Valencia DIY

[txd]

Hi! We are cruising to Valencia in early November. Looking for the recommendation If it’s visible to DIY for this city.

Thanks 

[LynnSD]

Valencia bills itself as the city where paella started.   There are a number of places near the waterfront where you can have a cooking class and then eat the paella.  We enjoyed it!   
The waterfront is very walkable and interesting.  

[edinburgher]

It is certainly suited to DIY exploration of the city. it may be the third largest city in Spain, but it is easily walkable and--big bonus-it isn't hilly!  And many of the sights are in fairly close proximity to each other. We also thought it a nice balance between touristy and non touristy, unlike eg Barcelona which can feel overwhelmed with tourists.. And the cost of meals, drinks etc wasn't priced only for tourists either.

 

We have only been twice on day trips but had thought to return on a land based trip, then covid came along.  First visit was  an excursion from our land based resort. We were shown around some of the historic and some of the City and Science area.. 

 

Second time was a port of call.  We took the public bus from the port into the historic centre, did our sightseeing on foot, then returned to the port on a different bus route which took us past the City and Science Centre, so we only glimpsed it in passing, but as we had visited it previously, that did not matter.  If you want to visit both old and new, time constraints could be an issue for you as we were able to focus solely on the old town on our second visit.

If I remember correctly, there was a painted line to follow from the port to the bus stop, but the tourist people were very helpfuul.  And we thought the visitvalencia website was very useful as the more you look into it the more you find.  It also has bus info, including routes, and suggested walking routes.  We only needed one bus into the centre and one for the return as  the rest is easy walking.  And as it is a "flat" city centre, there are also several bicycle rental stores and some offer city tours if cycling is your thing..

 

There is lots of really useful info online.  We took the bus to a main square beside the town hall, walked the old town sightseeing along the way, then caught the return bus from close to a tower at the far end of the old town, but once you read more about the city you  canplan  your own route to suit your interests.

[Critic276]

Any suggestions for a way to find these schools online to book?

[txd]

Dear Edinburgher, thanks for such detailed recommendations.

By any chance, do you know if there is a HoHo bus?

 

[LynnSD]

12 hours ago, Critic276 said:

Any suggestions for a way to find these schools online to book?

Are you asking about the paella?    

l looked at a photo and my apron said “escuela de paella Valenciana” — or something close to that!   I would just do a search online.  We saw several places on the same street.   The tour we were on split us into small groups and each group went to a different place.    I didn’t hear any negative comments afterward.  

Good luck!   

 

[edinburgher]

Yes, there is a HOHO  with more than one route, but be aware that in the historic centre, the bus may not be able to enter some streets. You would need to check the routes on websites before deciding if it is for you or not. And your route of choice may not pass close to the cruise terminal.

 

I know at the time that some pax with kids were taking a public bus from near the port to the Aquarium which is part of the City and Science area and not at all far from the port.  You could consider that, walk around the area, then take another bus from there into the historic city. A day pass would be worth considering.

 

And do try the local HORCHATA. Although sold throughout the city, we chose to go to the beautifully tiled and historic Santa Catalina in the old town centre. A real photo op in addition to trying the horchata. Reviews etc online.

 

All your info can be found online.  You only need to spend some time looking for it. The more you read the easier your day planning will become.

Edited April 1, 2022 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

On the topic of paella, on our first drive in to the city from our land resort, we passed fields of paella rice.  Guide told us it is possible to visit the Albufera National Park and see the rice growing.

[LondonTowner]

You can get to L’Albufera very easily from the centre of Valencia by public transport. The village to aim for is called El Palmar and has an award winning restaurant for the best paella in Spain.

 

we went to the restaurant with Spanish friends and the chef/owner gave m6 friend some good tips and recipes.

[MarcyLondon]

Is the Valencia port close to the city centre?

[edinburgher]

I think it was a good couple of miles to the historic centre which is why I suggested a bus in a previous post. No point in being tired before you begin your sightseeing of the compact  historic centre on foot.

 

Have you looked at whatsinport Valencia  as a starting point, (more than its name suggests) or the visitvalencia website I recommended  before and which has maps, sightseeing info, links to buses etc?  or Tripadvisor? As in my previous post,  you only need to read and the more you read the easier it will be to decide how to spend your day and how to go about it.  Valencia is really really easy to DIY but having advance info is a big help.