Literally our home away from home, the Province of Valencia provides our wonderful Spanish base for this part of the World…135 km of beautiful sandy coastline, 2700 hours of sunshine per year, orange trees as far as the eye can see and of course the home of Paella and Rice.
With this blog we’ll give you a run down of our favorites of this Spanish province:
Jump to:
- Valencia City
- Along the Ruta del Agua of Chelva
- Hiking the Gorges of Chulilla
- Canal de Garbi – the Route of Chains
- At home in La Barraca d’Aigues Vives
- La Costa
- Messing about on the River…Sumacarcer, Quesa & Fraile
- Cofrentes Canyoning
- Requena – una copa del vino
- The troglodytes of Bocairent
- La Tomatina
- Paella and cosas
Valencia City
We are a bit biased, but this is one of Spain’s best cities, where the palms meet the oranges and there is something for everyone: from classic history and architecture of beautiful buildings, bright fountains, glimpses of the Holy Grail in the Cathedral and Valencia’s very own Sistine Chapel (at the Parroquia de San Nicolás de Bari y San Pedro Mártir)
moving through its orange greenery and the gardens of the Turia (also the name of a great local beer) you’ll see a very different Valencia at the City of Science, to follow in the footsteps of Doctor Who,
Rusafa is the hip part of town, where every corner has a bar or restaurant to enjoy all sorts of food and drink. From a sweet breakfast of churros and chocolate, big burgers and tasty ramen…and the surprise of a 24 hr Japanese market!
Valencia is just a magical city with plenty to do but not over-touristed like Barcelona or Madrid; where the winding streets will always reveal a surprise…such as the quirky little House of Cats that we’ll leave for you to explore and find.
One of the highlights of the Valencian calendar is in April for the Fallas celebration – traditionally the time for carpenters to burn all their unwanted wood at the start of Spring, but has evolved into a huge colourful spectacle of intransigent statues that you will see today, that all go up in hellish flame on the last day of the Fallas.
See more on Las Fallas in our blog here. Back to Top.
Along the Ruta del Agua of Chelva
For us, the little town of Chelva is one of our top places to visit not just in Valencia but the whole of Spain, where you can do some wonderful outdoor hiking. Chelva is surrounded by hiking trails that are not too arduous and take you through stunning surroundings – get inspired with a visit to the town’s website that provides the different routes.
La Ruta del Agua, takes you down from the town centre along numerous fountains to a canyon walk that has cool pools to bathe in; dark tunnels for kids (big and small) to explore; picture perfect views of the town above and one you are done reward yourself with a beer on the Plaza Major.
After the break then head out to the Peña Cortada for some proper Indiana Jones style exploration, where in the middle of a spectacular valley you’ll find a 2000 year old Roman viaduct, that will have you crossing on a knife edge, with further exploration in store that follows the old waterway through the mountains and down into the plains
See more in our blog on Chelva here. Back to Top.
Hiking the Gorges of Chulilla
A little way to the south of Chelva is the stunning Ruta de los Calderones. Park up just outside the hilltop town of Chulilla and head to the edge of the canyon for an introduction to the beautiful views you will get for the next few hours. The route follows along the canyon, starting from above and then winding its way down and across the river via some springy suspension bridges. After about 5km you’ll reach the azure waters of the Pantano Loriguilla reservoir and it’s impressive dam that feeds the river. From here you can either continue back round to Chulilla via the road or take the path back into the canyon.
Chulilla is also well worth a visit, to explore its winding alleyways and breathtaking views. This area is also the rock climbing capital of Valencia with numerous spots set up to jump off and clamber up. If you are here around the middle of February then keep an eye out for fields of almond trees and their explosion of springtime blooms.
Canal de Garbi – the Route of Chains (Ruta de les Cadenes)
Sounding more like a punishment by the Spanish Inquisition this is actually an excellent hike up to the mirador of Garbi at the edge of Parc Natural de la Serra Calderona. Starting off as just a steep rocky climb amongst the greenery of this Valencian forest it soon turns into a serious piece of rock climbing that makes you wonder if Valencians are hardcore or just foolhardy!
The route starts from the CV329 road as starts quite innocently with a strenuous but doable uphill climb that follows the trickling river and red rocks that dominate this part of Valencia. After an hour’s climb (and where Google maps will tell you the mirador is just 20 mins directly away) is where this leisurely hike gets turned on its head and the hiker turns into a rock climber and you discover why this is called the route of chains!
It is daunting to go up, but with any luck you’ll have fellow climbers to give you some courage to continue (again those hardcore Valencians who go up in trainers and jeans). Just keep following the red and white paint marks…even if they end up at a vertical cliff face, as there will always be a little handhold or foothold to help you up!
Reaching the top of this climb (marked by a little house of prayers) feels like quite an achievement, although when you see that there is a car park at the top for people to drive to the mirador you may feel a bit deflated; but you can bask in the moral superiority of having made it up here under your own steam.
Once you have inhaled the fresh air of success from this vantage point, steel yourself for the trip back down… Usually going down mountains is more dangerous than coming up, but for us the initial shock of the route was over and we gleefully skipped down the rock faces, giving pep talks to all those we passed still on their way up!
At home in La Barraca d’Aigües Vives
Just as the Valencian region has a special, unique culture to the rest of Spain, then as you move to the centre of the region you will also find a microcosm of Valencian culture that for us revolves around the Valley of the Living Waters (Aigües Vives). To drink from the waters, enjoy the nature to walk, run and bike amongst, with many trails running through and over the valley and surrounds.
La Ruta de Monasterios – a 90km route that links up 5 ancient monasteries, one being our very own Aigües Vives and with another two just round the corner – La Murta and Santa Maria de la Valldigna.
See our blog on Aigües Vives for more details. Back to Top.
La Costa
With all this coastline and sun, packing up the car with beach towels, sun shades, body boards and maybe even a surf board is a daily affair. Our local beach of Tavernes is perfect for low key, chilled out times, particulalrly nice as the high rises along the rest of the coast are somewhat absent here. Bigger and bolder is Culllera – where a perfectly manicured beach leads to a shallow sea that is gretat for a paddle almost the whole year round. And in between the big beaches lovely little Xeraco has tropical beach style Xiringuitos and fresh seafood restaurants such as the excellent La Uela Rila.
Messing about on the river…Sumacarcer, Quesa and Rio Fraile
The coast of Valencia is not the only place to cool down from the summer heat, head to the centre of the province to find some refreshing (and exhilarating) river trips that you can just turn up and do with little organisation. Leading into this plateau area is the town of Sumacarcer, on the banks of the river Jucar. We were driving along one hot summer’s day and saw that the river was teaming with locals on inflatables.
Stopping to take a closer look you’ll discover a nice little cobble-stoned town that has everyone wandering through the town in swimwear and clutching a whole flotilla of inflatables to launch into the refreshing waters and float around the town. Leave your car in the middle of the village and head to the northern side of town to L’illa de l’Esgoletja, where you can dive into the flowing river and spend the next 40 mins or so getting a waterfall shower, meandering lazy bends, bumping along rapids, whilst being entertained by all the bachata music of the locals camped on the banks of the river enjoying their days off.
Heading into the hills you will come to Los Charcos de Quesa sounds like a type of cheese, but rather is a scenic beauty spot of natural pools and waterfalls that the locals come to escape the summer heat. Most congregate in the lower pools, but it is well worth to take the short 20 min hike upstream to escape the crowds.
The culmination of this watery expedition is the Rio Fraile is an awesome self guided ‘canyoning’ trip where you just jump into the cool waters of the river and make your way the several kilometers downstream, clambering through rapids, over waterfalls, and swimming through verdant pools.
Summertime means that the water level is not too high, but enough to get a little haste of canyoning in a relatively ‘safe way’. This area is located at the end of a winding rural road, ending in a large country car park that has plenty of space for all the visitors to the wonderful spot. Just by the camp site is a perfect country restaurant – Los Botijos – where you can fortify or reward yourself with a drink and food…and perhaps get some entertainment thrown in too.
Cofrentes Canyoning
Tucked away on the western border of the province is a wonderful bit of nature in the form of a turquoise coloured canyon that winds its way from Cortes de Pallas to Cofrentes, you can take a boat with Suaventura, to paddle, peddle or cruise along the canyon. But for the best view hike up to Castillo de Chirel where you’ll be treated to magnificent vistas and jaw dropping plunges into the canyon below.
Requena – una copa del vino
All the hiking of the canyons will build up a bit of an appetite…and thirst! So head to Requena, the wine capital of Valencia. Using the ancient mediterranean Bobal grape that you’ll only find in this part of Spain it gives a wonderfully smooth tasting wine that keeps our ‘cellar’ stocked all year round, and makes for some beautiful Vineyards.
The old town of Requena is honeycombed with a maze of underground caves that have been used for centuries to store the huge amphora of wine that are typical for this area. Visit the Murviedro winery in the middle of the town to get an excellent tour to learn about the wines, visit the underground cellars and taste the great wine. After, treat yourself to a late lunch at one of the many great restaurants, where you can dine in some of the former wine caves – El Yantar is particularly good.
The troglodytes of Bocairent
Right in the southern border of the province you’ll find the medieval town of Bocairent. You’ll find twisting narrow alleys, a nice little town square selling local honey and alcohol, and hikes to the local Ermita del Santo Cristo.
but above all a small collection of caves that are as adventurous as they are fascinating. As with many tours in regional Spain the sights are completely undersold by any websites…and a visit to the Covetes dels Moros, at just 3 eur for an hour tour, gives you history (how the hundred or so ‘windows’ were probably an African design that was brought here to store grains), beautiful views (of the surrounding town and hills)
and above all adventure in the form of clambering through tiny rock holes that connect the windows and low ceilinged rooms to squeeze into whilst listening to the guide (and practicing your Spanish). One of the most fun tours to do – reserve your tickets on the municipal website.
La Tomatina
The ultimate of food fights, held every year in the sleepy town of Buñol. Get up early, get your white clothes on and start flinging those tomatoes!
When you are done with La Tomatina, you ca head down the hill to a secluded waterfall of Cueva Turche to wash off all that tomato…or simply head here tomato free to enjoy this little bit of tropical paradise.
See more in our blog here. Back to Top.
Paella and Cosas
The iconic rice dish that is the specialty of this region. The classic Paella Valenciana gets the title Paella…the rest is just rice (arroz). Our very own Bar Hostal in La Barraca d’Aigües Vives cooks its Paella on wood fires and you can order to take-away for up to 20 people (or a hungry family)! At the bar, you will also get to try another Valencian specialty – Casalla, a very strong aniseed drink that should be taken in moderation.
Although not paella, the arroz dishes are still very much worth it, our favorite arroz negro can be found at El Rincón del Faro in Cullera; and for some arroz rojo try Neptuno restaurant at the Malva Rosa beach in Valencia as well as arroz alcachofas, give a new colour in the rainbow of arroz – green! Even more local to Valencia region than paella is Fideuà, the same construct as paella, but made with small spaghetti type pieces of pasta. You will only find it in coastal Valencia and naturally it is delicious.
Be careful to follow the rules in making and eating rice – it is a lunch dish and trying to order it for dinner will get you some strange looks and on no account should paella have chorizo in it…but as Lyssa still has to have it sometimes then it is arroz con cosas!
Albufera is also the home of Paella, with a sea of rice fields surrounding the whole area; the village of El Palmar is the place to go on a sunday for your arroz for all valencianos… reputed to have more restaurants than residents! Our favourite places to eat here are Maribel (Michelin rated), Racó de les Eres and Casa Ángel. Once you have filled your tummies then take a boat ride on the Albufera lagoon, to get out on the water, relax in the afternoon sun and spot the wildlife.
So this finishes our top sights of Valencia, no doubt there will be more to add as we continue to discover, but for now, enjoy!