VALENCIA
Survival Guide
Arrival & transport
Manises airport (top picture) (+34 961 598 515; www.aena.es) is an easy hop on lines 3 or 5 of the city’s four-line metro. Also, an Aerobus runs to the city centre every 20 minutes. Information about Valencia’s metro and buses can be found at www.metrovalencia.com and www.emtvalencia.es. A tourist card (€7 for one day, €12 for two) allows unlimited public transport use and access to many attractions – see www.valenciatouristcard.com.
Hotels
The Palau de la Mar (C/Navarro Reverter 14; +34 963 162 884; www.hospes.es; €250) is the most lauded of the new hotels. Equally chic is the Ad Hoc Monumental (C/Boix 4; +34 963 919 140; €200). For location and comfort, the beachside Hotel Neptuno (Paseo Neptuno 2; +34 963 567 777; www.hotelneptunovalencia.com; €150) can’t be beaten. The main tourist office (Plaza de la Reina 19; +34 963 153 931; www.turisvalencia.com) can help book accommodation.
Eating & drinking
Valencia is the home of paella, a dish traditionally served at lunchtime and best enjoyed at one of the beachside restaurants favoured by locals. Another well-known rice dish is arroz negro, blackened with squid ink. La Pepica (Paseo Neptuno 6-8; +34 963 710 366) is a famous, if pricey, haunt. Civera (C/Lerida 11; +34 963 475 917) is cheaper and equally reliable. El Timonel (Feliz Pizcueta 13; +34 963 526 300) is renowned for its seafood. Bar life revolves around the Barrio del Carmen area downtown. Try Xino Xano (C/Alta 28) and Susan Witch (C/Roteros 9). Vivir Sin Dormir (Paseo Neptuno 42) is the classic beach hangout.
Daytime entertainment
Valencia’s fabulous new attraction is the City of Arts and Sciences (Avenida Autopista del Saler 1; +34 902 100 031; www.cac.es), a complex of planetarium, oceanarium, opera house, laser dome and IMAX cinema. Its most striking architectural elements have been created by local hero Santiago Calatrava, whose comb-like bridge is one of 19 across the dried-up Turia river. The modern art at IVAM (C/Guillem de Castro 118; +34 963 863 000; www.ivam.es) complements the Goyas and El Grecos at the Museo de Bellas Artes (C/San Pio V 9; +34 963 870 300; www.cult.gva.es/mbav). Valencia’s two main markets are both feats of modernista architecture: the vast Mercado Central (bottom picture) (Plaza del Mercado) and the Mercado Colon (C/Cirilio Amoros).
After dark
Le New Club (C/Eugenia Vines 152), down by the beach, is a decent choice.
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