- Hemisferic: an IMAX Cinema
- Principe Felipe Museum of Science
- Reina Sofia Palace of Arts
- Ocenaografic: the biggest aquarium in Europe
- Umbracle: a palm tree promenade that looks like an oasis in the concrete jungle.
- Agora (currently closed due to maintenance work): a covered plaza in which concerts and sporting events are held.
On our way to the old town we saw the Town Hall, another architectural beauty. The first place we explored was El Mercado Central (central market). Since it was Saturday morning the place was full of people shopping for groceries. There are also a few stands outside the market, if you look closely at the ones below you'll see a handful of paelleras, the special pan where paellas are cooked.
Valencia oranges are famous worldwide and are considered the best in the world. They are used to make the traditional agua de Valencia (water from Valencia) a drink that combines champagne and orange juice.
Opposite the market is La Lonja de la Seda (Silk Exchange Market), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built during Valencia's golden age, the 15th century, it was devoted to mercantile transactions.
Pit stop to have the most famous drink of Valencia: horchata. This has been my favorite drink since I was a little girl so we couldn't leave the cradle of this delicious and refreshing beverage without having one. Horchateria Santa Catalina is an iconic place that has served horchata for over two centuries. They also serve chocolate con churros and homemade ice-cream.
Next stop was the baroque cathedral. We climbed the 207 steps of the tower (called Miguelete) to get some amazing city views. I thought a lot about Miguelete the two following days because of my sore muscles... One hell of a workout that was.
Behind the cathedral is the bustling Plaza de la Virgen and the picturesque Barrio del Carmen where you can find the most wonderful hidden gems.
We made it in time for our reservation at Casa Carmela, an iconic paella restaurant. The paella was amazing but let me give you some advice: if you book this place, choose the first turn which is lunch at 1:30 pm. If you choose the 2nd one (3:30) you'll have to wait a long time even if you have booked a table. Paella takes a long time to cook, so we started having lunch around 4:30 pm, not fun.
We had desserts at a trendy beach bar: La Más Bonita (literally the most beautiful). There's a queue any time of the day so better make reservations ahead. I had read online that their cakes are among the best in town and I can confirm it. We ordered the nutella cake and the red velvet and both were scrumptious. Apart from sweets they have a menu full of healthy and delicious food.
After an evening walk along the beach we called it a day and went back to our hotel.
We devoted Sunday morning to the Oceanografic, the biggest aquarium in Europe. We saw dolphins, penguins, tortoises, belugas and other sea life from all around the world. The tickets are pricey (€30) but if you love sea life it's worth it. The place takes about 3-4 hours to see.
We always like to see the main sights at night if possible and we knew the City of Arts and Science had to look amazing when lights are on. Unfortunately, we didn't make it by blue hour but at night it's spectacular too. The Reina Sofia Palace of Arts (below) looks particularly beautiful at night. To me it looks like something between a spaceship and a helmet, what do you think?