The Valencia scavenger hunt in a nutshell
The Valencia scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk between the city's main landmarks, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. The whole game fits into about 2 hours, with only 43 minutes of that spent walking the 3.5 km between its 10 stops, and nobody but you decides when it begins.
Highlights include the bullring, the Art Nouveau Central Market, the Gothic Silk Exchange of La Lonja, the cathedral with its Holy Chalice and Micalet tower, the University's La Nau building and the Mercat de Colón. Valencia's old centre is flat and compact, so you can walk from Roman forum to modernist markets and the green Turia Gardens.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 43 min · 3.5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
From the bullring to the Turia: how each stop plays
Look up, look closer
A riddle waits at each stop, and its answer is written into the city itself: a figure on a weather vane, a king on horseback, a date over a doorway. You get there by observing and reasoning, with no homework on Valencian history beforehand.
Silk, saints and a parrot
Solve it and the stories open: the merchants who traded under the twisted, palm-like columns of La Lonja, the Holy Chalice kept in the cathedral and venerated as the Holy Grail, the Water Tribunal that meets every Thursday at the Apostles' Door. Switch on the audio narration if you would rather listen and keep your eyes on the façades.
3.5 km on level ground
Google Maps points the way from one stop to the next: 43 minutes of walking in total, from the Estació del Nord through the old town to the gardens in the former riverbed. There are no hills in Valencia's old centre, and no stop is far from the one before.
Paella first, riddles later
The game waits while you eat, so a long lunch or a horchata in the Plaça de la Mare de Déu costs you nothing. Carry on later the same day or on another, and reorder the stops in the app if the Turia end suits you better.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Valencia riddles suit
New to Valencia
Bullring, markets, silk exchange, cathedral and the Turia Gardens lie along one 3.5 km line, which makes the hunt a quick way to learn how the old centre fits together. The riddles slow you down just enough to notice details you would otherwise pass without seeing.
Kids who like to find things
Valencia hides plenty for young eyes: a parrot turning on a market dome, a stone river god surrounded by female figures in a fountain, fig trees with roots hanging from their branches. A grown-up has to be on the team, but the children will often call out the answer first.
Colleagues and big groups
Each team holds up to 5 players with the game on every member's phone, so a company outing or a family reunion can field several teams and compare scores on the Puente de las Flores. Public streets and squares carry the whole route, so beyond the tickets there is nothing to organise.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from the Plaça de Bous through the old town to the Puente de las Flores
10 stops · about 43 min walking · start: Plaça de Bous (Bullring) · finish: Puente de las Flores
The hunt starts at the Plaça de Bous bullring next to the Estació del Nord and heads to City Hall and the Central Market. Through the old town you reach La Lonja de la Seda, the Plaça de la Mare de Déu and the cathedral, then the University of Valencia and the garden square of El Parterre. After the Mercat de Colón you finish on the Puente de las Flores over the Turia Gardens. Since the riddles are all read from squares, streets and façades, the hunt asks for no entry ticket, and the app lets you begin at the Turia end instead or set the stops in whatever order suits your day.
Open the route map ↗
1Plaça de Bous (Bullring)Start
Valencia's bullring was built in the 1850s to a design by Sebastián Monleón, who took his inspiration from the amphitheatres of ancient Rome. Its round brick façade is made of tiers of arches stacked one above the other. Bullfights are held here during the Fallas in March and the July Fair.
2City Hall
Valencia's City Hall dominates the Plaça de l'Ajuntament with its clock tower and richly decorated early 20th-century façade. During the Fallas in March, crowds gather in the square in front of it for the mascletà, a deafening daytime display of firecrackers.
3Central Market
The Central Market opened in 1928 to a design by Alexandre Soler i March and Francesc Guàrdia i Vial, and it is one of the largest covered markets in Europe. Iron, glass and colourful ceramics make it a showcase of Valencian Art Nouveau. Look up at the domes: one weather vane is a parrot, a much-loved local symbol.
4La Lonja de la Seda
The Silk Exchange was built at the end of the 15th century under the master builder Pere Compte, when Valencia was one of the great trading cities of the Mediterranean. In its Hall of Columns, twisted pillars spread into the vault like palm trees. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
5Plaça de la Mare de Déu
This square lies on the site of the forum of Roman Valentia and is framed by the cathedral and the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken, the city's patron. Its fountain shows the river Turia as a reclining man surrounded by female figures who stand for the irrigation channels of the Valencian farmland.
Read the full story →
6Valencia Cathedral
Begun in 1262 on the site of the former main mosque, the cathedral has a Romanesque, a Gothic and a Baroque doorway. A chapel inside keeps the Holy Chalice, venerated as the Holy Grail, and the octagonal bell tower, the Micalet, is a symbol of the city. Every Thursday the Water Tribunal meets at the Apostles' Door.
7University of Valencia (La Nau)
The University of Valencia was founded in 1499, and its historic building on Carrer de la Universitat, known as La Nau, was its home for centuries. In the cloister stands a statue of the humanist Joan Lluís Vives, one of the city's most famous scholars. Today La Nau is a university cultural centre.
8Plaça d'Alfons el Magnànim (El Parterre)
This garden square, known as El Parterre, is named after Alfonso the Magnanimous, King of Aragon. At its centre rides an equestrian statue of King James I, who conquered Valencia in 1238. Look out for the giant fig trees with their huge aerial roots.
9Mercat de Colón
Built between 1914 and 1916 to a design by Francisco Mora Berenguer, the Colón Market is one of the best-known examples of Valencian Art Nouveau. Its brick arches are covered in colourful ceramic mosaic. Today its iron and glass hall is filled with cafés and restaurants.
10Puente de las FloresFinish
This bridge crosses the Turia Gardens, the long park laid out in the old bed of the river Turia after the river was diverted following the flood of 1957. Its sides are lined with flower beds that are replanted with the seasons, which gives the bridge its name.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Ailene (verified owner) –
We really liked to app – and did the scavenger hunt in 2 cities. It’s only a 4 because it was frustrating in how to figure out the questions sometimes – so we just skipped them. They were good walks – 12 – 13,000 steps and interesting info.
Yasmin– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It was nice to see the sights in our own speed, we could freely roam the town and also pause at different spots and we liked the information bits. But we found the puzzles were pretty simple. We also did the Glasgow one with the same app, and the puzzles there were more difficult and versatile.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Emmanuelle-France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très ludique, un moyen très sympa de visiter la ville Nous avons passé un très bon moment
Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Valencia anders kennenzulernen. leider waren viele Baustellen im Weg aber wir sind trotzdem auf die Lösungen gekommen
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Good activity presented in a different way, involved all members of the family.
Olimpia– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Angela– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Chloé– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide