Valencia, Spain is one of my favourite cities. I first discovered it when one of my friends studied there for a sandwich year at University and I visited her. Since then I have returned numerous times to enjoy it’s mix of old and new and its excellent food. In 2019 my parents invited us to visit them out in Spain, where they spend a few months a year, and I took it as the perfect opportunity to introduce Adam to one of my favourite places. Here’s what we did…

Where we stayed

We stayed in Room Ciencias, a funky hotel located just across from the City of Art and Science. We paid £67 per night for a double room and I would recommend the hotel. The staff were friendly and the rooms were clean, comfortable and modern.

What we did on Day One…

Just around the corner from our hotel was ‘La Pequeuna Pasteleria De Mama’ which was a cute little cafe that did the loveliest looking cakes. It was the perfect way to start our morning, with a total sugar fest.

We then took the 2 minute walk to the City of Art and Science, my absolute favourite part of the city. In my mind I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else and I think it’s so impressive. It is considered one of the twelve treasures of Spain and I can see why. The architecture is absolutely beautiful.

Adam and I spent the afternoon at the Oceanografic, recognisable by it’s water lily shaped building. It’s the largest Oceanographic aquarium in Europe and for that reason make sure you leave aside as much time as possible to visit.

I always love the jellyfish tanks at an aquarium and the oceanografic doesn’t disappoint. They have such beautiful tanks and there is always something so serene about wandering around an aquarium.

As well as gorgeous tanks there are plenty of mammals as well such as sea lions, and seals and there are several bird enclosures too.

We spent some time looking around the Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe, the science museum built to resemble the skeleton of a whale. Within the museum is a great way to get views of the surrounding area and whilst the content of the museum is very good I always spend half my time looking at the building itself.

Something particularly interesting is the DNA sequence that sits on the third floor and catches the light so beautifully on a sunny day.

L’Umbracle is an open botanical garden with local species in it which you can enter freely. The inside is mostly full of palm trees and orange trees and is full of teenagers taking pictures haha.

The Palau De las Arts Reina Sofia is the opera house and the only building in the complex that I haven’t entered however the impressive architecture can be just as easily enjoyed from outside.

We watched a movie at L’Hemisferic, the planetarium, designed to resemble a giant eye. It was the first building completed in the complex and probably my favourite. It’s design is so striking.

What I especially love about these buildings is they are all surrounded by water. It means walking around the complex can feel incredibly calming and just really makes me feel happy.

Just beside our hotel was El Saler Centre, a mall which had a food court and therefore very handy for easy eating options.

We ate at 100 Montaditos, one of my favourite chains in Spain. They’re a chain that specialises in sandwiches and offers a wide range of fillings for as little as a euro. We washed it down with Tinto de Verano, a drink of red wine and Sprite.

Steps walked: 21,747