VALENCIA and its surrounding area

If you still have doubts, we are going to give you some reasons so that you will no longer hesitate. We are waiting for you! There are many ways to visit the city, but we offer you something different from everything you already know, rent your Vanyou and make the most of your visit.

The city of València, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, is also known as the City of Light and this was reflected in the works of the painter Joaquín Sorolla. The city enjoys a mild climate, with more than 300 sunny days a year, an average temperature of over 17ºC. Winters are moderate, with temperatures that do not usually drop below 10ºC. By contrast, summers are quite warm and humid, making spring and autumn the most pleasant times to visit the city.

Why do we advise you to come to Valencia? Because we have an exceptional climate that allows you to visit practically all year round, because there is a typical gastronomy that you will fall in love with such as our famous Valencian Paella and because we have beaches, culture, historical heritage and avant-garde architecture. But also leisure, sports and nature. 

 Convinced? If you still have doubts, we are going to give you some reasons so that you will no longer hesitate.

There are many ways to visit the city, but we offer you something different from everything you already know, rent your Vanyou and make the most of your visit.

We want you to discover the city of Valencia, but also to enjoy its surroundings, which have a lot to offer you. At Vanyou you can rent one of our camper vans that will be the perfect way to make the most of this experience.

The city does not yet have a dedicated site for overnight stops with a van with a van, but don't worry, there is a solution and it is called El Saler and Parque Natural de l´Albufera. The El Saler area has the perfect location to discover the natural park and the beaches, but also from here you can visit the city of Valencia without having to drive or worry about parking as there is a direct bus route. There is also a cycle path that allows you to get to the city, the road is completely flat and then you can visit the city by bike, which for us is the best option. For all these reasons, we recommend that you start your visit in this place that serves as an access point to the city but where you can enjoy being surrounded by nature.

Going into detail, the town of El Saler is a small village located 11km south of Valencia and has among its natural heritage the Devesa del Saler. A natural area 10 km long and 1 km wide that contains large areas of Mediterranean pine forest and a system of dunes whose mission is to separate the sea from the Albufera in what is known as restinga or a separating ridge. Clean water and fine sand make El Saler's beaches some of the highest quality in the area. There are numerous parking lots where you can spend the day with the van. In addition to enjoying the beach, you can also rent bikes to explore La Devesa or do water sports such as windsurfing, especially in the summer months thanks to the Garbí wind that blows from the southwest in the Levante.

In addition, from there you have access to the Albufera Natural Park, the largest freshwater lake in Spain and one of the most important wetlands in the country. It has unique species of waterfowl as well as indigenous plant varieties. The visit to the Albufera is almost obligatory, either on foot, by boat or by bicycle. The companies distinguished with the Parcs Naturals label are Albufera Parc (https://albuferaparc.com) and VisitAlbufera (https://visitalbufera.com)

That is not all, the area is famous for its rice fields and in the town of El Palmar you will find a wide range of restaurants where you can taste the best rice dishes in Valencia. We recommend Arroceria Maribel (http://www.arroceriamaribel.com), during the week it has a cheap menu.

If there is something we like to recommend is to view the sunset in the Albufera, we have indicated the exact spot of the pier, here they also organize boat trips https://goo.gl/maps/QjDzgUd6JTF3hHGW8 the place is not very big, the parking lot is small and there are always people, so you better arrive in time and take a spot! An important tip, millions of mosquitoes appear in the Albufera at sunset, so take precautions.

To spend the night you have a few campsites such as:

• Camping Coll Vert: https://www.collvertcamping.com/ has a camper area
• Camping València EL Saler: http: //www.campingValènciaelsaler.com/ has a camper area
• Campingcar La Marina Area: https://www.campercontact.com/es/espana/comunidad-Valènciana-03-12-46/el-saler-València/15522/area-campingcar-la-marina
• Camping Devesa Gardens: https://www.devesagardens.com/

 If you prefer to go it alone, we recommend you take a look at applications such as park4night or furgoperfectos to find places to stay overnight. If you prefer, ask us directly and we will give you some useful advice.

And now yes, let's go to the city! In Valencia you have many things to do and everything will depend on how much time you have. We want to highlight what cannot be missed, so here are, in our opinion, the essential points:

In the historical center:

In the Central Market you will find the best products of our land in the incomparable setting of the building that houses this market. Keep in mind that it is only open in the morning, except on Fridays when it also opens in the afternoon, on Sundays it is closed. Directly opposite is the Silk Exchange, a spectacular example of the Gothic Valènciano style, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

You must visit to the Carmen district, the true heart of the city, where you can stroll through its narrow streets and, if possible, discover its palaces. The Plaza de la Virgen, located right in the historic centre of the city, is a large pedestrian square with an imposing fountain in the middle. Always crowded, the Plaza de la Virgen houses the Cathedral, the Basilica of the Virgen de los desamparados and the Palace of the Generalitat Valènciana.

Very close to the Plaza de la Virgen is the Plaza de la Reina, one of the most photographed. Very close by is the Miguelete tower, which is the bell tower of the Cathedral of Valencia. If you want to enjoy a panoramic view of the city, you must climb up to the top of the tower. It is 70 metres high and has 207 steps. You can visit it from Monday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00  p.m. (nonstop), the price is € 2 for adults and € 1 for children.

The imposing Torres de Serrano, the old gateway to the city, was used for defense and as a triumphal arch. Today it welcomes the visitors to the city.

The most important public events in the life of the city are held in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Especially crowded for the mascletás (firework displays) during the Las Fallas festival. You can visit the City Hall building from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. free of charge and without reservation. You can see the Plenary Room, the Crystal Room, the Air Raid Shelter, the History Museum and the most sought-after viewpoint from the City Hall Balcony.

One step away from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the Estación del Norte, the train station, located in the city centre. Declared an artistic historical monument, in a modernist style, it is worth admiring the main facade decorated with plant motifs, inspired by Valencian agriculture.

The City of Arts and Sciences is an avant-garde complex dedicated to science and culture. Despite its controversial origin, today it is true that this complex has become an emblem of the city.

 The ensemble is made up of several elements:

• The Oceanogràfic, the most visited and considered the largest aquarium in Europe. In it you can see all the aquatic ecosystems in the world. It is advisable to book the entrance in advance.
• The Hemisféric, with its curious eye shape, is an audiovisual space and films in IMAX format and laser shows are shown inside.
• The Palau de les Arts, of enormous dimensions, is a multidisciplinary space that hosts theatre, concerts, dance and opera performances.
• The Principe Felipe Science Museum is dedicated to science and biology, with interactive exhibits where you can experience and interact with everything around you. • The Umbracle is a space created to walk through inside, full of vegetation and with good views of the entire complex.
• The Ágora, is a multifunctional space, there is a project to house CaixaForum València, an educational and cultural space sponsored by LaCaixa.

There are combined tickets for the visit. At the Oceanogràfic there are usually quite a few people, if you can buy your tickets in advance, you will avoid queues.

After the great flood that València suffered due to the overflow of the Turia river in 1957, it was decided to divert the river channel to the south of the city and after an initial project to turn the old channel into a highway, a citizens movement managed to have it reconverted as a large garden that today runs through the city from west to east. At the head is the Bioparc, a zoological park specialized in African fauna and the Parque de Cabecera. At the other extreme is the City of Arts and Sciences.

 With a total length of more than nine kilometres of gardens, it it is one of the largest urban natural parks in Spain. It is crossed by 18 bridges that show us the history of the city. Throughout the garden there are all kinds of sports activities and thousands of runners visit it every day. A very interesting attraction is the Gulliver Park, a huge slide park for children. The best way to explore the Turia Garden is by bicycle.

Valencia is very close to the sea and has kilometres of sand spread over several beaches:

• La Malvarrosa, almost 2 km long and up to 60 metres wide, with an immense promenade.
• Las Arenas, located in the traditional fishing district of Cabanyal, with an extraordinary architectural value and which is experiencing a renaissance today.
• La Patacona, although it belongs to the town of Alboraia, it is linked to València, and is a quieter beach than the previous ones, although every year more people visit it.

The Marina Real, the old port of the city, today is a public space where leisure, sports, gastronomy are combined and where a space of innovation and entrepreneurship is being developed.

Another point of interest is the central district of L´Eixample, made up of the Ruzafa, Pla del Remei and Gran Vía neighborhoods.The bohemian Ruzafa neighborhood, considered as the "Valencian Soho", offers a wide variety of restaurants, bars, bookstores, architecture and furthermore the great Ruzafa Market. The Mercado de Colón, in a modernist style, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city. A former food market, located in the bourgeois area of that timewhich was one of the areas with the highest purchasing power in the city. Today the market is converted into a space that houses restaurants.

To tour the city, our recommendation is that you rent a bicycle, Valencia is a completely flat city and as we said at the beginning with very good weather throughout the year, there are many bike rental companies in the city, we recommend Doyoubike, Avinguda del Port, 141; Carrer del Mar, 14; Carrer de la Sang, 9

 As for places to eat, here are some recommendations with some of our favourite places:

Practically in any restaurant in the city you will be offered Valencian Paella, but it is not easy to find the real one. Our advice if you want to taste a true Valencian paella at a totally reasonable price is L´espardenya . In addition to paella, you can taste many other types of rice dishes. It is located at Carrer dels Sants Just i Pastor, 155.

 If you are looking for local cuisine with market produce, we recommend:

• Bodega Anyora , Carrer d'en Vicent Gallart, 15
• Los Madriles Tavern, Avinguda Regne de Valencia, 48
• Gallina Negra, Carrer de Roteros, 16

 For breakfast or snacks:

• La Más Bonita, Passeig Marítim de la Patacona, 11
• Dulce de Leche, Carrer del Pintor Gisbert, 2 Avenida de Francia, 8

 And finally, you really must try the horchata. This typical drink of the area is a traditional soft drink made from tigernuts, water and sugar, it can be drunk liquid or crushed, we love it and accompanied by "fartons" (long sponge cakes) it is the most! The best places to try it are in the town of Alboraia, very close to Valencia but you will find it in many places.

These are our suggestions for your visit to our city, they are just brushstrokes, there is much more to do, discover, visit and taste. We would love to see you here on board one of our vans so we are waiting for you!