Fun and great things to do in Valencia

In addition to the traditional tourist circuits, Valencia awaits you with a series of attractions that are not so obvious at first glance, but that will enrich your trip in every way. From a curious museum of tin soldiers to the particular event of the Pillow War, in Valencia there are peculiar attractions worth knowing.

Unique aromas and flavors at the Central Market

The Central Market of Valencia is located in the heart of the historic center of the city, and is full of colors, aromas and flavors from a wide variety of fresh and high quality products. The best of Mediterranean cuisine is found in this building, which is also interesting to know for its heritage and architectural value, with a modernist style and a structure of iron columns, tiles and stained glass that is very reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower. It covers a total area of 8,000 square meters and is the largest fresh produce market in Europe, with more than 300 stalls selling fruit, vegetables, cheese, sausages, meat, fish and seafood. And with restaurants with rations, tapas and dishes prepared with market products.

The funniest part of the Fallas

The Valencian Fallas, celebrated in March, are universally famous. But what is the most fun way to enjoy them? First, buy a fallero scarf and hang it around your neck to start feeling part of the celebration. Then you can follow with a plantà on the night of March 14 and watch (and help, if you feel like it) how the fallas masters prepare the fallas. And also to see the mascletà, which happens every day at 14:00 hours from March 1 to 19 in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. It consists of a pyrotechnic show with a lot of adrenaline and that brings together all Valencians. Finally, to make your Fallas days extremely fun and profitable, you should dance in a verbena and eat a black rice or baked rice.

The beauty and spaciousness of the Turia Gardens

It is one of the largest natural urban parks in Spain, with more than 9 km of sports, recreational and relaxing areas. Many important urban planners and landscapers participated in the design of different sections of this site that integrates several parks, such as the Gulliver for the youngest children or the Parque de Cabecera, where you can rent swan-shaped boats to stroll through its lakes and ponds and that ends in the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences. A perfect place for walking, running or cycling.

Culture and trends are present in the Soho of Valencia

El Ensanche and Ruzafa are two of the most dynamic and active neighborhoods in Valencia, where cultural and gastronomic life meets the fashionable stores and the shopping movement. This is why this area is now known as “the Soho of Valencia”. In addition, there are buildings that are authentic jewels of modernist architecture, such as the Mercado de Colón, and many chic stores such as florists, photographic studios, art galleries, signature cafes, theaters, vintage clothing stores and indie nightclubs. An ideal area to visit in the afternoon, and continue discovering it well into the evening.

A banquet on World Paella Day

It could be said that the world paella day in Valencia is every day, since this dish was not only invented here, but it was also in this area where they patented its original version. But if your vacations in Valencia coincide with September 20, it will be very useful to know that on that day is officially celebrated the World Paella Day and the city is full of events, with massive paellas in all the city’s neighborhoods and markets and with the World Paella Day Cup, the official competition in which ten chefs from around the world compete to see who can make the best paella on the planet.

Pure adrenaline with Pillow Wars

Every Saturday, April 6, from 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza de la Virgen, one of the strangest and funniest wars in the world takes place spontaneously: the Pillow War. It’s 15 minutes in which hundreds of people unload their adrenaline in an extremely fun way and it doesn’t cost a single cent. All that is required is that each person brings his or her pillow and gives free rein to the blows, always respecting very strict rules: pillows should be soft and have no feathersThe event is not allowed to hit anyone without pillows or a camera, anyone can participate regardless of their age or the size of their pillow, and original pajamas and costumes are very welcome, which always give a special color to the day.

Vintage Childhood: the Museum of the Tin Solders

The nostalgia of parents and grandparents and the curiosity of the youngest children come together in the L’Iber Museumone of the most original of Valencia, famous for its large collection of tin soldiers, a very popular toy some decades ago among children around the world and today converted into collector’s items. This museum, which is housed in a manor house in El Carmen, exhibits more than 95,000 pieces in 15 rooms that recreate different battle scenes. General admission is 8 €, reduced to 5 € for retirees, unemployed and disabled people, and free for children under 6 years.

A fun family activity in Gulliver Park

A perfect plan to enjoy with children and one of the most original playgrounds in Spain, inspired by the classic adventure book by Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels. The site recreates the adventures of this character in the land of giants and visitors become Lilliputians who attack the traveler, represented in a central figure of 70 meters and is tied with ropes. Gulliver’s own body becomes an attraction of slides in his hair and ladders on his neck. Admission is free.

Marine wonders in a huge aquarium

The City of Arts and Sciences houses one of the largest aquariums on the European continent: the Oceanogràfic. Built as a tribute to all the oceans and seas of the planet, it has giant aquariums in which different marine ecosystems are recreated. In addition, the complex has a dolphin show, an area dedicated to the Arctic with beluga whales and another corner exclusively for sharks. The entire tour is done through immersive tunnels and glass to feel very close to the amazing marine life that inhabits the planet. General admission costs 33.70 € and with discount, for 25 €, for children from 4 to 12 years old, retirees and people with functional diversity.

The museum route

Culture in Valencia plays a fundamental role, so much so that the city has many different museums for all kinds of audiences. Lovers of contemporary art will find their place in the Centre del Carme de Cultura Contemporánea, those of more classical art in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, for science people the Museo de Ciencias, for those who like decorative arts the Museo Nacional de Cerámica. And so the list continues with other important and must-see museums: the Silk Museum that recreates the highlights of this historic industry, Caixafórum with its interactive exhibitions for young and old, and the Fallas Museum with all the history and present of the most important festival of the city.