Gothic towers, silk, water and legends on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Valencia was born as a Roman colony, lived its golden age in the fifteenth century, when it was one of the richest cities in the Mediterranean, and its old town still keeps the gates of its walls, the merchants' Silk Exchange and a court that has delivered its verdicts by word of mouth for centuries. Three free routes to explore it on foot, at your own pace, with the documented history and the legends kept clearly apart.
Choose your free tour
All routes are free and can be combined. If it’s your first visit, start with the essentials.
From the Roman colony beneath your feet to the Gothic gates that withstood cannon fire: the history of Valencia told in six places.
A tiny house for cats with a legend about El Cid, the cup many believe to be the Holy Grail and a caiman hanging in a church: Valencia at its most mysterious.
Modernisme, markets, squares steeped in history and the city's best-loved tower: the must-sees of Valencia in a single walk.
The map
The routes cross in the old town. Tap a point to see which story awaits you there.
Filled points already have a published article; the rest are in the works.
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A day in the city
Link the three routes and you will see the best of the city on foot, for free: the essentials in the morning, history in the afternoon and legends as the sun goes down.
Morning
Afternoon
Early evening
Where to eat. Try Paella valenciana at La Pepica.
What to eat
The dishes you can’t leave without trying, and the classic spots that have been serving them for years.
Rice cooked in a wide, shallow pan with chicken, rabbit, green beans, garrofó (large white lima beans) and saffron, best over a wood fire and with a touch of socarrat, the crisp layer at the bottom. It is a lunchtime and Sunday dish, and on Malvarrosa beach it has been served for more than a century at places such as La Pepica (1898) and Casa Carmela (1922).
Where to try it
A cool, sweet drink made from tiger nuts grown in the Valencian huerta, served with fartons, long glazed buns made for dunking. On Plaza de Santa Catalina, two century-old horchata bars face each other across the square.
Where to try it
Small mussels from the port of Valencia, tastier than rock mussels, steamed with lemon, pepper and bay leaf. They are seasonal, mainly from spring to late summer, and La Pilareta has been serving them by the plateful for more than a hundred years.
Where to try it
A cold salad of roasted red pepper and shredded salt cod, with garlic and good olive oil, perfect for nibbling with bread. It is a classic of Valencian taverns, such as the Casa Montaña bodega in El Cabanyal, open since 1836.
Where to try it
