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Tips & Traps
Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
- TipA place or a move worth it
- TrapWhat to avoid, and how
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Insider advice from Local Friends and travelers. What to do, and what to avoid, city by city.
Join RALF to share your own tips and traps
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Corpus Christi is one of Valencia's oldest festivals, with a first procession recorded in 1355. It falls 64 days after Easter, on a Sunday in late spring or early summer. At midday there is the Cavalcada del Convit, in the afternoon the horse-drawn rocas, and in the evening the procession with petals from the…
Caro Hotel, a five-star stay in the Seu-Xerea quarter, sits in two historic buildings and a stretch of the old Arab city wall runs through it. Rooms are individually designed, and the site carries layers from Roman to Gothic times. It is a short walk from the cathedral. Book direct and ask for a room that shows the…
Valencia's regional day on 9 October starts with a civic procession at midday, following the Reial Senyera from the town hall to the Jaume I statue, and ends with a mascletà in the square. It is also Saint Dionysius, the day of Valencian lovers, when pastry shop windows fill with the mocadorà, marzipan fruits wrapped…
Jimmy Glass has run on Calle Baja in El Carmen since 1991 and is a dedicated jazz room, not a bar with the odd gig. Live sets with local and visiting players are listed through the year. Reserve ahead, because seats are given in order of booking, and check the current programme online. Go for the music, and stay for a…
Valencia loves its wind bands, and the Banda Sinfónica Municipal plays a series of outdoor concerts in the Jardines del Palau de la Música in June. They have been on Thursday evenings at 20:15, with programmes from film music to zarzuela and tango. Entry is free until the garden is full, so arrive early and bring a…
The Rastro is Valencia's big Sunday flea market, with hundreds of stalls of second-hand clothes, antiques, books, collectibles and furniture. It sits near the Beteró metro stop at the avenida de los Naranjos, close to El Cabanyal, and it closes at 14:00, so go in the morning. Bring cash, and combine it with a stroll…
The Mercado de Ruzafa is a neighbourhood market with more than 160 stalls, mostly local produce, fish, pickles, salted goods and huerta vegetables. It is quieter than the Central Market and closed on Sundays, so go on a weekday morning. The market has been running shorter hours while energy-efficiency works last, so…
The medieval Serranos Towers were the city's main gate, and their top terraces look over the old town and the Turia garden. Go late in the afternoon for softer light, but check the hours because last entry is half an hour before closing and Sundays end early. Rain, fog or strong wind can limit the climb, and the…
The Museo de Bellas Artes, in a former palace by the Turia garden, has free entry and a collection that runs from early Valencian altarpieces to Sorolla, with works by El Greco and a Velázquez self-portrait. It is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, so plan around that. Go early in the day for quiet rooms…
The Lonja de la Seda is a UNESCO-listed Gothic silk exchange, and its tower is normally closed to visitors. For this autumn and winter season the tower opens for short guided visits of about 30 minutes, in English on some mornings. Book a place ahead through the organiser on the tourism board page and bring your Lonja…
Valencia airport sits in a special fare zone, so a normal city ticket will not do. Lines 3 and 5 reach it in about 20 minutes, and you need a ticket covering the airport zone together with the city zone. Single tickets come from the station machines and need a reusable card, and the ticket is for one trip only. Keep…
The flat bike lane from the City of Arts and Sciences to the Devesa and El Saler is a classic ride, but the forest can close at short notice. The city has shut access to the Devesa tracks during extreme heat, and after a fire in late summer some roads and firebreak tracks stayed closed. Look at the city council…
Pilota is the traditional Valencian ball game, played bare-handed inside a closed court. The Trinquet Pelayo, open since 1868, is the only trinquet left in the centre and sits beside the Estación del Norte. Matches are usually on Thursday and Saturday evenings, and tickets are sold online through the venue. Spectators…
A real paella valenciana is a lunch dish, so a place pushing it at dinner or serving it in minutes is a warning sign. Locals order it hours ahead because it takes at least 40 minutes. Laminated multilingual photo menus, neon yellow rice and seafood or chorizo versions mark a tourist spot. Look instead for chicken…
Locals do not brunch, they have esmorzaret, a mid-morning sandwich meal usually taken between 9 and 12, most of all at weekends. Pick a neighbourhood bar and expect a free plate of peanuts, olives and lupini beans first. Then order a big bocadillo such as almussafes or chivito, with a beer, and finish with a cremaet…
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