Simmering seafood paella, sprawling docklands, romantic baroque façades and one of the country’s most high-energy after dark party offerings have all conspired to bring Valencia to the forefront of Spanish tourism on the Mediterranean seaboard.
In March, visitors both foreign and Spanish come in their droves to enjoy the elaborate Las Fallas festival, a city-wide celebration of Valencian culture and traditions, when locals don regional dress and wood fires cook up succulent Spanish dishes to boot. Others come to enjoy the jubilant Valencian La Tomatina of August, held just 30 kilometres away in Bunol.
For sightseers and history buffs, the town offers up an array of intriguing architecture, from the Romanesque-come-Gothic masterpiece of the grand Catedral to the spooky, carved crevices of the Iglesia del Carmen. There’s also the futuristic woodlouse dome of the City of Arts and Science, where some of Spain’s most immersive exhibitions await the curious traveller.
Near to the centre, the famous beaches of the Valencian Med run from the Playa e Levante to the Playa de Malvarrosa north of the city’s harbour district, while a rugged backcountry of deep limestone gorges and bubbling hot springs await more adventurous types looking to get away from town.