Tourist Attractions in Valencia

Every year in March Valencia celebrates the fiesta of San José, a spring festival during which large tableaux known as fallas, with figures made of papier mâché and rags (ninots), are set up in the streets and burned at midnight on the last day of the fiesta. The custom originated in the Middle Ages, when carpenters and other craftsmen used to burn up left-over scraps of wood and other materials on the feast of St Joseph.

Northwest of the Cathedral, in Calle de Caballeros, stands the Palacio de la Generalidad (Audiencia), built between 1510 and 1579 to house the parliament of the kingdom of Valencia and now occupied by the Diputación Provincial. Particularly notable among the sumptuous rooms of the palace are, on the first floor, the Salón de Cortes, with a coffered ceiling and an azulejo frieze, and the Sala Dorada, with a superb artesonado ceiling.

On the west side of the Plaza de la Reina is the Gothic church of Santa Catalina, with a richly decorated hexagonal tower.

On the north side of the old town are the Torres de Serranos, the old north gate of the town, built in 1398 on Roman foundations and restored in 1930. From the massive towers there are good views of the town. Temporarily housed in the towers is the Maritime Museum, which displays antiquities recovered from the sea.

The airport is located 10km west of the city center.

Northeast of the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados is the old public granary, the Almudín, now occupied by the Palaeontological Museum, with a collection of prehistoric animal remains from South America.

A little way east of the Torres de Cuarte, beyond the Avenida de Guillén de Castro, lies the Botanic Garden, with thousands of species of plants.

On the north side of the Cathedral and linked with it by an arch, is the Capilla de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados, built in 1667 and decorated with frescoes by Palomino. On the high altar can be seen a much venerated image (1416) of Our Lady of the Helpless, patroness of Valencia.

Opposite the Lonja is the Mercado Central, built in 1928 and lavishly decorated with azulejos, with some 1,300 market stalls selling all the produce of Spain.

East of the University, in the direction of the Río Turia, lies the Plaza Porta de la Mar, with a triumphal arch in the center. To the north of this square is the Convento de Santo Domingo. The church of Santo Domingo (also called the Capilla de San Vicente Ferrer), rebuilt at the end of the 18th Century, is entered by a handsome doorway adjoining the uncompleted tower. To the right of the entrance is the 15th century Capilla de los Reyes, with the tomb of Marshal Rodrigo Mendoza. Part of the convent, including the cloister, is now a barracks.

Valencia's port of El Grao, 4km/2.5mi east of the city center, is mainly engaged in shipping the huerta's considerable exports of agricultural produce (oranges, raisins, oil and rice). There has also been a considerable development of industry (metal processing, shipbuilding, chemicals, textiles) in this area.

Recently opened in 1989, the Institute of Modern Art features a variety of pieces dating back to the 30s.

Adjoining the Museum of Art are the Jardines del Real or Viveros Municipales, with numerous modern monuments, and the exhibition building of the International Trade Fair (Feria de Muestras). Opposite the Trade Fair grounds the Puente del Real (1598), with statues of San Vicente Mártir and San Vicente Ferrer (17th C.) crosses the Turia. From the bridge the Paseo de la Alameda runs down the left bank of the river to the Puente de Aragón.

The church of the Santos Juanes (1368) immediately adjoining the Market has a beautiful facade and a ceiling painting by Palomino, both dating from about 1700.

Monforte is a Spanish mixture of romantic and neo-classical styles. Cypress, clipped box and myrtle are punctuated with white marble statues of classical deities, orange and lemon trees suffuse the air and long pergola runs along a wall. A romantic garden has a grotto overhung with large trees.

The Museo Etnográfico de las Fallas, in the Avenida de la Plata (southeast of the town center, some distance out), is devoted to the history and traditions of Valencia's famous fiesta of the Fallas.

Northwest of the Botanic Garden, in Calle de la Corona, is the Valencian Museu of Ethnology. The ethnological collection includes agricultural implements, furniture, kitchen equipment, etc.

The museum is interested in the interaction of people and five areas or themes: the city, the market garden, the marshland, non-irrigated land and mountains.

In the same building can be found the Museum of Prehistory of Valencia.

South of the National Ceramic Museum is the church of San Andrés, built in 1686 on the site of a mosque, which has many pictures by Valencian artists and hand-painted azulejos from Manises.

To the south of the Plaza de la Reina in Valencia, in Calle San Vicente, stands the Gothic church of San Martín (1372), with a Baroque doorway crowned by a bronze equestrian statue of St Martin (15th century Dutch work).

To the north of the Plaza del Mercado is the church of San Nicolás, built on the site of an earlier mosque, which has a "Crucifixion" by Rodrigo de Osona in the baptismal chapel and a retablo by Juan de Juanes in a side chapel on the left.

From the Palacio de la Generalidad, Calle de Caballeros and its continuation Calle de Cuarte run west to the Torres de Cuarte (or Puerta de Cuarte), an old town gate (1440-90) similar to the Torres de Serranos.

Facing the Colegio, to the south, is the University (1830), with a valuable library of some 87,000 volumes, including many incunabula and manuscripts.