A Walking Tour in Old Valencia

Our first full day in Valencia tired us out. Did we ever sleep well!

We felt that in order to understand the city and its history, we should go on a tour. So, I booked a free 2 1/2 hour walking tour in English in the Old City at 3 p.m.

Our morning was free so we took a walk in the neighbourhood. Buying combination bus/metro tickets at the cigarette store was easy and inexpensive - 10 tickets for $5 Cdn. Chris got a good haircut with Omar for $10. Then we went to the big Turia gardens. It is one of the largest urban parks in Spain. It runs through the city along nine kilometres of green space with foot paths, leisure and sports areas, and quiet spots where you can unwind. It is the perfect place for runners, cyclists, families and nature enthusiasts but I plan to write more about it in another blog. It has an interesting history.

We returned home for a bit and then caught Bus #4 into the Old City of Valencia. It was founded by the Romans in 138 BC, then occupied by the Moors from the XVIII century, and liberated by King Jaime I in 1238.

Valencia is internationally famous as the birthplace of Spanish paella, so we went to a well-known paella restaurant, Navarro, for lunch before our walking tour. It was full of people and expensive but we experienced a tasty authentic seafood paella, filled with fresh fish, shrimp, squid, mussels, and clams over a bed of delicious rice. You have to like seafood if you are going to eat this meal. By the way, the original recipe featured chicken, rabbit, snails, and vegetables.

We walked a kilometre to meet up with our guide at the Puerta de Serranos, a gate to the Old City for the walking tour. There were 16 people that joined us from all over - Germany, Belgium, Italy, England, India and France. The guide had a microphone and spoke well in English so we had no problem hearing or understanding him.

We visited around 15 Old City places. I wrote the following just for our memories but those places were very interesting. We may return to see some of them more thoroughly on another afternoon,

Serranos Gate - one of the twelve gates that formed part of the ancient Christian Wall, of the city. This was the gate that kings went through as they entered the city.

Muslim wall - in many places it is still possible to view sections of the original defensive walls that were built in the era of Muslim rule from 714-1238 A.D.

Serranos Refuge - during the Spanish Civil War, Valencia was bombed over 400 times. Air raid shelters were built. The one we saw could house 400 people.

Palau de la Generalitat - a 15th century palace that has been home to the Valencian government for centuries.

Cavallers Street - one of the oldest Roman streets in the city - the Street of the Knights. Palaces line the street.

Negrito Square - a small square named after the statue of a black child that stands in the center of the plaza.

Silk market - before Valencia became a major exporter of oranges, it was a silk manufacturing centre. This building was built between 1482 and 1533. On the top floor of many houses in the area, you see small windows. It was where silkworms were kept.

Church of Santos Juanes - a catholic church with an interesting history built over a mosque

Central Market - a huge and beautiful market building built in 1928

Round Square - a small interior square with shops that is round, surrounded by small and narrow streets in the old quarter.

Iglesia de Santa Catarina - built in the early 13th century at the site of a prior mosque.

Valencia Cathedral - documentation and archaeological studies show that the Holy Grail of Valencia is the one used by Jesus in the last supper. The Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI used it when celebrating the Eucharist on their visits to Valencia. It is a cup made of polished agate. Tradition says that, after the last supper, Saint Peter took it to Rome and the Popes who succeeded it kept it there until Saint Sixtus II, who then sent it to Huesca, and during Muslim invasion, the chalice was hidden in the Pyrenees. It was Alfonso the Magnanimous who brought it back to the palace of Valencia. Nowadays it can be seen in the Chapel of the Holy Chalice at the Cathedral.

La Estrecha - with a facade of 107 centimeters from side to side, slightly more than the width of the door, it is the narrowest house in Europe

Almoïna Archaeological Center - on a site of roman forum in the center of Valencia.

Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken - a temple dedicated to the patron saint of the city

Plaza de la Virgen- Tribunal de les Aigües - The Tribunal of Water meets outside the door of the Apostles in the Plaza de la Virgen, every Thursday at midday, keeping alive a one thousand year old tradition. The tribunal is made up of eight farmers who still wear the typical black blouse of the Huerta (the irrigated fields around Valencia). The members are democratically elected every two years by the farmers who use the irrigation system in the Huerta. They sit in a circle on wood and leather 17th century chairs, and make their rulings. The structure of the irrigation system, the participation of the farmers, and the promptness with which the problems are resolved has made the Tribunal world famous and it has been used as a model for other institutions.

The guide did a wonderful job and we want to return to the Old City to see more of the Silk Exchange, the big Market and possibly the archaeological centre.Read more