The perfect weekend getaway destination: Valencia, a 3 day itinerary for you and your family.

Where to stay?

In terms of area, Valencia is a safe city so you really can’t go wrong too much, so it kind of
depends on your personal preference. If you want to be close to the beach there is a resort
called Las Arena, which is located directly next to the beach, however the walk to the city
center will take around 40 minutes. We stayed in the Hotel Center Valencia, which had a bit
of a dated feeling, but they did have a children's cart at the breakfast buffet and the hotel
was conveniently located, it only took a 10 minute walk to get to the Turia Gardens and
around 15 minutes to get to the city center. However if we were to visit Valencia again, we
would definitely opt to stay inside the city center.
Depending on the weather it is also possible to switch the itinerary around, preferably you
would want the best day weather wise to be the beach day.

Day 1: Explore the Old Town of Valencia

You can start your stay in Valencia by exploring everything the old town has to offer. There
are free walking or biking tours you can partake in, these will take you to see most of the
touristic sites. Or you could explore on your own, these are the sights you will not want to
miss:
Serranos Towers , a fine place to start your stroll through the city. It is possible to climb the
towers, however if you want to have a better view of the city there is a much better viewpoint
later on.
Then you make your way to Place de la Verge , which is a very short walk from the towers,
this is a nice public square, where you have a look at the Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels
Desemparats , which is free. Do beware that this is a square where protests often take
place, among them is the Anonymous group holding up graphic images of animal cruelty.​
Make your way down to the largest cathedral of Valencia, the Metropolitan
Cathedral–Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady of Valencia . Here you have the
option to climb the bell tower, which will provide you with a wide view of the whole city. The
cathedral is located at the Placa de la Reina , do take your time to take in the beautiful
buildings located at this square, as they are quite stunning.
Now that you are probably all over the place trying to navigate through the busy streets of
Valencia it is time for a little rest, walk down the square and take a left to the C. de la Pau
and keep walking in a straight direction until you get to a park called Jardins de la Glorieta ,
here you can sit down for a little rest, there is a small playground for the kids to unwind.
Around the park there are a lot of little cafes where you can sit down for a coffee. We know
that Panaria has a changing table, but I imagine most places might have one as well.
After a cheeky stop you can make your way down the Carrer de Colon which is the main
street south of the park and walk down until you reach the Plaza de Toros de Valencia , this
is Valencia’s famous bullfighting arena. Attending a bull fighting show is not suitable for the
faint of heart, not only is it considered a form of animal cruelty, they also kill the bull at the
end of the show, which is not a pleasant sight. However , it is a century old national tradition
which highlights an important part of Spanish culture and history. There is a museum at the
arena where you can get some sense of what goes on during these shows without actually
having to attend the show. But most importantly there is a carousel next to it!
From the arena head North towards the la Plaça de l'Ajuntament , this is where the walking
tour ends. Plaça de l'Ajuntament is the main square of Valencia, home to the City Hall , the
History Museum and other beautiful architectural masterpieces. Around the square there are
a lot of American fast food chains to be found, perfect for those picky eaters.
From here on out there are a lot of things you can do inside the Old Town, here are a couple
food and to-do suggestions:
For the history buffs: Visit the Museum of Archeology
For the food lovers: Visit the Valencia Market
For the shopaholics: Go shopping. Check out Lefties for affordable children's clothing or one
of the many Ale-Hop shops for all sorts of little trinkets (fun for the kids)
Our personal suggestion:
Visit the Plaça del Pilar to look at the very interesting statue (especially fun for the kids),
which is just a 10 minute walk from la Plaça de l'Ajuntament.
If you want to get away from the crowds and get a sense of everyday life and a more
residential feel I recommend making your way to Placa de Manuel Granero , which is a nice
little residential park, we especially liked the graffiti around the park, the playground is quite
large and quiet which is perfect to get a feel of what everyday life is like, on the way there
don’t forget to stop by DDL Boutique for the most delicious sweet treats. From there you
could also make your way down to Parc Central , which is another one of Valencia’s
gorgeous parks.

Day 2: Explore Turia Gardens

The Turia Gardens is one of the longest parks in all of Spain, stretching over 12 kilometers.
We would strongly recommend taking a full day to explore everything this park has to offer
but you should be realistic. There really is no right order to do things, since the park is so
large you can take a rest whenever you want, there’s playgrounds everywhere, so you are
guaranteed to have a relaxed day out with the children.
Here are some of the highlights you shouldn’t miss inside the park:
The City of Sciences :
I have seen many things this year in our travels but somehow The City of Sciences left me in
a complete state of aw. Maybe it’s my love for utopian places, who knows? But I just
completely did not expect to see a place like this in a city like Valencia. The whole place has
got a wicked, futuristic Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia. Walking through the ‘city’ is a treat
in itself. But there are many places you could visit, the Museum of Science , the Center of
Arts or catch a film at the Hemisfèric , where almost every day there is at least one
screening appropriate for children. You can buy multiple different types of combination
tickets to make your visits a bit more affordable. Do not forget to tell your children the bodies
of water are not swimming pools, I know they look inviting but they are not for swimming ;)
Ever wanted to side down a man’s arm? Don’t forget to visit Parc Gulliver !
Parc Gulliver is a large playground shaped like a man
Visit the Natural Science Museum of Valencia and Fine Arts :
Located slightly outside of the park you find the Museum of Natural Science , which is one
of those museums that does a fantastic job appealing to children. Close to that you will find
the Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia , a museum with some beautiful interior.
Visit the Zoo , Oceanographic or both?
Both are a little ambitious, as both attractions take at least more than 2 hours to explore, and
let’s face it you never know with your little ones. Therefore it is really up to you what the
wisest decision here is. Do also keep in mind both attractions do come with a steep price tag
of around 25 euros per ticket. We choose to go to Oceanographic, as we already visit zoos
quite often and we do not see many sea animals. For babies/toddlers we would definitely
recommend Oceanographic, since the many lights and overhead aquariums are very nice for
them to look at, and you can just let them chill inside the buggy. You could also opt to spend
half of Day 3 (beach day) to visit the remaining one.​
Toilet facilities and safety at night?
At most of the tourist attractions you will find toilet facilities with changing tables. There are
also some public toilets scattered around the park, but they are often not the cleanest and
don’t often have a changing table.
Try to avoid the park at dark, underneath the bridges there are lots of homeless people,
especially near Gulliver Parc. Also the park is not lit very well. However the City of Science is
completely safe during opening times.

Day 3: Relaxing Day at the Beach