We will start with a series of 19 Spanish Autonomous Communities, including the autonomous cities of the African continent, Ceuta and Melilla. Erkki Gerovoi, an experienced guide specialized in Spain, will help us with his comments and hints. We have visited almost all areas ourselves, but there are still many great places to be discovered. Our purpose is to provide information on areas and tips on where to visit on site. Subscribe to our newsletter and you will know when the next part will be completed. We start with a blog series about the Valencian region, where we live and operate a lot, e.g. in the form of day trips. The Autonomous Community of Valencia consists of 3 different provinces, Valencia, Castellón and Alicante, with 566 different municipalities.

What is Valencia best known for?

Valencians like rice in all its forms and it is also grown near Valencia in the La Albufera Natural Park. The most famous local dish made from rice is paella with its different versions and it is worth tasting paella in specialized restaurants. Other well-known local delicacies include fideuá (cousin of paella without rice), horchata and farton (tiger nut drink + local delicacy) and turrón (especially a Christmas delicacy in Spain). Valencia is also known for its oranges, and they grow everywhere here. In addition to tourism, the most important industries are the cultivation of citrus fruits and vegetables, ceramics, e.g. tiles, furniture, textiles and shoes, and fishing.

Province of Valencia (province)

Of course, the provincial capitals where there is enough to see for several days must be mentioned. Valencia is the 3rd largest city in Spain with a population of about 800.000 and the 5th largest harbour in Europe. The old town of Valencia city center and the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias are stunning attractions that will compare to any of the TOP attractions in the world. The food of the eye are e.g. the historic buildings and statues of the city center, the Cathedrals, the museums, and the latter “City of Arts and Sciences”, where the already utopian structures of the water basin, the science world and the Oceanográfic Aquarium require several days to explore. The most famous festival is Las Fallas, which is celebrated in March.

Province of Alicante

The Valencia’s southernmost province, Alicante is the 2nd largest city in the Valencian Community and the 11th largest in Spain with about 340,000 inhabitants. The main attractions are the castle of Santa Barbara, which offers stunning views of the Costa Blanca from the top of the mountain, as well as Alicante’s so-called port area where you can e.g. walk along one of the finest promenades in Spain along the beach. The old town with its magnificent buildings and restaurant promenade cannot be forgotten either. The 3rd largest city in the Valencia region, Elche (about 230,000 inhabitants) is known as the palm capital of Spain and is also definitely worth a visit.

Province of Castellón

The capital of the province of Castellón, north of Valencia, is Castellón (de la Plana) and has a population of about 175,000. In Castellón you will see magnificent architecture from different centuries, you can visit its many museums and planetarium as well as its magnificent parks. The coast is known as the Costa del Azahar and is popular with tourists in the Peníscola area, where it has about 50% of the area’s hotel capacity and is the largest concentration after Valencia and Benidorm.

Other interesting places and events in the Valencia region

Special gems to mention here are a few of them. The Valencia region is full of idyllic little villages. There are also many natural sites in the Valencia region, where you can see e.g. stunning cliffs and mountains, caves and waterfalls. In addition, various fiestas and festivals are held around Valencia throughout the year.

Province of Valencia:
Worth of visit: 1) Castillo de Sagunto, 2) Monasterio de Santa María de El Puig, 3) Ruta Verde Xurra, 4) Horchatería Vida, 5) El Palmar (La Albufera), 6) Palau Ducal dels Borja (Gandía), 7) Bodega Murviedro (Requena), 8) Barrios historicos de Chelva, 9) Titaquas, 10) Calles empedradas de Chulilla, 11) Castillo de Buñol, 12) Lago del río Sellent (Bolbaite), 13) Salto de Chella, 14) Palacio de los Condes de Cervellón, 15) Los Chorrados de Navarrés, 16) Las estrellas de Aras de los Olmos, 17) Castillo de Xátiva, 18) Bocairent.

Events: 1) Las Fallas, Valencia (March), 2) La Tomatina, Buñol (August), 3) Fiestas de Moros y Cristianos, Valencia and Alcoy (April-September)

Alicanten provinssi:  

Worth of visit: 1) El Baret de Miquel (Dénia), 2) Xábia histórica, 3) Teulada-Moraira 4) Peñon de Ifach (Calpe), 5) Altea, 6) Las fuentes del Algar 7) Ruta de la Serra Gelada, 8) Castillo de Guadalest, 9) Cuevas de Canelobre (Busot), 10) Casas multicolores de la Vila Joiosa, 11) Santuario de Santa María Magdalena (Novelda), 12) Palmeral de Elche, 13) Parque Natural de las Lagunas de la Mata y Torrevieja, 14) Tabarca

Events: 1) Hogueras de San Juan, Alicante (June), 2) Fiestas Moros y Cristianos, around the province (April-September), 3) El Carnaval, Alicante (Easter), 4-5) Las Fiestas de Agosto (August) ja Domingo de Ramos (Easter), Elche, 6) Feria de Todos los Santos, Cocentaina (November)

Castellónin provinssi:

Worth of visit: 1) Morella, 2) Parque Cultural de Valltorta (Tírig), 3) Culla, 4) Museo natural Olivos Milenarios “Pou del Mas”, 5) Peñiscola, 6) Ruta del Vino (Les Useres), 7) MACVAC (Vilafamés), 8) Vía Verde del Mar (Oropesa), 9) Sierra de Irta, 10) MIAU (Fanzara), 11) Segorbe, 12) La Vuelta de la Hoz, 13) Coves de Sant Josep

Events: 1) El Carnaval de Vinaroz (February), 2) Fiestas de San Vicente Ferrer, La Nucía (April), 3) Sexenio de Morella (August every 6. year), 4) Fiestas patronales de Segorbe (August), 5) Fiestas patronales de Vall de Uxò (October), 6) Fiestas patronales de Peñiscola (September)

Erkki´s tips for a weekend visit to Valencia

Sorolla – Benlliure , Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia , Baroque Palaces , Silk Road and Silk Museum , Iglesia de los Santos Juanes , San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir , Carmen , Ruzafa , Torres de Quart, Plaza del Negrito , Agua de Valencia Tasting , Holy Cup , Horchata Museum , Alboraya and Chufa Plantations Lladró , Turia Park and Bioparc Valencia .

I hope you got inspired to visit some of these destinations and events. More information can be found at the links. Some pages may only be in Spanish, but most sites also have pages in English. You can also get more information and good directions from us, and through us you can get, for example, accommodation, means of transport (rental car, buses & trains & ferries) and tickets to various places. In addition, we organize excursions in the surrounding areas, including some of these places above.