain’s third-largest city.
Valencia Airport
Valencia airport is located 8 km west of the city. A taxi ride will cost approximately €15 and takes around 20 minutes. A bus to the city costs €2.50. The metro now extends to the airport and costs range from €6 to €17 depending on your destination.
Where to Stay
Stay centrally and you will be within walking distance of all the main tourist attractions.
I stayed at Ita’s Valencia Arthouse has two spacious rooms in a self-contained area of her apartment. Decked out in acidic colours with masks, sombreros, crucifixes and other artefacts from Africa and Latin America, our bedroom made for interesting conversation – and strange dreams. The bed was comfy, the room bright, with a sofa for lounging and clean towels and linen every day.
On the first floor of a balconied block in the centre of Barrio del Carmen, it’s a great base for exploring the city – and Ita could not have been more helpful, giving me local recommendations of where to go and what to do. A home from home.
Sightseeing
Valencia is great for wandering – amble down Carrer Avellanas in the historic centre for a browse in the antique shops there, and visit pint-sized contemporary art gallery Galeria Valle Orti on the same street.
You’ll come out near Plaza de la Reina and the brilliant Horchateria El Siglo, just off the square. More than 100 years old, this mirrored cafe serves one of the best takes on the local speciality, horchata – a sweet, milky and (I found) surprisingly addictive drink, made from tiger nuts and said to be good for cholesterol and digestion.
Carry on up the street to the Mercado Central – a wrought iron cathedral to fresh produce, complete with painted dome and stained glass windows. If you’re there in summer, don’t miss the Paraguay peaches – a flat version of a normal peach they are twice as juicy and sweet.
Where to Run
Blow away the cobwebs by joining the locals for an early morning jog in the Jardines del Turia, Europe’s longest urban park. Green, leafy gardens extend for 10km, dotted with lakes and sculptures.
Cross the Puente Real bridge and cut back into the picturesque Barrio del Carmen for a tour of the old city’s winding streets and squares. It’s nice to be out between 7am and 8.30am, as the city starts its day and quiet al fresco breakfasts get under way.
If you’d prefer an organised running tour, there are lots of options if you search online.
Where to Eat
Friendly bar Santa Companya (Carrer Roteros 21, Barrio del Carmen) has a huge cellar of Spanish wines and serves inventive dishes with the freshest ingredients. Spinach, pear and speck salad and octopus carpaccio sprinkled with smokey pimenton were light and creative. There are also simple plates of ham and cheese to be had – the jamon iberico is a succulent treat.
You can order full or half dishes of most things, so it’s easy to try a few. Finish off with a homemade helado – the night we were there the scoops were aniseed, violet and vanilla. It might sound like a cocktail created in the depths of your granny’s handbag, but it was a total taste sensation.
Where to Chill
The Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias was designed by world-famous Valencia-born architect Santiago Calatrava and is a futuristic contrast to the ancient domes and winding alleys of the historic city.
To get there, hop on an open-top tourist bus, which goes from Plaza de la Reina, or hire a bike. For me, it was enough just to walk around the complex – it’s peaceful, all bright white, with lots of glass and rippling pools of water. Good for quiet contemplation with another glass of ice-cold horchata.
If you really want to find out the length of your lower intestine or measure how loud you can shout, visit the science museum there. The best bit was a mirrored room showing images from space, their reflections trailing away infinitely. There’s an aquarium at the complex too, with a mesmerising tropical fish tunnel and large, violent walruses.
Spas
The palatial Balneario La Alameda is just past the fairground along the river, 10 minutes’ walk from the old town. Sign up for a two-hour session for 28 euros – the first hour is in a spa circuit of pools, dry sauna and steam room, interspersed with freezing cold carwash-type showers. Then you move on to the hydrotherapy area for pummelling water jets and gently bubbling Jacuzzis.
Be warned, they are slightly rule-bound here. Your spa circuit is carefully timed so you don’t overlap with other users (great for privacy, bad for losing yourself in the moment). And there are signs which scream ‘Silencio’ in the pool area. But rules are there to be broken and there was plenty of illicit chatting…
Despite the slightly regimented approach to relaxation, I left La Alameda feeling detoxed and rejuvenated.
Nightlife
Valencia is renowned for its nightlife. Much of this is down to the fact that the city contains one of the largest student populations in the country, so it’s perfect for young travellers looking for a young crowd that’s up for a party. Head to the campus of the university itself to take part in one of Valencia’s legendary botellons – a Spanish tradition which involves large outdoor gatherings of young people drinking together.
Best Places to Visit Near Valencia
Two of the most popular places nearby include Benidorn and Alicante – both are a quick road trip, bus or train ride away.