ABOUT VALENCIA

Since ancient times, Valencia has been reknown for its radiant light, maritime spirit and fertile soil. Mediterranean by nature, here you can see relics of Roman, Visigoth and Islamic cultures, as well as notable examples of all styles of art and culture. Over the last years, the city has shown its splendour to the world as the host of major international events such as the America’s Cup regattas or F1 European Grand Prix.

Valencia enjoys a warm climate for most of the year, boasting an average temperature of 20º C and around 300 days of sun per year.

Don’t miss

Valencia surprises visitors with its harmonious blend of antiquity and modernity. A visit to the old town is a must. There you'll find everything from the bustling Plaza de la Reina and Plaza de la Virgen, between which is located the Cathedral with its famous bell tower, El Miguelete, and the Serranos and Quart Towers, the only two perfectly-conserved city gates. Strolling through the Barrio del Carmen, you’ll arrive at the jewel of civil gothic architecture, the Lonja de la Seda (UNESCO World Heritage) which is situated opposite the modernist Central Market.

All of these contrast with the City of Arts and Sciences, designed by Valencia’s own Santiago Calatrava. The atmosphere inside this spectacular architectural complex, which lies in the former Turia riverbed, makes it one of the most worthwhile visits of all. Hiring a bicycle is highly recommended here, as you can cycle the 10 km along the riverbed which crosses the city, and take a quick trip to the African plains with a visit to Bioparc, a new zoo-immersion concept. Nearby is the bus stop for the Albufera Bus Turistic which takes you on a two-hour visit to the Albufera National Park where you can take a trip in an albuferenc, little boats used to go fishing in the lake, or visit a barraca, the houses where the families of fishermen used to live. Furthermore, Valencia boasts a seven-kilometre stretch of beaches, where you can enjoy some of the city’s traditional dishes, as the paella, on the seafront.

Art lovers are spoilt for choice, with over 30 museums to choose from. Some house contemporary art, such as the IVAM. On the other hand, you have the Museum of Fine Arts, the second largest art gallery in Spain, after the Prado Museum.

For further information on the city and its surrounding area you can visit the following sites:

City of Valencia
Region of Valencia
Spain
MUST SEES MAP

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Electricity supply
Electricity is supplied at 220V - 50 Hz AC with European norm plugs.

Climate
Valencia enjoys year-round sunshine with an average annual temperature of 20ºC (68ºF). Summers are pretty warm (32ºC max - 24ºC min) and humid due to its Mediterranean location; however it cools by night.

Credit Cards
Most hotels, restaurants and shops in Valencia accept the main credit cards such as American Express, VISA, Mastercard, 4B, Access y Diners Club. Currency: € Euro

Language
There are two official languages in Valencia: Valencian and Spanish. You will find that most people are not fluent in English, except hotel staff, but they will do their best to communicate with you.

Shopping
There is a good range of shops in the city centre and also big suburban shopping centres. Shops are generally open from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:30, Mondays to Saturdays. Department stores and shopping centres stay open during lunch time and close around 21:00 to 22:00.

Eating
Spanish eating habits are characterised by late hours, we normally have lunch around 14:00 and dinner around 22:00. Most restaurants open from 14:00 to 16:00 for lunch and from 21:00 to 23:00 for dinner. However some tourist and informal places have longer opening hours.

TRANSPORTATION

How to reach the city

By plane

The Valencia airport is about 8 km from the city centre. It has direct flights with the following countries: Germany (5), Belgium (2), Bulgaria (1), France (3), The Netherlands (3), Ireland (1), Italy (9), Malta (1), Norway (1), Portugal (1), UK (4), Czech Republic (1), Romania (3), Switzerland (2), Turkey (2) and Ukraine (1). Although some of them are non daily, connections flights through Madrid, Barcelona, or Mallorca airports are just less than one hour flight.

You can reach the city centre from the airport by taxi, by bus or by metro.

• A taxi takes about 15 minutes to the city centre and costs 20 € (including the extra fee for service from the airport).
• A bus service called Valencia-Airport line 150 departs every 26 minutes from 5.25 to 22:00 from Monday to Friday. Saturdays, from 5:25 to 22:05, every 35 minutes. The fare is 1.40 €. The nearest stop to the city centre is Gran Vía Ramón y Cajal with Cervantes within a 20 minutes’ walk to most of the hotels booked by the organisation.
• Metro. Underground service line 3 (red) and line 5 (green) from the airport to city centre stations (Xativa and Colon) depart every 10 minutes. Single fare to/from city centre: 3,90 €. Approximate journey time: 30 minutes. For further information on getting around with Metrovalencia: http://www.metrovalencia.es

By train

There are comfortable trains from Madrid and Barcelona. Speed train AVE connects Madrid-Valencia in a trip time of 1 hour and 35 minutes.
The train station is located in the city center. For information on timetable and fares visit www.renfe.es

By car

There are two major roads leading to Valencia, one from Madrid (A-3) and another from Barcelona and France (AP-7).

Transport in the city.

There is an extensive, low cost public transport network covering the city including bus, underground, tram and taxi. There are different tickets and fares available:

Bus: single ticket (on the bus) for 1,50 €. Also availble "bonobus" (10 trips, bought at kiosks for 8 €).

Metro: single ticket fare from 1,50 € to 3,90 € depending on the route. Also available at metro stations the "bonometro" of 10 trips (ranging from 7,20 € to 20 €). Combined bus-underground 1-3 day tickets are also available at kiosks.

Taxis: are not expensive (but there is a minimum fare of 4,90 € at daytime and 6 € after 22:00), and you can pick them up at taxi ranks or stop them in the street, or ask the reception desk to call one for you.

Bike: There are more and more cities offering to their citizens the chance to move by bicycle. Valencia now incorporates this modern initiative offering the citizens and visitors a total of 2.750 bicycles distributed in 275 stations, in close proximity to each other in different parts of the city.