Valencia City Guide - Day One

Hey guys, as promised I'm trying to catch up on all my blog posts I wanted to publish this summer but couldn't because of lack of time. So here's my Valencia city guide!

In July my little sister Rieke and I took our older sister Nina to this stunning Spanish city for her birthday. And we all loved it! Valencia is such a beautiful, both modern and old city with many lovely buildings, squares, restaurants and shops. We booked an apartment with Living Valencia in the Barrio del Carmen, a lively and colourful neighborhood with many restaurants, shops and fabulous street art! We couldn't have chosen a better quarter, of all areas in Valencia we visited I liked this one most.

Morning in Valencia - Mercat Central, City of Arts and Sciences and Beaches

We arrived very late on a Friday night and started Saturday with a typical Spanish breakfast in a café next to the Mercat Central, a bustling and beautiful market hall where you can find everything from souvenirs to fresh juices, seafood and Spanish snacks. Afterwards, we started walking. And walked and walked to the large and quiet Jardín del Turia park. We relaxed a bit there and had some lunch before heading to the City of Arts and Sciences which impressed us most! The space and stunning architecture of this place is just breathtaking. I have to say we were super lucky with the weather and everything was painted beautifully in white and turquoise. We also went to the L'Umbracle, a cultural event space right next to museum of Science. It's made up of palm trees under an arch that lets in natural light. We also loved this place.

Right after we continued our way to the beach, which is a bit further out of town. The beaches in Valencia are much longer and broader than in Mallorca but even more crowded as they are city beaches. So we just took a little walk along the water and headed back to the city centre by bus.

Barrio del Carmen and Kaikaya Restaurant

In the afternoon we went for a walk around our neighborhood where we explored cute streets full of graffitis and cool restaurants. The Barrio del Carmen is the most perfect street art area! Later, we went for dinner at Kaikaya which serves Japanese and Brasilian fusion cuisine. The dishes were a bit pricey but all delicious! We tried a couscous salad with strawberries, chicken croquettes, fried gambas and spicy ravioli, all very tasty. I also loved the interior of the restaurant with its Asian details and plants everywhere creating tropical feels.

After dinner we went back to Plaza del Ayuntamiento, a beautiful town square which we had already passed in the morning. There, the Gran Fira de Valencia took place that night. It was a cool open air fiesta with live music, food stalls and a fun crowd. We danced a bit, had some more snacks and later went home after a long day of exciting moments in the beautiful city of Valencia! I hope you enjoyed reading this post, xo