Valencia has emerged as a prominent tourist destination quite rapidly in near past. It is a unique city and capital of province of same name. It has a unique combination of modern and gothic architecture. The festivals, sporting events, museums, beaches and other interesting places are pretty appealing. Here is an insight into what has made it popular among tourists.
City of Arts and Science
City of Arts and Science (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències) is an interesting place which has numerous tourist attractions. These include a large aquarium, planetarium, science museum and an IMAX cinema. An arts museum has opened up quite recently and worth visiting for arts enthusiasts. It is a must visit place for family entertainment.
Barri Del Carme
The Barri Del Carme is a popular neighborhood which is located in old part of the city. One may enjoy coffee and local delicacies at the numerous cafes and restaurants here. Night life is quite active here and the cafes and restaurants stay opened up till late night. One may enjoy partying at the numerous bars and nightclubs which remain crowded on most weekends.
Do not miss a walk along river Tùria for having a glimpse of multiple interesting places. A mammoth park is situated here which is spread across a number of districts. One may find numerous soccer and rugby fields in this region. It has got a unique aesthetic appeal with fountains and trails dotting the place. The artificial boating lake is another worth visiting place here.
Other places worth visiting here include The Mercat Central, Torres de Quart, the Seu and the Llotja. The Seu is a cathedral with an imposing building, and has been built with three distinct architectural styles. The Llotja is a UNESCO World Heritage and used to be an important site for silk trade in the past.
Fallas
Valencia is essentially a city of fallas, a regional festivity, which is organized during March every year. Celebrations begin around 16 March and go on for a week. This festivity is dedicated to Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters. Piles of cardboard stuff are burnt at this time in honour of the saint. One may even find interesting small models made from paper or cardboard which are burnt during this festival.
This festival is celebrated with pump and joy. The euphoria generated by it is maddening engulfs the whole region. One may have an idea about size of fallas by the fact that it takes one year to construct one such structure! Fireworks go on in the city for a week and the fireworks display during the night is a must watch.
Valencia is best visited during spring and fall as the climate is favorable for visitors. One should try to plan travel to here during March as this is the time to indulge in festivities of ‘Fallas de San José’. Getting here is easy as it has got an international airport which is served by most major airlines. It has an excellent connectivity with most cities in the country.
