Valencia
Gothic palaces over Arab and Roman walls, the Albufera lagoon to the south, two kitchens with two MICHELIN stars, and an airport eight kilometres west that never closes.
- Arrival
- Valencia Airport · VLC
- To the city
- About 15 minutes to the centre by metro
- Private jets
- ExecuJet FBO in the general aviation terminal
- Best time
- April to September
The city
Layers of stone, and the lagoon beyond.
Old Valencia is built in layers. A twelfth-century Arab wall runs through the dining room of a Gothic palace, a nineteenth-century mansion on the Plaza Manises stands over a Roman perfumery of the third century, and the streets of La Xerea wind round the old university. Out on the Avenida Burjassot, the old Bombas Gens factory has become an arts centre, with Ricard Camarena's two-star kitchen inside.
South of the city, the Albufera Natural Park runs along the coast, and a parador with its own golf course stands inside it. The sea is warm from June to October, and the weather is kind from April to September, with highs of 20 to 30 °C and little rain; October brings the year's heaviest showers.
Arriving
Manises, open around the clock.
Valencia Airport is at Manises, eight kilometres west of the city, open twenty-four hours a day, with a single 3,215-metre runway. Metro lines 3 and 5 reach the centre in about fifteen minutes.
- Nice 1 h 20
- Geneva 1 h 35
- Vienna 2 h 30
- Istanbul 3 h 30
- Delhi 9 h 25 long-range jet
When to go
April to September.
Mediterranean and mild. April to September is the season, with highs from 20 °C in spring to 30 °C in July and August and less than 50 millimetres of rain in any month. The sea reaches 25 or 26 °C in late summer; October is still warm but brings the wettest weeks of the year.
- 16° J 32 14°
- 17° F 31 13°
- 19° M 34 14°
- 20° A 39 15°
- 23° M 32 18°
- 26° J 22 22°
- 30° J 11 25°
- 30° A 20 26°
- 28° S 47 25°
- 24° O 89 22°
- 19° N 57 18°
- 16° D 42 16°
What to see and do
Days in and around Valencia.
-
Landmark
The old town
Gothic palaces, Arab walls and Roman foundations between the Plaça de l'Ajuntament and the university.
-
Landmark
Bombas Gens
A restored factory turned arts centre, home to one of the city's two two-star restaurants.
-
Landmark
La Albufera
The natural park south of the city, a freshwater lagoon behind the shore.
-
Opera & music
Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía
Santiago Calatrava's opera house, opened in 2005, stages opera and concerts in four halls and runs guided tours of its stages and rehearsal spaces.
Official site -
Wildlife
Oceanogràfic
Europe's largest aquarium, in the City of Arts and Sciences, keeps some 27,000 animals in habitats from the Arctic and Antarctic to the Mediterranean and tropical seas.
Official site -
Culture
Museu de Belles Arts de València
Housed in the San Pío V college of 1683, the collection runs from Gothic Valencian altarpieces to Goya, El Greco and a room given to Sorolla.
Official site -
Food & wine
Mercado Central
Opened in 1928, this modernist market hall of over 8,000 square metres is where the city buys its fish, rice, fruit and charcuterie.
Official site -
Nature
Jardín del Turia
Laid out in 1986 in the diverted bed of the Turia, a 9 km park of palms, orange trees and fountains crossed by eighteen bridges.
-
Food & wine
Utiel-Requena Wine Route
Inland along the A-3, ten municipalities grow Bobal, the region's native grape, and open their wineries for visits and tastings.
Official site
Where to stay
Palaces in the old town, and a parador by the lagoon.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Caro Hotel Twenty-six rooms in the fourteenth-century palace of the Marqués de Caro, the only hotel in the city listed as a historic monument, with a MICHELIN Key.
- Only YOU Hotel Valencia A hundred metres from the Plaça de l'Ajuntament, with a Japanese-fusion restaurant downstairs, a bistro on the top floor and a MICHELIN Key.
- MYR Palacio Vallier A nineteenth-century palace on the site of a Roman perfumery, with rooms in Valencian Art Deco and original mosaics in the larger suites.
- Hospes Palau de la Mar Rooms set around inner courtyards, and a spa with a pool below ground.
- Parador de El Saler A low modern building along the shore, with sea-facing terraces and its own golf course.
- Room Mate Helen Berger Thirty-four rooms in an old building beside the university, period detail and modern furniture side by side, with a MICHELIN Key.
Where to dine
Two kitchens with two stars, six with one.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Flores Raras Two Michelin stars Creative €€€€ Calle Correos, centre
- Ricard Camarena Restaurant Two Michelin stars Creative €€€€ Bombas Gens, Avenida Burjassot
- Riff One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Valencia
- La Salita One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Valencia
- Fierro One Michelin star Modern €€€€ Valencia
- Kaido Sushi Bar One Michelin star Japanese €€€€ Valencia
- Lienzo One Michelin star Modern €€€ Valencia
- Fraula One Michelin star Contemporary €€€ Valencia
Elsewhere in Spain
More reasons to come.
-
Madrid
The Prado, late dinners, and the capital's long nights.
- Barcelona Gaudí, the old town and the city beaches.
-
Marbella
The old town, the Golden Mile and Puerto Banús, under La Concha.
- Ibiza Coves and the old town by day, the island's clubs by night.
- Palma de Mallorca A cathedral city on its bay, with the coves of Mallorca all around.
- Seville Moorish palaces, orange trees and flamenco in the capital of Andalusia.
- Málaga Picasso's birthplace, and the airport of the whole Costa del Sol.
- San Sebastián La Concha bay, and one of the great food cities of Europe.
- Bilbao The Guggenheim on the river, and the Basque coast beyond.
Flying to Valencia?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.