Valencia, verdict by verdict

Valencia is Spain's third city and its most liveable: a flat, golden old town around the [cathedral](/valencia/valencia-cathedral/) and the Central Market, the Turia park running through the city in a former riverbed, and the [City of Arts and Sciences](/valencia/city-of-arts-and-sciences/) at its end. Add paella where it was born and city beaches by tram, and the case for skipping it gets thin.

The caveat is that it stays pleasantly low-key: there is no single world-famous monument to organize the trip around, and the beach strip is a tram ride rather than the doorstep. Summer runs humid and the beaches fill, and Fallas week in mid-March is an all-or-nothing blast of noise and crowds that takes over the city.

Two to three days covers the old town, the Turia, the museums and the [Oceanografic](/valencia/oceanografic-valencia/), with an [Albufera](/valencia/albufera-day-trip/) sunset run or a [paella cooking class](/valencia/paella-cooking-class-valencia/) filling the gaps. Bikes own the Turia park, the old town walks flat, and the metro runs from the airport in about twenty-five minutes. March to June and September to November are warm, mostly dry and lively, and it suits travelers who like real city fabric over checklist icons, paella pilgrims, and anyone who wants beach access without giving up a city break; sleep in Ciutat Vella to keep it all on foot.