Visiting Valencia
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Cathedral Suites Hotel, a small boutique hotel which was in such a great location for exploring, right by the Cathedral. The hotel has beautiful suites with a small kitchen which is perfect when travelling with a 3-year-old. They have a lovely rooftop bar and a little pool to cool off in at the end of the day.
What to Eat
Valencia is a great place to go if you're a foodie (which I am) The pintxos (which is a type of tapas on small bits of bread) was amazing and our favourite place was 'Sagardi Valencia Centro' situated close to our hotel. Choose a table outside and watch the world go by while sipping on an Agua de Valencia (combines freshly squeezed orange juice with cava and a liberal glug of a hard liquor mix). Make sure you try the tuna stuff peppers, they are extremely moreish.
The gelato was also incredible and my son who had just discovered ice cream was in heaven. We were recommended a local place called 'Gelateria La Romana' by our waiter from Pinsa Re (a great little pizza place for lunch) and it was so good that we ended up going there every day. They make their gelato onsite and the smell in the cute little shop was incredible!
Be sure to visit the Central Market of Valencia, it's a foodie heaven. It's very close to the hotel so it's a great place to pop in to grab bits for a picnic lunch. Not only is the food delicious but the array of food looked spectacular. Be sure to try the cured meats and the pastries. Many of the stalls will vacuum seal the food so you can take a piece of Valencia back home with you.
What to Do
We hired bikes to explore which was so much fun, especially for my son who was on a little seat at the back. There are lots of places to hire bikes and it's relatively cheap. We spent a lot of time in the Jardins de Turia which has dedicated cycling paths and is the old river bed of the Turia River. The river used to be prone to flooding and so after a particularly bad flood in 1957, the river was diverted, and the riverbed was turned into a park for all the city to enjoy. It's a space that can be shared by everyone, with numerous playgrounds, football pitches and beautifully manicured gardens and it connects the Zoo at one end to the City of Arts & Sciences at the other. The City of Arts & Sciences is well worth a visit even just to look at the iconic architecture which is stunning.
No trip to Valencia is complete without a trip to the beach. We hopped on a bus and spend the day there, it was picture perfect. There are loads of cute restaurants dotted along the beach with stunning views. What better place to enjoy a delicious paella than where is was created.
Valencia is a beautiful city with so much to see, do and eat!