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Valencia Information

The Valencia coast as a name or term to describe a tourist area is not restricted to the fertile Mediterranean plain which to the visitor looks like an orchard of orange groves and rice fields. Nor is it on the whole the "rich, beautiful and flat land" as it is described by an anonymous minstrel in the romance of El Cid. The province has two areas which can be clearly distinguished as regards their scenery: the coast and the mountains.

The former consists of soil from Quaternary flood sediments where the prosperous regions lie with their fabulous orchard lands, their irrigated crops which remain a green chequerboard all through the year, and where population density is high as well as the influx of tourist striving to reach the sea. After passing through an area of gently sloping foothills where dry-farming and less intensively irrigated crops are the main feature, the other part is reached, the wild, almost unknown inland scenery, the semi-circle of the Valencia mountain ridges with their occasional precipices forming impressive river canyons, surrounded by open pine forests where caves and prehistoric shelters with many stone-age paintings lie hidden. It is an area full of rugged spurs with heights of over 1,500m, where the most important crops are obtained with dry-farming methods in vineyards, almond and olive groves. These lands are full of contrasts as regards their climate, their language, which is strongly coloured by Catalan or Castilian-Aragonese as a result of the resettlement after the Reconquest, and the remarkable differences between lati and minifundia, as well as in their customs and even in the art of cooking, while to some it will certainly come as a surprise that vines should be the most widely found crops in these parts. With 10,763km, 263 towns and villages and 2,154,322 inhabitants, the Province of Valencia is the largest of the three which together with Castellon in the North and Alicante in the South used to belong to the former Kingdom of Valencia.The Mediterranean is its natural boundary with which it shares a coastline of almost 100km of fine sand beaches from Benavites ravine north of Sagunto to the river Molinell south of Oliva, while inland it borders on the Provinces of Teruel, Cuenca and Albacete.

The coast is low and sandy where the water is shallow, and the only outstanding geographical feature is the cape of Cullera, the one point where the mountains reach the sea. There is a barrier of dunes behind the beaches and marshy ground or fresh-water lagoons in some areas, such as the salt marshes of the Puig or Jaraco (Xuquer) and Serpis. But busy and important are its ports of Sagunto, Valencia and Gandia as well as its modern yacht clubs for all sorts of pleasure craft and its tourist centres. From there it is easy for the visitor to discover the high-lying areas, the only game preserve of the region, its health resorts in the mountains, the camping sites, Iberian and Roman settlements, houses with coats of arms, castles and towers, rounding off ones holidays without travelling any further. The coast thus becomes a delightful point of departure for most interesting excursions inland.

There are some beautiful beaches in the region of Valencia. You will find El Saler & Pinedo to the south, and Paseo Maritimo in the centre of the city. There is also Playa de la Malvarrosa with its wide open space, and amazing night life, which of course is a good feature of all beaches in this region during the summer months.

There are many restaurants, and bars found along these coastal areas, and it is a good place to sample the typical Valencian cuisine. Many of the bars in Spain do not close until about 2am in the summer period, so you will find a lot of people at these destinations in the evening.

You will also notice a lot changing around the beach and port areas in preparation for the forthcoming 32nd America's Cup in 2007. Many new attractions are being constructed to make sure that Valencia stays firmly in the minds of the people visiting this beautiful city.

 

 

Renowned for its fiestas, Valencia is the place to be when it comes to parties. In March one of the biggest festivals in Europe is held here, known as Fallas it lasts for the whole week from the 15th to the 19th of March. The people of Valencia construct wooden or cardboard monuments. There are usually around 300 models, and at the end the climax of the celebrations ends with the models being burnt, all except one being placed in the Fallas Museum for all to see.

The Valencian calendar is full of festivals, these are important festivals celebrated by the whole population of the city. Less important ones are celebrated by districts within the city. All participants of the fiestas seem to want to invite all those who pass. The noise, fires, and fireworks, along with the music provide an amazing atmosphere only the Spanish can truly give.

 

 

 

Towns & Poblas

The local towns and Poblas in the Valencian Area range from the small quiet villages to the busy market towns. Most have markets as listed below:-

Lliria - Market Day - Thursday

Betera - Market Day - Tuesday

La Pobla de Vallbona - Market Day - Monday.

Domeno & Marines Medieval Market - Sunday.

You will also find in most towns a Cooperativa. These are place where locals come to bring their farm produce, where they have insufficient amount to market, so they provide their goods to be added with other farms for the benefit of low cost produce for the towns people. They have wine tasting areas, Olive oils, and all manor of local goods.

Things to do.

Whilst Valencia remains a very traditional city on the east coast of Spain, there is no end to places to visit. everything from Museums, and Art Galleries through to Oceanographic Centres, and Children's Parks. Steeped in History, you will find that the original boundaries of city have long since been overcome by the sheer volume of what any visitor can expect. The city is steeped in a magnificent array of welcoming restaurants, bars, beaches, and places of further interest. Please click on the banner below to be take to Cuitat de las Artes y las Ciencias, this is the home of the Oceanographic Centre, the Largest Aquarium in Europe.

There are tour buses with multi-lingual audio commentary available to use as your form of transport to get to know the city better. They have an excellent Metro system that provide seamless routes throughout the districts, but also remaining good value.

Outlying areas such as the Camp de Turia, provide an excellent change to city atmosphere, where one can relax and find the 'Campo' (Countryside areas) which offer a complete contrast. Towns such as Lliria, La Pobla de Vallbona, L'Eliana, and Betera, whilst all being extremely old towns, still provide a warm welcome to the modern day traveller.

Transport

Valencia has a vast network of easy to use Train Metro and Bus system throughout the city. You can even catch a tourist bus service from many points around the city, and is easy to pick up with an all day ticket as and when you need to. There is a Metro system, also there is a local train service, run by Renfe commencing from Valencia's central Station 'Valencia Norde'. National and International Trains also are available from this station.

Taxis are available also in the city, they are extremely cheap compared to the UK, and you will se that it is easy to find one with many ranks.

Getting into the city from our Bed an Breakfast in La Pobla de Vallbona is also straight forward as we have Metro stations located at La Pobla de Vallbona, Betera, Lliria, & L'Eliana.

Recommendations

La Casa Verde recommends the following. They provide good services such as Car Hire, Flights, and Local Information about Valencia, and the surrounding areas. Please click the logos to be taken to their respective Websites. If you have any questions, please e-mail us or give us a call.

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