Valencia 2001 (Valencia)

Member Name: andrewv

Product:	Valencia
Date:	30/09/01 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly people, Lots to do, Great nightlife

Disadvantages: Getting there

I can only agree with the prior submissions, however Valencia has a new addition/s that make this even more of a must visit place.
The Ciutat de les Arts & Ciencies (Park of Arts & Sciences) is now more or less open.
When fully complete the complex will include an Imax, Arts museum, Science museum, indoor and outdoor symphony halls and the largest aquarium complex in Europe. All of this is set on the seaward side of the city in a staggering architectural setting and surrounded by new flats and shopping area.
This area alone would justify a visit to Valencia and could use up a couple of days. There is a Holiday Inn Express in the 'zone' and makes a good base. The city has a small metro system and the usual bus network, but frankly they are not that convenient & I used taxis which are cheap and plentiful.
I found the Valencians very friendly - but this is a very Spanish city with little concesion to tourists - so a working knowledge of Spanish helps.
I was there at midsummer and booked a restaurant (La Pepica) down at the beach area on my first night, when I asked for a taxi I was told it would take an hour to get there (about 3 km) and then told that there was a fiesta on the beach for midsummer. The time quote was about right! so I walked the last bit, there must have been over 200,000 people on the beach, bar-b-q's, live bands, bars, the lot, and all went on until about 4.00am. The next morning I heard people in the hotel complaining that there was nothing to do!!! so it pays to chat to the hotel staff.
Next nights returned to semi normal and town was busy again - but very late, if you think it's quiet you are probably not out late enough or in the wrong place.
For cheapish eats, try the streets between the station and Placa del la Reina, and for bars move onto the area behind the Cathedral - Carrer Cavallers and C/ Serrans. There are many little side streets that just come alive later into the night. It can be quite diso
riantating as they seem different during the day and the transformation is strange.
Valencia feels like a green city due to the riverbed park that surrounds the centre and this makes it feel less built up than say Barcelona.
Other must sees are IVAM (Valencian Institute of Modern Art), the Cathedral and genarally the buildings in the old town: Palacio del Marques de Dos Aguas is alabaster clad and again stunning.
I simply can't understand why we don't hear more about Valencia, maybe it's because of the limited direct flights or maybe the Spanish are keeping this one for themselves. Don't let them! Go now, you could easily slip away from the Costa Blance resorts for a couple of days and get a completely different view of Spain. I would rate this as my favourite Spanish city - & I've seen a few.

Andrew

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