Valencia City Holidays

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city, trailing after Madrid and Barcelona. Despite its bronze medal placement, it boasts one of the country’s biggest historical centres. And with more than 2,000 years of history to its name, it’s one of the oldest, too. In a similar fashion to Barcelona, city breaks here don’t have to be purely focused on ticking sights off – the city’s home to more than 20 kilometres of sand and three of its best beaches are a 20-minute drive from the Old Town.

History-buffs have traced Valencia’s history to a time before the first century, when a Roman colony settled here. The city’s reins have been held by many hands, and it was even once handed the title of Spain’s capital. Many of the city’s rulers have left their stamp, which gives Valencia’s Old Town a patchwork-quilt feel. The Gothic-style Silk Exchange is a reminder of the city’s plot on the Silk Road – it’s where the city’s rich residents used to come to buy silk from China. The city’s cathedral on the other hand doesn’t fit just one mould, with a mix of Romanesque, Baroque and Gothic styles on show. Its 50-metre-high bell tower is well worth climbing for a panoramic view of the city.

Valencia city does well for beaches in its own right, but if you fancy a change of scene there’s a host of holiday heavyweights within driving distance. The Costa Blanca runs right along Spain’s south coast for more than 150 kilometres. Benidorm’s the big name here, but there are plenty of other places on the map well worth a visit. You can continue your Spanish history tour in Calpe, where highlights include Roman ruins and time-worn churches. Or, test out another of the region’s best beaches with a trip to Playa de San Juan. The latter’s around a two-hour trip by car, while you’re looking at a driving time of around 90 minutes to Calpe.