Day 17 of our European journey. We have now travelled just over 2000 km. Girona, Barcelona and a few hikes are behind us. As Valencia was directly on our route, we took the opportunity for a very short tour of the city.

Camper pitch Valencia

As seems to be the case in many Spanish towns on the Mediterranean coast, it is almost impossible to find suitable pitches for the camper or motorhome near the centre. We found one a few kilometres outside in Albalat dels Sorells the motorhome pitch Nomadic Valencia Camping Car. If you are looking for beautiful surroundings, please drive further, but for a base to visit Valencia, just right. 33 pitches in various sizes on a gravelled area with small trees. There are showers, toilets, washing machine and tumble dryer. Depending on the pitch, there is even a fresh water connection directly at the pitch, including power supply. What more could you want? The pitch is secure and access in the evening is only possible with a code. We paid €21 in December 2022 for a medium-sized pitch including 16A electricity. Oh yes, and the WLAN. For one euro a day, you get access to fast surfing. 50 Mbit download and 25 Mbit upload. Nothing is left to be desired here! We strongly recommend booking in advance via the website (https://nomadicvalenciacampingcar.com/de), as the place seems to be very popular.

We used the metro to travel to the centre of Valencia. The metro station is about 700 metres away on foot and can be reached in about 10 minutes. The L3 line takes about 25 minutes to the centre. The day ticket including bus costs €5 (as of December 2022) and can be purchased from the ticket machine at the metro station.

Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències

Our first destination was the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències). A building complex from 1998, designed by the architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. The City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia stretches for almost two kilometres and comprises six different buildings. The Hemisfèric (IMAX cinema), the Umbracle (gardens), the Príncipe Felipe Natural Science Museum, the Oceanogràfic (the largest aquarium in Europe), the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía and the Ágora (concerts, etc.). The buildings with their avant-garde architecture should not be missed on any visit to Valencia. We were simply fascinated.

Anyone looking at the various buildings can speculate whether the architects used various sea creatures as models for their designs. Perhaps a whale, a turtle or a mussel? There is still room for interpretation!

Image gallery City of Arts and Sciences

The old town centre of Valencia

Afterwards we went for a short walk through the Ciutat Vella the historic centre of Valencia, without visiting the sights. Afterwards we had some delicious tapas at Boatella. Very tasty and beautifully located right next to the Mercat Central.

More impressions of Valencia