One Summer in Europe - Hidden Gem #2 Valencia, Spain | One Summer in Europe

Hidden gem #2 – Valencia, Spain

Posted on 19. May, 2009 by Ryan in Sights and Sounds

As the podcast prepares to depart Spain after the next episode, Barcelona, let’s recap some fantastic destinations in Spain (in no particular order):

Madrid
Barcelona
San Sebastian
Pamplona (Running of the Bulls)
Sevilla
Cordoba
Granada

….whew that is a pretty long list, but I can recommend every place on this list wholeheartedly.

Time to add another spicy Spanish dish to that list: Valencia.

Valencia, Spain

I recently visited Valencia for the first time and was highly, highly impressed with the 3rd largest city in Spain. This is a wonderful city – in fact I consider Valencia to be potentially one of the most attractive cities to live in Europe due to its warm and sunny climate, Mediterranean location, and stunning cultural assets.

One of the cool things about Valencia is how they use the old river bed of the Turia river. This river was a wide and shallow river that wound through the city center but was normally dry and ugly and a waste of prime urban space. A few decades ago, the city re-routed the river flow outside of town and converted the now-empty river bed into a never-ending green parade of parks, playgrounds, fountains, and gardens. Recently a series of architecturally famous museums have been built in part of these green spaces, further making the city a hip and vibrant international destination. Now, Formula 1 racing and the America’s Cup yacht races call Valencia home as well.

Like any Spanish city, Valencia streets are most alive at night during the evening paseo – the time after dinner when everybody is out and about on the streets. The city center is full of great squares and buildings with plenty of cool food and drink options. Valencia is also the true home of paella and you should not miss the chance to taste this specialty if you are in Valencia.

I thought San Sebastian was my favorite city in Spain, until I saw Barcelona. Then I saw Granada and it became my favorite. Now, Valencia has taken the honors, and I suspect it will stay there for a long time.

If you are interested in Valencia, it is 2-3 hours by fast train from both Madrid and Barcelona. It also makes an excellent stopover to/from the party island of Ibiza.