València is a city that kidnaps you. Already walking in its harvest how extraordinary historic center you are captured by its magic.
But it is after having stopped at the Cafè de las Horas (Carrer del Comte d’Almodovar, 1) and having siped the Agua de València, the typical cocktail created with orange juice and cava, the Catalan champagne, that you will literally lose your head for València, the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona.
The magic of València
We advise you to come in and take a seat at the tables of this great atmosphere cafe opened in 1994 by Marc Insanally. You can do it at any time of the day, to enjoy a coffee or a cocktail accompanied by a slice of the excellent cakes, pleasantly kidnapped by this neo-baroque space between literary coffee, typical English tea room and American cocktail bar.
At this point València will be totally into you! But we guarantee you that it will be even more amor fou if you let yourself be guided in the discovery of the city by “special” guides such as Leticia Colomer, head of the València Tourist Office. It was she who welcomed us at the airport, not far from the center, and it was with her that we had a first idea of the city that embraced us warmly for four days.
The first stop is at the Ad Hoc Monumental boutique hotel (Calle Boix 4 – +34 963 919 – adhoc@adhochoteles.com), housed in a 19th century building and strategically located in the historic center, close to the cathedral and Torres de Serranos, on the banks of the old Turia riverbed.
Upon arrival, welcomed by a helpful and kind staff, we felt at ease: a comfortable lift leads to the upper floors and our bright room overlooks the main road, very quiet because of limited traffic. And particular not negligible for us, here they welcome dogs of all sizes, even the maxi like that of our Otto.
On foot with Leticia we reach the heart of València, the Plaza de la Virgen on which its main monuments overlook, from the Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados to the Palacio de la Generalitat Valenciana (Government Palace), from the Cathedral, which amazes for its mix of styles between Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic, to the bell tower called Miguelete, from the Court of Waters, Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2009 (one of the three that boasts the city) up to the Fuente del Tùria, fountain dedicated to the Turia river and to its canals, which dominates the center.
On the way to the large square paved in fine pink marble we peeked into the cloister of the building which houses the Faculty of Theology dedicated to San Vicente Ferrer, the patron of the Valencian Community.
Immediately afterwards we come across another building that does not go unnoticed for its size but also for its shape: it is the Almudin, an old grain warehouse of the fifteenth century, built by the Arabs as the name reveals and now transformed into a exhibition hall. Just beyond there is the Archaeological Museum de la Almoina, a large underground space that contains the most monumental part of the city in the various Roman, Visigoth and Arab eras.
For those who purchase the Valencia Tourist Card, admission to the museum is free. The card, for 24, 48 or 72 hours from the moment of activation, allows you to travel for free by bus, subway and tram. It also allows free access to 20 museums and monuments such as Lonja de la Seda, las Torres de Serranos and Quart, the Fallero Museum and the Almoina of which we have already mentioned, as well as special discounts at the main tourist attractions of the city including the City of Arts and Sciences (15% discount), the Bioparc (15% discount), the Tourist Bus (12% discount) and also a tasty gift: a tapas with drink. VisitValència was provided to us with the 72-hour one that we used both to get around by public transport and to get the discount on the entrance ticket to the Oceanogràfic and to enjoy a tapas bite accompanied with local Turia beer at the restaurant La Cigrona next to the Serranos Towers.
But let’s go back to the city tour with Leticia who for the lunch break, which here in València has very long hours going from 2.30 pm to over 5 pm, took us to El Colmado de la Lola (Calle Bordadores 10), a real Valencian classic in which to taste the most typical tapas.
We started with an aperitif based on olives and Lola, the homemade beer produced by the house. The inevitable patatas bravas, in this case served as a sort of succulent morsels seasoned with paprika and garlic mayonnaise, local queso (cheese) and Iberian ham, intense and tasty. Beer has given way to wine to accompany subsequent dishes: exquisite artichoke hearts, succulent mini burgers with chips and a tender octopus scenically served on a section of tree trunk.
Two words about wine. On dishes so rich in flavor we were advised “Las ocho” by the Chozas Carrascal company, a combination of eight varieties of grapes flavored in French wooden barrels: an intense and elegant red wine with fruity aromas that we do not hide having chosen also because in the name we found our Otto who did not accompany us on this journey. We did not miss the delicious dessert, a Spanish classic, the fried dulce de leche.
A nice walk, the first of the many that we allow ourselves in this city that invites to pleasant walks, made us immediately dispose of everything!
The appointment with the guide who accompanied us on the Shopping Made in València route, one of the guided tours proposed by VisitValència, is in the Plaza de l’Ayuntamiento just below the building that houses the Municipality of modernist style such as that of the Post Office and others interesting buildings that make a scenic backdrop to this space considered the nerve center of the city and built over the gardens of an old convent.
Arriving near the Plaza de Toros, you come across one of the symbols of València, the North Station, Estación del Norte, which was designed by Demetrio Ribes and built between 1906 and 1917. Our guide immediately shows us the facade rich in drawings of oranges, flowers and other motifs of Valencian agriculture, the true wealth of the city until it was joined by tourism.
The interior leaves you speechless: the ticket offices and openings to access the tracks are inserted between the decorative elements in wood, metal and ceramic that embellish the central space in which two symmetrical mosaics stand out. The North Station was used until recently and from here the connections with the main European cities departed, while today although continuing to operate for local trains, it has been replaced by another station more suitable for high speed for long distance ones.
Our journey called Route Calle Ruzafa begins at the historic Abanicos Carbonell fan shop to discover some of the most representative shops in València. These guided tours in Spanish and English, which can be booked with a 15% discount by those who have purchased the Valencia Tourist Card, take place every Wednesday afternoon from 16 to 18 and allow you to discover the real local products.
The Carbonell family-run company has been creating and selling wonderful handmade fans for over 200 years: there are any for every need and in addition to the female ones, large and spectacular in the designs, there are also smaller and more discreet male ones.
The second step is delicious! We stop by Trufas Martinez for a particular chocolate tasting with croutons, chocolate puffs and salt crystals. A real goodness!
The third and final stop was the hat shop, sombreros in Spanish, Albero, where in addition to admiring the many models on display sold in their elegant boxes, I gladly lent myself as a model to show how to correctly wear a hat.
In collaboration with VisitValència