Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
This aesthetically stunning complex occupies a massive 350,000-sq-metre swath of the old Turia riverbed. It’s occupied by a series of spectacular…
Must-see attractions in Valencia Region
Valencia Province
Xàtiva’s castle, which clasps to the summit of a double-peaked hill overlooking the old town, is arguably the most evocative and interesting in the…
Valencia
Valencia’s cathedral was built over a mosque after the 1238 reconquest. Its low, wide, brick-vaulted triple nave is mostly Gothic, with neoclassical side…
Valencia
Recently reopened to the public after a magnificent restoration, this single-naved church down a passageway is a striking sight. Over the original Gothic…
Valencia
This seminary was founded in the late 16th century by San Juan de Ribera, a towering Counter-Reformation figure who wielded enormous spiritual and…
Valencia
This splendid building, a Unesco World Heritage Site, was originally Valencia’s silk and commodity exchange, built in the late 15th century when the city…
Western Valencia
This zoo devoted solely to African animals has an educational and conservationist remit and an unusual approach. Though, as always, the confinement of…
Valencia
Bright and spacious, this gallery ranks among Spain’s best. Highlights include a collection of magnificent late-medieval altarpieces, and works by several…
Valencia
Valencia’s vast Modernista covered market, constructed in 1928, is a swirl of smells, movement and colour. Spectacular seafood counters display…
Valencia
Stretching the length of Río Turia’s former course, this 9km-long lung of green is a fabulous mix of playing fields, cycling, jogging and walking paths,…
Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante
Alicante
This splendid museum, inside the 17th-century Casa de la Asegurada, has an excellent collection of 20th-century Spanish art, including works by Dalí, Miró…
Valencia Province
Though no secret, this viewpoint – a boat dock with jetties extending into the principal lagoon of the Albufera – is still a magical place. It's a handy…
Castellón Province
To escape the summer crowds, seek solitude in the Sierra de Irta. Running south from Peñíscola, it’s both nature park and protected marine reserve, best…
Alicante Province
In the Islamic world, a garden is considered a form of Paradise. Elche’s past and culture couldn’t therefore be any more obvious than in these privately…
Costa Blanca
It's an easy 10-minute stroll back from the beach to this tight-knit hilltop warren of whitewashed houses. It's visually very beautiful and, though the…
Barrio del Carmen
Spain's most magnificent city gate is quite a sight from the new town. You can clamber to the top of the 15th-century structure, which faces towards…
Museo Arqueológico de Alicante
Alicante
This museum has a strong collection of ceramics and Iberian art. Exhibits are displayed to give the visitor a very visual, high-tech experience, and it's…
Valencia
Inside a striking palace, this ceramics museum celebrates an important local industry. Downstairs (which also features a decadent hand-painted 1753…
Valencia Province
Gandia’s magnificent palace was built in the early 1300s and was for centuries the home of the Borja dukes of Gandia, who included the Jesuit saint…
Alicante Province
Low slung but achieving an understated majesty nonetheless, this cathedral is built of light-coloured stone in the centre of the old town and features…
Alicante Province
Plaza de Santiago is at the heart of Villena's old quarter, and within the imposing 16th-century Palacio Municipal, seat of the town council, is this…
Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
This interactive science museum, stretching like a giant whale skeleton within the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, has plenty of touchy-feely things…
Valencia Province
Sagunto's castle is majestically located, with stone walls girdling a twin hilltop for almost 1km. Its seven rambling, mostly ruinous sections each speak…
Institut Valencià d’Art Modern
Barrio del Carmen
This impressive gallery hosts excellent temporary exhibitions and owns a small but impressive collection of 20th-century Spanish art. The most reliably…
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
Spain's most famous aquarium is the southernmost building of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. It's an impressive display, divided into a series of…
Valencia Province
La Albufera is a huge freshwater lagoon separated from the sea by a narrow strip of pine-forested dunes. It's legendary for the rice that's grown here. It…
Castellón Province
Though badly knocked about, Morella’s castle well merits the long wiggly ascent to savour breathtaking views of the town and surrounding countryside…
Valencia
This conversion of a handsome art deco factory that once made hydraulic pumps has created an intriguing space for modern art. There's a particularly good…
Valencia
These under-the-radar ornamental gardens designed in the mid-19th century are a peaceful spot to escape the city. Marble statues, sculpted hedges and a…
Alicante Province
This well-documented site is 3.5km south of the town centre. The Dama de Elche, a masterpiece of Iberian art that’s now in Madrid, was unearthed here…
Valencia's Beaches
The northern stretch of Valencia's main beach has a quieter, more local scene, but still gets busy in summer. It's backed by lovely traditional houses…
Barrio del Carmen
Once the main exit to Barcelona and the north, the imposing 14th-century Torres de Serranos overlooks the former bed of the Río Turia. Together with the…
Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas
Valencia
Quite a sight from outside, this immoderate palace has a pair of wonderfully extravagant rococo caryatids curling around the main entrance. The exterior…
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
Brooding over the riverbed like a giant beetle, its shell shimmering with translucent mosaic tiles, this ultramodern arts complex, grafted onto the Ciudad…
Barrio del Carmen
In the grounds of a former convent, this cultural space hosts everything from music and movies to yoga and debates. In the large garden, food is served…
Alicante Province
This lovely park on the northern side of central Elche is one of several appealing places to stroll among the rustling palm trees. A small visitor centre…
Valencia
In a city full of impressive bridges, Puente de las Flores is one of Valenicia's most spectacular – and undoubtedly its sweetest smelling. Designed by…
Valencia
Beneath the square just east of Valencia’s cathedral, the archaeological remains of the kernel of Roman, Visigoth and Islamic Valencia shimmer through a…
Valencia
Valencia’s handsome neoclassical town hall dominates the square that takes its name. Within is the Museo Histórico Municipal, a repository of items…
L'Eixample & Southern Valencia
This roughly 170-year-old bullring is an iconic site next to Estación del Norte. Similar in style to Rome’s Colosseum, the 10,500-capacity bullring has…
