During my first trip to Spain couple of years ago, Valencia wasn’t even on my radar. When people ask why I didn’t visit Valencia, i would say I just didn’t have time. The truth is, I was embarrassed to admit I’ve never even heard of the place lol. Since then, I’ve been hearing lots of great things about this city, so I made it a point to pass by the next time I’m in Spain.

It’s easy to get here if you’re coming from Barcelona. A one way train ticket costs about 30 euros on the average, though you can score a ticket for as low as 12 euros if you buy early enough. The trip lasts about 3-4 hours. It depends whether you take one of those direct trains, or one with lots of stops in between. You could also take a bus, but we found it to be more expensive so we took the train instead. From the train station in Valencia, it’s a short cab ride to the old town where our Airbnb was. There’s a bus stop just across the street which takes you just outside the Old Town. We could have taken that if we’re just doing a day trip, but we were spending three nights in the city and we were carrying huge bags. Buses don’t go inside the old town so it would be hard to lug around our luggages. A taxi only costs about 10 euros anyway.

Speaking of day trips— do not think of just doing a day trip to Valencia. It’s the third largest city in Spain and there’s so much to see!

I’d recommend staying in the Old Town because so many attractions in Valencia are here. You don’t even have to break the bank, there are lots of inexpensive accommodations. You could spend an entire day just walking through the streets of Barrio del Carmen, and if you don’t mind paying a couple of Euros you can check out several attractions within. Among these are the cathedral where the Holy Chalice is preserved, La Lonja (The Silk Exchange) which is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the Iglesia de San Nicolas de Bari y San Pedro Martir— absolutely one of the most beautiful chapels I’ve ever seen. The Central Market is right outside the Old Town too.

Once you’ve had your fill of the old, it’s time to discover the new. Specifically the Cuidad de las Artes y Las Ciencas and the L’Oceanografic (Valencia Aquarium). Another reason why I’d recommend staying at the old town is the fact that it’s easy to go to other places in the city via public transport. There are lots of bus stops just outside the old town. A single journey ticket only costs 1.50 euros. There are Metro stops within walking distance, but these were farther from where we were staying so it was more convenient to take a bus. If you want to take the Metro, a single journey ticket also costs 1.50 euros.

In our case, it was easier to take a bus since there’s a bus stop only a few minutes from where we were staying. These buses also stop right in front of our destination. Taking a bus was the obvious choice. Many buses pass through the Ciudad de las Arts y Las Ciencias. When it doubt, you could easily ask the bus driver upon boarding.

The Ciudad de las Artes y Las Ciencias and the L’Oceanografic are right beside each other, so it’s easy to visit both places in one day. The Ciudad has many interesting exhibits, and most are mainly for educational purposes and many of these seem to cater to students— which would explain why there were so many students when we went. It seems that this is a top destination for school field trips. I was more amazed by the architecture though. These buildings are truly a work of art.

About the aquarium… it’s one of Europe’s largest Aquariums so I guess it’s a must visit for some. Personally I wasn’t that impressed. But it’s mostly because I have a thing against keeping animals in such small spaces. Some jellyfish were even kept inside a very narrow aquarium, I couldn’t even stomach looking at them. I have nothing against people who’d want to visit such places. And to be fair, it is better than most public aquariums I’ve been to. There’s even a dolphin show and the dolphins seemed to be well taken cared of. But overall it’s just not for me.

There are good public beaches in Valencia, and these are great places to hang out. Valencia is also known as the birthplace of Paella so you have to check out a good restaurant and order some. You might hear of this place called Albufera where Paella originated. Tours to this place are offered, which includes a boat ride and a meal, but if you want to save money you can easily take a public bus (line 25) to El Palmar. Do this if you want to check out the park. if you’re just after Paella, there are many options in the city which are arguably better.

I would say any trip to Spain would not be complete without visiting Valencia. It offers varied attractions, and it offers a good mix of the old and the new. The food was amazing too. It’s one of those places in Spain that I would love to visit again.