Valencia will soon rival Barcelona
and Madrid as one of Europe's hottest destinations, writes Gavin
McOwan
Saturday October 30, 2004
The Guardian
Despite their bitter rivalry easyJet and Ryanair rarely compete
on the same route. Yet next week both will begin daily flights
from Stansted to Valencia. It's as if they've realised what a
great trick they're missing and are now scrambling for a piece
of Spain's third biggest city.
And with good reason. The city's
nightlife and restaurant scene is thriving; the architecture -
from medieval gothic to ultra-modern - is stunning; and, thanks
to the region's microclimate, the weather is fantastic (over 300
days of sunshine a year). Just last weekend, it was still 30C
and the city's beaches were packed.
What to see
Get a feel for the place by
strolling around the old town. At its heart is the
marble-paved Plaza de la Virgen , flanked by the
cathedral and the basilica, both with intriguing mixes of gothic
and classical styles. Nearby is the Mercardo Central,
Europe's largest covered food market. The modernista building of
stained glass and wrought iron is almost as impressive as the
produce on show. The aisles of fresh glistening fish and
seafood, bursting with colour, will make you regret that you are
staying in a hotel - you'll want to take the lot home and cook
dinner.
Over the road, the stunning
15th-century La Lonja (silk exchange), with its elegant
stone columns carved to resemble twisted bolts of silk, is the
most beautiful building in Valencia and a world heritage site.
Valencia's unique selling point is
its river, or rather the lack of it. After one disastrous flood
too many, the Turia was diverted to the edge of the city,
leaving an empty riverbed that now forms a twisting green ribbon
several kilometres long through the heart of the city, with a
lagoon, trees, gardens, playing fields and cycle paths.
The jewel in the Turia's crown is
the breathtakingly ambitious City of Arts and Sciences, a
project of futuristic white concrete and glass structures that
soar out of the reflective pale blue pools designed primarily by
local architect Santiago Calatrava. Take your pick from the
Science Museum (hands-on gizmos for kids); Imax cinema and
planetarium; the L'Oceanografic aquarium and Palau de les Arts,
which looks like a giant armadillo and will be devoted to the
performing arts when it opens next year. A combination ticket
costs €28/€21 for adults/children.
The L'Oceanografic, which
opened last year, is the biggest and most ambitious in Europe,
recreating whole climatic zones (Arctic, Antarctic, tropical)
and housing dolphins, penguins, sealions and even small whales.
While zoos have been deemed politically incorrect it seems we
have no qualms about keeping these beautiful creatures in
captivity. But your kids will love it.
At the moment, the city comes to an
abrupt halt at the L'Oceanografic, and the area between it and
the port is one big building site. But by 2007, when the
America's Cup (and the billions of euros it generates) hits
town, the city will flow all the way to the sea.
Tip:
To see all of the Turia plus the beach area in half a day hire a
bike. Cycletour (+647 748040) next to the Gulliver's playground
hires bikes for €15 a day.
Where to stay
When the five-star boutique
Palau de la Mar
(Navarro Reveter 14, +96 3162884,
hospes.es)
opened this summer, it instantly raised the bar for the rest of
the city, in terms of comfort and style. The striking black and
white design works beautifully on the hotel's huge airy rooms
and ginormous beds. Doubles are €120 per night at weekends
(breakfast is an extra €12pp).
Right in the heart of the city, the
Petit Palace Bristol (C/Abadía de San Martin 3, +963 945
100,
hthotels.com)
is another smart boutique hotel. All the clean, sleek rooms have
free internet access and multi-jet power showers (doubles €107
at weekends, B&B).
The stylish, intimate Ad Hoc
(C/Boix 4, +963 919 140,
adhochoteles.com)
is one of the best smaller hotels in the city. Like many
Valenciano establishments, it offers greatly discounted weekend
rates (€88 B&B double). All rooms are the same price, so ask for
one of the bigger ones with a balcony.
Where to eat
The city's gift to the world is, of
course, the paella. As with our roast dinner, the best ones are
cooked at home on a Sunday afternoon, but a good alternative can
be had at the beach near the port where there are a
string of large, bustling restaurants. The popular La Pepica
(Paseo Neptuno 16, +963 710 018) is the most famous (Hemingway
and King Juan Carlos have eaten here) and full of Valenciano
families.
Tip:
Llac Albufera (Arabic for 'little sea') 10km south of town is
both a rice-growing and fishing region - which means fantastic
paellas. The beaches are better here, too.
Seu-Xerea
(+963 924 000,
seuxerea.tdv.net)
in the old town serves excellent Spanish fusion dishes - baby
tuna with teriyaki, stuffed rabbit with mustard sauce - and has
a well-priced regional wine list. The taster menu is a snip at
€39.
Where to drink
Agua
de Valencia is the refreshing local cocktail made with freshly
squeezed orange juice, cava and whichever spirit takes the
barmen's fancy. Many Valencia bars appear to have been thrown
together with a few thousand euros, lots of enthusiasm and the
odd tin of red paint - yet they ooze atmosphere. You'll find
these in the Carmen district in the old town where chic and
grunge co-habit happily in a hive of tapas bars, cafes and
clubs.
A great place to people watch is
the lively terrace of Sant Jaume (C/Cavalleros 51) set in
a beautiful old modernista pharmacy. Café da las Horas,
just off Plaza de la Virgen, is also chilled and atmospheric.
Way to go
Getting there:
Magic of Spain (0870 8880220,
magictravelgroup.co.uk)
offers three nights at the three-star Petit Palace Bristol from
£330pp B&B including from Gatwick flights. EasyJet (0871
7500100,
easyjet.com)
flights to Valencia from Bristol and Stansted start November 3
from £40.98 rtn inc tax. Ryanair (0871 2460000,
ryanair.com)
begins Stansted-Valencia flights November 2 from £24 rtn.
Valencia card:
Offers free public transport and
discounts on museums, shops, restaurants etc (1-3 days for
€6-€12 ).
Further information:
Valencia tourist board:
turisvalencia.es.
Country code: 0034.
Flight time: Stansted-Valencia 2hrs.
Time difference: + 1hr.
£1 = 1.39 euros.
The original article is at:
http://travel.guardian.co.uk/saturdaysection/story/0,8922,1339198,00.html
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