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Albufera Nature Reserve
October 3, 2024
The Albufera Natural Park is located 10 kilometers from Valencia.
The Albufera Natural Park is located 10 kilometers from Valencia. It is home to a unique Mediterranean ecosystem that combines wild beaches with dunes, forests, rice fields and a huge lake where you can go boating.
Paella and other culinary masterpieces made with local products were invented here: grilled eel with garlic and paprika and marinated prawns. To contemplate the beauty and diversity of the reserve, there is nothing better than walking or biking along one of the six trails in the park plan.
The park's lake is the largest in Spain, as well as the area with the wettest climate, being an important part of the Iberian Peninsula. The area is of great interest to ecologists because of the unique species of waterfowl that winter here. The rich waters of the lake provided sustenance for fishermen and farmers who grew rice, which gave rise to the local gastronomy. For a taste, stop by the village of El Palmar. This is where the great writer Blasco Ibáñez was often inspired for his famous works.
You can sample traditional Valencian dishes such as paella, arroz aparte and grilled eels fished in the lake with garlic and paprika. After a hearty lunch, nothing better than a quiet boat ride on the waters of the Albufera, contemplating the golden and pink reflections of the sun on the surface of the water.
Address: Carrer del Pintor Martí Girbés, 46012 El Palmar, València
This emblematic bullring is one of the largest in Spain. Located in the heart of Valencia, next to the Estación del Norte, this grandiose structure was built between 1850 and 1860 by the architect Sebastián Monleón. It was built in neoclassical style using elements of the architecture of the ancient Roman amphitheaters. The exterior facade of the arena is decorated with arches and columns, making it recognizable at first glance. The outer part of the arena has a diameter of more than 50 meters and can accommodate up to 10,500 spectators. The plaza not only hosts traditional bullfights, especially during the famous Las Fallas festival, but also various cultural events, concerts and festivals. The Plaza de Toros is a popular tourist attraction, visited to learn about Spanish culture and history, even if bullfighting is not part of your interests. There is also a museum where you can learn more about the history of bullfighting and the important figures of this tradition. Address: Carrer de Xàtiva, 28, 46004 València, Spain
It is the most famous and celebrated of all Valencian beaches and has inspired great artists. It owes its name to the fact that in the mid-nineteenth century it went from being a marshy area to a plantation of mallow flowers. What a change! It was the first place where the melody of “La chica de ayer”, mythical song of the Spanish singer Antonio Vega, was heard. Formerly, the beach was crossed by the famous streetcar, now modernized. The writer Manuel Vicent made of the beach a totem in his famous novel. Its width, its fine golden sand and its easy access from any point of the city make it one of the most frequented beaches by the locals. It offers all the services for bathers you can imagine: rental of umbrellas and sun loungers, snack stalls. Address: Passeig de Neptú, 304
The park on the Turia riverbed was built at the end of the 20th century, after the river was diverted to a new artificial channel south of the city as a result of a catastrophic flood in 1957. The project on 120 hectares of drained riverbed was designed by the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofil as “a composition that uses the symbolism of certain rhythms and traditional elements of the Arab garden”. The park is divided into twelve zones, each one special. The first sections feature cyclocross tracks and bike paths, as well as sports facilities including an athletics area and a sports complex. There are also soccer fields, rugby fields, baseball fields, a skating rink and traditional-style green spaces at the end of the park. The Palau Garden stands out, where the Palace of Music is located, a work of the Valencian architect José María García Paredes. Address: Antiguo cauce del Turia
The Central Market of Valencia is considered the oldest and largest in Europe. It contains more than 1500 stalls for trade, occupies a vast territory, more than 8000 square meters, but even with this scale everything is clean, tidy, perfectly organized. This colorful and lively trading point, where the best agricultural producers in the world do business, is a kind of architectural monument and a local landmark. With its central façade, the Valencia Market faces the Placa del Mercat. This market square is home to numerous small cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy the freshest produce bought directly from the market. Address: Plaza Ciudad de Brujas, s/n.
One of the most memorable parts of the grand and impressive City of Arts and Sciences is the Oceanográfico de Valencia. It is a complex of buildings and structures located at the end of the Turia Park, very close to the seaport. The complex contains aquariums with seawater with a total volume of more than 42 million cubic meters, in which the most important marine ecosystems of the Earth are reproduced The Oceanographic of Valencia is considered the largest in Europe, and its dolphinarium, with a depth of more than 10 meters and a volume of 26 thousand cubic meters, is one of the largest in the world. Each building represents a different ecosystem: the Mediterranean Sea, the seas of temperate and tropical latitudes, the oceans, the Arctic and Antarctic, the Red Sea and the islands, the wetlands. Here you can go around the world in a single day and see more than 600 species of marine animals. The Oceanográfico de Valencia is not only a place of entertainment, it is also a scientific, research and educational center, where marine life is saved and preserved, encouraging people to care for and protect the flora and fauna of our planet. Address: Carrer d'Eduardo Primo Yúfera, 1
One of the most striking architectural structures in Valencia is the Puerta de Serranos. This architectural monument can safely be considered a landmark of Spain. They are located on the north side of the old city. Its creator is the architect Pere Balaguer, under his direction in the period from 1392 to 1398 years and gates were erected. They were built on the site of defensive structures from Roman times. Balaguer used a Catalan monastery as a prototype for its construction. But the copy so surpassed the original that it is now one of the most successful achievements of Gothic military architecture not only in Spain, but also in Europe. The entrance to the central part of the city opens through the Puerta de Cuart, an equally interesting structure worth seeing. Address: Plaza de las Pieles
The city of Valencia is home to one of the largest scientific and cultural complexes in Europe. It consists of amazing structures such as the Hemisfèric or the Oceanogràfic and is characterized by its avant-garde architecture created by the famous Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. The City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia is located along almost two kilometers of the old Turia riverbed. It consists of six main elements the Hemisfèric (an IMAX cinema where laser productions can be seen), the Umbracle (a beautiful observation deck with gardens), the Museo de la Scienza Namedica (with a multitude of interactive entertainment), the Oceanogràfic (the largest aquarium in Europe, home to more than 20. 000 animals of 650 different species), the Palacio de Arte (which hosts opera and ballet performances, symphony concerts and other musical performances) and the Àgora (a multifunctional space that hosts concerts and various events). The different centers that make up this complex host conferences, exhibitions, film screenings, guided tours and workshops related to science, technology, nature and art. All of this is aimed at stimulating the curiosity and thirst for knowledge of different categories of the public. Address: Av del Profesor López Piñero, 7 You can get there by metro (lines 3 and 5, Alameda station) or bus (numbers 1, 13, 14, 15, 19, 35, 95 and 40).