Different ways to explore Valencia

Let’s travel back in time to the 14th to 18th centuries, when the silk trade was the lifeblood of the city. You can track the footprints of this past thanks to a guided tour which takes you to fascinating places like the Silk Exchange, one of Valencia’s most beautiful buildings, with 15 late-Gothic vaults and columns that spread out like palm trees. This route also stops at the Silk Museum, in the Velluters district where the silk-weavers used to work, and in a shop selling traditional Valencian costume.

The reputation of Valencia’s wines is steadily rising. So as well as trying iconic local dishes like paella, we recommend accompanying your meal with wines from the region with a Designation of Origin. For example, a white wine from Alto Turia or Serranía, or a red from Requena-Utiel or Campo de Liria. The Valencians are also very fond of a sweet wine called mistela (must with alcohol) to accompany desserts, and a cocktail called “Agua de Valencia”. If rather than going it alone you would prefer some culinary expertise to guide you, there is a guided tour that includes a Valencian wine tasting and tapas in the taverns of the old quarter. Another fun option is the Wine Bus, which takes you in a guided tour of two wineries in the Requena-Utiel area. Requena also offers an alternative combination of activities: rafting and wine tourism.

The Valencians are very proud of the landscape formed by their market gardens and orchards. To see how farmers continue to work and develop these areas, you can try unusual activities like taking a horse-drawn carriage through the gardens, picking and cooking your own vegetables, or visiting a museum to see the farming tools that were used in the 19th century. There are many routes through Valencia’s orchards: from thematic walks about organic farming to tastings or a literary journey through the landscapes of the work of the Valencian writer Vicent Andrés Estellés. There is even a Horchata Route that will take you through the heart of the orchards, where you can see an authentic tiger nut dryer and finish up with a tasting of horchata and traditional cakes (fartons) in an original horchatería in the middle of an orchard.

If you prefer staying in the city of Valencia but you’re intrigued by the atmosphere of the traditional fishing village, we recommend El Cabanyal, quickly becoming a fashionable neighbourhood. Here industrial buildings are being remodelled to create cultural spaces, new restaurants are popping up all the time, and it still seems to have the authentic spirit of the Mediterranean. You can discover the history and heritage of this Protected Historic Site, with houses that preserve the architecture of the nineteenth century, through a route on foot with expert guides.  This historic neighbourhood was once the inspiration for artists such as Sorolla, and we can see why.