“The city is spectacularly beautiful, and the streets are tidy and clean. The streets are wide, and the sidewalks are neat and without potholes. Drivers are also surprisingly polite: if they see someone heading towards the road they stop immediately, even if we’re still some way from the road itself. There isn’t too much impatient horn honking either. Right from the first minute, I felt very comfortable in Valencia.
I divided by exploration of the city so that first I could explore the old town, and then go check out the park in the Turia riverbed, ending at the City of Arts and Sciences – la Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. I managed to fit one more historical monument into this plan because it stands right on the border between the old town and the Turia district. The Torres de Serranos used to be part of the city wall, and some argue that they contain the most beautiful Gothic city gates which still exist in Spain. The rugged and extremely tall tower can be accessed by holders of a Valencia Tourist Card at no extra cost. The upper levels also offer good views of the old town, the park, and the sections of the city beyond the green belt.” (2019)
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“We set off to explore the old town of Valencia, but only after drinking a coffee, which was one of the most, if not the most, delicious cinnamon cappuccino I've ever had, served in a wine glass with a huge dollop of whipped cream. Over our coffees, we tried to calculate the dimensions of the towering Torre de Serranos right in front of us, then after paying a small entrance fee, we headed up there to enjoy the views over the city.
After overcoming a bout of vertigo, we concentrated with renewed strength on exploring the streets of charming, colorful houses, wandering around, and enjoying the pleasant Saturday afternoon weather, while trying to commit the map of the city to memory, to help us know where to find various landmarks. We didn't try to follow too strict a plan – we wanted to enjoy what Valencia has to offer, and that meant making spontaneous decisions. Since the old town does not cover a very large area, every road led us in the right direction, and our instincts successfully guided us.
Heading south, we saw everything worth seeing on the first trip to Valencia, as far as the Estació del Norte train station, which could be seen as the edge of the city center, as can the bullring located right next to it.”
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“Valencia has everything a city can offer. A mixture of the old and the ultra-modern, the sea, the Mediterranean atmosphere, and the peaceful coexistence of Calatrava and the Gothic. The people who live here don't even know how lucky they are, it's natural for them, but I, having been born in the continental climate in my current life, am grateful for every day that I can spend here. I find it impressive, for example, that in one part of the city they managed to preserve the buildings of the historic downtown in a beautiful condition, while in the other half the ultra-modern buildings make you feel as though you’d stepped into a science fiction film.
By the way, the beach is very beautiful and the sea is amazingly warm here. The water deepens slowly and the sun really heats it up. So far we have been to the city beaches at Playa la Mallvaros, but tomorrow we plan to go to Saler and Devasa beaches. You can only get there by car or bus. These are located near the Albufera National Park and are top-quality blue flag beaches, with white sand, dunes, and azure water. Devasa is completely undeveloped – there are no restaurants or bars on its shores. That's probably what we're aiming for. I really like quiet, clean, untouched beaches where there are hardly any people, and you can swim in the sea for a long time.”
