Four UNESCO treasures in Valencia: what to see and hear
The Silk Exchange, the Water Tribunal, Las Fallas and hand bell ringing — four UNESCO entries, three of which are not buildings but living traditions.
Read →
Valencia — first acquaintance
A walking tour of the historic centre. We travel from Ancient Rome to the modern Mediterranean way of life, reading the character of the city through concrete detail and living stories.
3 hoursduration
150 €per group of up to 6
on footat your own pace
includingthe Cathedral
This walk exists so that in three hours you can catch the character of Valencia and feel what makes it singular. We take apart how the city works and how it grew, through concrete details and living stories — from Ancient Rome to the modern Mediterranean way of life.
Our route covers the key sights of the historic centre. We start at the Serranos Towers and head on foot deep into the old town. We step inside the Basilica of the Virgin and the Cathedral, and along the way, if you like, we pause to try horchata, the local drink.
Further on we look into a family shop selling traditional ceramics and vermouths, study the Gothic Silk Exchange and move on to the Central Market. There we talk about food, work out how to choose jamón and try Valencian oysters with a glass of cava. We finish by crossing the Town Hall square and ending at the North Station with its bright façade and remarkable interior.
Route
How the walk goes
Serranos Towers
We begin at the fourteenth-century city gates and walk into the old town.
Basilica and Cathedral
We go inside — no queue and a reduced ticket, thanks to the guide licence.
A pause for horchata
We try the traditional Valencian tiger-nut drink, in the place where locals drink it.
Ceramics and vermouth
A family shop tourists rarely find: traditional ceramics and local vermouths.
The Silk Exchange
We read the Gothic symbols on the façade and discuss how the city grew rich on silk.
The Central Market
We learn how to pick jamón and try Valencian oysters with a glass of cava.
Town Hall square and North Station
We finish at a modernist façade with ceramics and mosaics inside.
By the end you will have a clear, whole picture of Valencia. You will have found the city's DNA and will know exactly what matters most to Valencians themselves.
Photos
From this route
Practical details
What to know in advance
- Price: 150 € for your family or party of up to 6 people. If there are more of you, let me know and we will agree terms. Cathedral tickets (5 €) are paid separately.
- Length and format: a private walking tour of 3 hours, at a pace that suits you.
- Going inside: entry to the places on the route (cathedral, market, town hall, café, shop) depends on their opening hours. I will suggest the best day and time so that we see the most.
- What the licence gives you: my official guide licence lets us enter the cathedral and some other places without queueing and at a reduced rate.
Book
Valencia — first acquaintance
Both fields are optional: they simply add the date and party size to your WhatsApp message. I usually reply the same day.
Read before the walk
Related articles
Museums inside Valencia’s palaces: 4 places worth visiting
Four palaces of the Valencian nobility where the building itself is as interesting as the collection: Dos Aguas ceramics, the royal residence of Cervelló, the L’Iber miniatures and the city museum.
Read →
Other routes
Have a look at these
Valencia of three cultures
We walk the old centre away from the tourist trails, looking for Christian, Moorish and Jewish traces of the medieval city and unpicking the sharp turns of its history.
120 €per group of up to 6
Valencia and the masterpieces of Modernisme
An elegant walk for lovers of architecture. The orange-trade boom that turned the city into a runway for its boldest buildings: façades and interiors from the station to the Colón market.
120 €per group of up to 6
Little heroes of a big city
A family tour with a story running through it, for parents and children aged 7 to 12. We hunt for lions, horses and birds on the façades in order to get two lost children home.
120 €per group of up to 6