Ayuntamiento from Plaza de la Ayuntamiento.

©Penny Kidd/Lonely Planet

Ayuntamiento

Valencia


Valencia’s handsome neoclassical town hall dominates the square that takes its name. Within is the Museo Histórico Municipal, a repository of items important to the city’s identity, such as the sword that Jaime I reputedly brandished when defeating the Muslim occupiers, the Moorish keys to the city, the flag they surrendered with and a fascinating 1704 map of Valencia. You can also explore the chandeliered grandeur of the function rooms and enjoy the view from the balcony.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Valencia attractions

1. Estación del Norte

0.2 MILES

Trains first chugged into this richly adorned Modernista terminal in 1917. Its main foyer is decorated with ceramic mosaics and murals – and mosaic ‘bon…

2. Museo de la Seda

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This visually elegant modern museum makes the most of its lovely location in the 15th-century (with baroque additions) palace that was the seat of the…

3. Plaza de Toros

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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…

4. Museo Nacional de Cerámica

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Inside a striking palace, this ceramics museum celebrates an important local industry. Downstairs (which also features a decadent hand-painted 1753…

5. Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas

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Quite a sight from outside, this immoderate palace has a pair of wonderfully extravagant rococo caryatids curling around the main entrance. The exterior…

6. Public Library of Valencia

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Obscured by palm trees in the gardens of a former psychiatric hospital, the city’s main public library is in a grand 16th-century building. The Gothic…

7. Centro Cultural La Nau

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Long the headquarters of the University of Valencia, with a harmonious cloister-courtyard that's worth popping into. It's lined with plaques of notable…

8. Mercado Central

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Valencia’s vast Modernista covered market, constructed in 1928, is a swirl of smells, movement and colour. Spectacular seafood counters display…