At the mouth of the Turia River, the Phoenicians had a busy port trade. The Romans gave the city its first fortress wall and the name "Bold", while the Moors left a legacy of exotic oriental architecture and the oldest festival. It was here that the first books in Europe were made, the last witch was burned, Columbus's maritime expeditions were acknowledged, and the legendary Grail Cup was preserved.
On a tour of Valencia you can visit the oldest building in the city – the Crypt of the Holy Martyr Vicente – a chapel built by the Visigoths, in whose crypt, according to legend, the saint died. The cathedral from the 15th century, the medieval building of the Silk Exchange in Gothic style, the imposing city gates in the old quarter of Carmen, which grew a thousand years ago between the Christian and Muslim walls, all these buildings are so close to each other that the first short walk in Valencia is enough to pass through several epochs of its existence.
The futuristic City of Science and Art, built at the end of the twentieth century on the site of the partially drained Turia River, will be one of the most enticing stops on your tour of Valencia. In its colossal buildings you can visit the largest aquarium in Europe, listen to avant-garde opera in the Palace of Arts of Queen Sofia and admire the impressive Assut de Llore bridge. Don't miss a gastronomic excursion to Valencia, the birthplace of paella, which you can not only taste but also learn how to make, and horchata, one of Salvador Dali's favorite drinks.
Surprisingly, you can feel yourself in the conditions of wild nature even without leaving the city – it is worthwhile to visit the bio-park in Valencia, where there are no cages and animals roam freely. No less popular are the sea routes: for example, you can go fishing in the open sea, and special tours in Valencia in English will allow you to take a fascinating boat trip along the water channel inside an underground cave to admire millennia-old stalactites.
Valencia's surroundings offer as many places of interest as the city itself: quiet, picturesque villages, medieval buildings, Arabic labyrinths and, especially for wildlife lovers, the closed Albufera Nature Reserve, with the largest freshwater lake in Spain.
The Moors once called Valencia "paradise on earth". Many centuries have passed since then, but the charm of this city is timeless, as infectious and intoxicating as the famous wines of the Valencia Valley.
