Valencia

Visit Valencia in March and check out the Fallas Festival. From old to young, this tradition brings all the city together as they marvel at the works of art- the fallas- which sometimes are as high as the surrounding buildings. Around a wooden frame and made of materials of all colours, they are surrounded by 30 to 70 “ninot” figurines, often forming satirical and daring messages. Starting on 16th March, the figures are displayed for 4 days (la planta de fallas) before being set alight on the 19th of March at midnight (la cremà de fallas)!

Another must-see sight is Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias). The huge cultural complex is now made up of six major buildings: an IMAX cinema, a science museum, a hanging garden, an aquarium, an opera house and a 5500-seat arena, all of which welcome 4 million visitors a year. Don’t forget to visit Assut de L’or Bridge, another must-see sight nearby with a mast 150m high. 

After buying all your ingredients at the Mercado central, get in the kitchen at the ‘Escuela de los arroces y paella valenciana’ to learn to make paella valenciana. This a unique experience to learn how to make the real deal!

Whether it’s made with chicken or seafood, paella was created in Valencia. Renowned for using the freshest produce- thanks to the surrounding land of La Huerta, the most fertile land in the country- and a master in the art of cooking rice, there are over 2000 rice-based dishes to be enjoyed locally. Stuffed after a bowl of Paella or two, there’s nothing better to do than to enjoy a ’marcha’ and party the night away!