Valencia Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour

The walk stop by stop: the Central Market, La Lonja, the cathedral, the Turia Gardens

10 stops · about 43 min walking · start: Plaça de Bous (Bullring) · finish: Puente de las Flores

The Plaça de Bous bullring, beside the Estació del Nord, is the first stop, and City Hall and the Central Market follow a few streets on. Deeper in the old town come La Lonja de la Seda and the Plaça de la Mare de Déu, with Valencia Cathedral on the same ground. From there the route calls at La Nau, the historic university building, crosses the garden square of El Parterre and reaches the Mercat de Colón, before ending on the Puente de las Flores above the Turia Gardens. A different opening stop or another order can be set in the app, and no stop asks for an entry ticket.

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1. 

   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.

2. 

   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.

3. 

   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.

4. 

   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.

5. 

   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.

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6. 

   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.

7. 

   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.

8. 

   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.

9. 

   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.

10. 

    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.