Viva Valencia! Spanish city has it all

Valencia is Spain's third largest city and it was our third visit to this wonderful place.

There's so much going on whether you are a couple, a single traveller or family.

The city has stark contrasts from the science park to the city's historic centre.

Valencia's futuristic City of Arts and Sciences is mind blowing. The architecture is amazing with the stylish designs sitting on the bed of the former River Turia. The 'city' contains an opera house/performing arts centre, a science museum, an IMAX cinema/planetarium and oceanographic park.

The science museum is a revelation covering three floors. On one floor there are workshops and interactive science exhibitions, which look at life, science and technology.

You go from one exhibition looking at light or rainbows, and then the next minute you'ree watching a chick hatch from an egg – the whole set-up is just incredible.

Aquatic

From there, we ventured to

. Each building is identified with the following aquatic environments: the Mediterranean, Wetlands, Temperate and Tropical Seas, Oceans, the Antarctic, the Arctic, Islands, and the Red Sea, as well as the Dolphinarium with 24 million litres of water and a depth of 10.5 metres.

Oceans, which is a huge walk through tunnel and where you'll see sharks and hundreds of sea creatures and fish, is outstanding. The tank is one of the biggest in the world with a volume of seven million litres. The dolphin show was also another delight to behold.

The centre of Valencia is the Turia River Bed Gardens. As its name suggests it was a river but is now a 9km stretch of park. You can wander around the park for hours – people watching is fantastic with joggers, cyclists, couples, families and children running around with cafes dotted about for visitors to rest.

On one of our strolls we came across Gulliver's Park – a kids playground with a difference. 'Gulliver' himself is lying on the ground and is made up of numerous slides and climbing ropes. Fantastic fun as you become one of the Lilliputians.

It's also so easy to get around Valencia whether on foot, bike, metro or the tourist bus. The plus with the tourist bus is that you can rest your weary legs while getting a potted history of Valencia. Another route takes you around the port area.

The historic centre is enchanting with its narrow streets, lanterns and gothic buildings. In the heart of the city is the Plaza de la Virgen with the cathedral, the Basilica of the Virgin, the Almoina Museum, the Crypt of Saint Vincent and palaces.

Other must-visits are the Quart and Serranos Towers, which are the city's entry gates, and the Central Market – home to one of the largest markets in Europe.

The atmosphere in the historic centre is buzzing as you wander along the little side streets with paella (Valencia is the birthplace of the dish) and tapas at nearly every restaurant – there's nearly 2,000 cafés, bars and eateries.

We found an authentic tapas bar where we sat on benches while tucking into wonderful dishes. The waitress spoke very little English and we spoke even less Spanish, but we managed to have a fun evening.

The Spanish are as passionate about their football as they are about their food and we paid a visit to Mestalla stadium for an evening match to see Valencia in action.

The capacity of the stadium is 55,000 and is the oldest stadium in Spain. Walking into it for the first time takes you back with its ultra steep terracing.

Not content with just going to the match, we also went on the guided Forever Tour of the stadium the next morning. Our English-speaking guide gave us a history of the club, we went around the changing rooms, sat in the press rooms and walked up the tunnel.

From the sport of football to racing. From 2008 to 2012 the European Grand Prix was held in Valencia. The circuit is in the marina and on the edge of the wonderful beach, which stretches for miles. You can walk around the circuit and imagine the atmosphere on race days.

If you fancy cooling off, just minutes from the city centre are the beaches of Playa Las Arenas and Playa La Malvarrosa.

Walking along the promenade with the fantastic views is also an experience to savour in Valencia. During our last visit, we got a bird's eye view of the city aboard a ferris wheel – the tallest portable one in Europe. Mirador Valencia (Valencia Lookout) is the new tourist attraction which offers you a panoramic view from a height of 70 metres, 360 degree around, up to a range of 30kms.

Twice we have stayed in the city at the Silken Puerta Valencia and Casual Hotel Consul del Mar. Personal preference was the Silken, but the Casual Hotel had a swimming pool which was great for cooling off.

It feels like we've only just scratched the surface with this wonderful city and there is just layer upon layer to unravel. But, at least we have made a good start.

Travel facts

Ryanair flies from East Midlands and London Stansted to Valencia.

A Valencia Tourist Card starts at 13.5 euros for 24 hours. It gives you free airport transfers, metro, and urban bus travel. It also offers free access to museums and municipal monuments and discounts for shopping, entertainment and restaurants. It is also available over 48 or 72 hours. The card's available from several points in the city, including tourist information offices. Visit www.valencia-tourist-guide.com/for details about where to go and what to do in Valencia