Spain

Spain's third-largest city, and capital of the province of Valencia, comes as a pleasant surprise to many. Home to paella and the Holy Grail, it is also blessed with great weather and the spring festival of Las Fallas, one of the wildest parties in the country.

Before the 20th century

Pensioned-off Roman legionaries founded 'Valentia' on the banks of the Río Turia in 138 BC and first developed irrigation for the surrounding regions. As Rome collapsed, the Visigoths moved in, only to be expelled by Muslim cohorts in AD 711. The Arabs made Valencia a rich agricultural and industrial centre, establishing ceramics, paper, silk and leather industries, and extending the network of irrigation canals in the rich agricultural hinterland. Muslim rule was briefly interrupted in 1094 by the triumphant rampage of the legendary Castilian knight El Cid, but almost a century and a half were to elapse before the Christians definitively retook the city in 1238, when Jaime I incorporated the area into his burgeoning Catalan kingdom. Valencia's golden age was in the 15th and 16th centuries, when it was one of the Mediterranean's strongest trading centres. Like Catalonia, Valencia backed the wrong horse in the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-13) and in retribution the victorious Bourbon king Felipe V abolished Valencia's fueros, the autonomous privileges the city had enjoyed.

Modern history

The Spanish Civil War proved similarly unlucky; Valencia, having sided with the Republicans (and acting as seat of the Republican government from November 1936 until October 1937) was slighted for years by successive victorious nationalist governments. The city suffered a blockade and seige during the war. The fueros may not have been restored, but, benefiting from the decentralisation that followed Franco's death, Valencia and its region was once more granted Autonomous Statutes in 1982.

Recent history

The new millenium saw the creation of the architecturally magnificent City of the Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias). Situated over four different sites, it's a major centre for culture, science, entertainment and leisure and an example of how Valencia is showcasing its jewels to the rest of the world.

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Winter skies are generally blue and temperatures bracing but not cold. The summer months of July and August, when average daily maximums hover around 30°C (86°F)and humidity is high, can be sticky. Then, simply dunk yourself in the Mediterranean, whose average temperature is 20°C (68°F) or higher between June and October. Rain may fall at any time but is negligible except in spring (March, April and May) and autumn, especially September and October. Even at these times, most days will be sunny rather than overcast. But the downpours, when they come, can be torrential...

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Transport

Getting around

Valencia has an integrated bus, tram and metro network. EMT buses ply town routes, while MetroBus serves outlying towns and villages. MetroBus takes a roundabout route to/from the bus station, departing every 10 minutes. Trains run from Estación del Norte every 20 minutes (hourly at weekends). A taxi into the centre is available, though more expensive. Orange Bikes (tel: 96 391 75 51; Calle Santa Teresa 8) rents mountain and town bikes and sells second-hand cycles. By car or motorbike, street parking is close to impossible, but there are a number of underground car parks available. Major car-hire companies compete with local product for the rental market. Take a good look around as there are bargains out there. Most EMT (tel: 96 352 83 99) buses run until about 22:00, with night services continuing on seven routes until around 01:00. The smart high-speed tram is a pleasant way to get to the beach, the paella restaurants of Las Arenas and the port. Pick it up at Pont de Fusta or where it intersects with the Metro at Benimaclet. Metro lines serve the outer suburbs. For taxis, call Radio-Taxi (tel: 96 370 33 33) or Valencia Taxi (tel: 96 357 13 13).

Getting there and away

Valencia's Aeropuerto de Manises (tel: 96 159 85 00) is 10km (6mi) west of the centre. Regular flights connect Valencia with Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Ibiza, and there are daily scheduled flights to London, Paris, Milan and Lisbon. Many budget carriers service a wide range of European destinations from here.

In summer, Trasmediterránea (tel: 90 245 46 45) operates car and passenger ferries to Mallorca (Mon-Sat) and Ibiza (Tue, Thu, Sat-Sun). Services are less frequent during the rest of the year.

The bus station (tel: 96 349 72 22; Avenida de Menéndez Pidal) is beside the riverbed. Bus 8 connects it to Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Madrid, Barcelona, Benidorm and Alicante are all accessible from here. The Estación del Norte station has plentiful trains to and from Madrid, Barcelona via Tarragona, Alicante, Sagunto and Castellón.