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CUBIERTA INGLES 26/2/07 22:29 Página 2

TERUEL 16 km TERUEL 21 km BENICARLÓ 46 km

C O N T E N T S La Puebla Rubielos Cabanes
330 de Valverde de Mora Zucaina
Introduction 1 Vall d’Alba A-7
T E R U E L Río Oropesa
Trips along the coast Salvacañete
Torre Baja Javalambre
2020 Mijare Alcora
s Cabo Oropesa
The nort Valencia coast 2 420 Rincón de Ademuz Manzanera
Benicássim
From Valencia to Cullera 5 Ademuz
Torrijas
The beaches of La Safor 9 Huérguina Barracas
CASTELLÓN CASTELLÓN
DE LA PLANA

CUENCA 65 km
Santa Cruz
Onda
234
Inland routes de Moya Aras de Rí Vila-Real Almassora
Cuerda
Alpuente o Jerica
The wine route 12 1401
Landete Salada Burriana
Ireland La Yesa 581 Nules
The monumental route 15 Altura Segorbe

RÍO
la Vall
The River Turia route 19 Dublin United CU E N C A Titaguas Alpuente Pa
la d'Uixó
nc 340
ia
Kingdom Algar de
Valencia, Turia’s capital 22 Pelado
1419 330 Emb. de
Benagéber Villar del
Alcublas
Palancia Almenara
London Chelva Arzobispo A-7
Leisure and shows 30 Mira Sinarcas Tuéjar Casinos "Cartuja de
Playa Corinto
Playa de L’Almardá
Emb. de
Portacoeli" Sagunto Canet d'En Berenguer
Losa del Obispo Serra
Useful information 36 Camporrobles
Loriguilla
Náquera "Santo Espíritu del Monte" El Port
Monte Picayo
Llíria Puçol

MOTILLA DEL PALANCAR 21 km

Chulilla TURIA
Paris Emb. Bugarra Pedralba Bétera La Pobla
de Contreras
Utiel Chera Hierbas La Pobla de Farnals Puig
Villagordo 1042
Vilamarxant de Vallbona Massamagrel
Minglanilla del Cabriel N-III Emb. Moncada
de Buseo
Cheste Paterna Burjassot
France Manises Playa de Alboraya
Siete Aguas N-III Playa de la Malvarrosa
Venta El Pontón Chiva
Villalpardo
del Morro Requena Torrent
Cantabrian Sea VALENCIA
Rí
o
Los Cojos Buñol Godelleta Catarroja P El Saler
Pinedo M AR
Turís Silla Playa del Saler
Emb.
de Forata La Albufera M ED IT ER R ÁN EO
Los Sardineros 1084
Picassent PARQUE NATURAL
Villatoya DE LA ALBUFERA
Cabri Serra M El Palmar
Portugal 322
el art ès
Almusafes
Perellonet
Madrid Casas-Ibáñez Alborea Emb. de JÚ
Benifaió Sollana El Perelló
CA Alginet
ALBACETE 28 km

744 Embarcaderos
R
A-7
Lisbon
cia

Cofrentes
Millares Carlet
Algemesí Sueca
alen

RÍO
SPAIN Jalance Emb. L'Alcudia
A L B A C E T E de Tous
eV

Jarafuel Guadasuar Cullera

Atlantic
ta d

Caroch
Playa de L’Estany
330 1126 Bicorp Alzira Favara
Alberic
Cos

Ocean Motorway Teresa de Cofrentes "Cueva de La Araña"

Playa El Dorado
Highway Navarrés Carcaixent Tavernes de la Valldigna
Mediterranean Sea Nacional road Vilanova
de Castelló Benifairó Mondúver Xeraco
Primary basic Road netword 841Simat Playa de L’Ahuír
Ceuta Secondary basic Road netword
Ayora Caserío Benalí Anna
430 Barx Xeresa El Grau
Melilla Local road "Cueva de Parpalló"

Railway Enguera Xátiva Gandía Daimús

P State hotel (Parador) Alpera Canals Quatretonda Miramar
Shrine-Monastery
Montesa Benigánim s
pi OlivaPlaya de Oliva
er
ALBACETE 8 km

Castle Vallada L'Olleria

Front cover: Text: Printed by:
Navalón Rugat S PARQUE NATURAL
DEL MARJAL DE
Monument 430 "Bastida de
Moixent Castelló de Rugat PEGO-OLIVA Denia
Taverves Beach Jaime Millás EGESA 332
Historical ruins
Almansa
les Alcuses" Pego P

D.L.: M-8369-2007 Nature reserve o ssa Albaida 753 Jávea

Back cover: Translation: Gr o
Emb. de
Beniarrés
Caves la Font de r ra Ontinyent Rí Orba
Falla de San José Hilary Dyke NIPO:704-06-268-8 Nautical sports centre Se
la Figuera Muro de Alcoy Teulada
Published by: Camp site Montealegre Bocairent Cocentaina
"Les Covetes 0 10 20 30 Km
Golf course del Castillo
© Turespaña Spa 344
dels Moros"
ALICANTE
Secretaría de Estado Photographs: Bañeres Aitana CARTOGRAFÍA: GCAR, S.L. Cardenal Silíceo, 35
Airport Alcoy 1558
Tel. 91 4167341 - 28002 MADRID - AÑO 2001
de Turismo y Comercio Turespaña Picture Library Printed in Spain Caudete
Ministerio de Industria, Graphic Desing: HELLÍN 15 km YECLA 6 km VILLENA 3 km ALICANTE 45 km ALICANTE 38 km
Turismo y Comercio P&L MARÍN 3rd Edition
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 1

Introduction
The province of Valencia is the largest of the three which go to
make up the Valencian Community. It is situated in the centre of
the Spanish Mediterranean coastline, latitude 40º 15’ N and
38º 73’ S and longitude 0º 01’ E and 1º 34’ W. It overlooks the
spacious Gulf of Valencia and is skirted at the back by a group
of medium-high mountains and rolling plains leading to the
lands of Aragon and Castile-La Mancha. It is opposite the
Balearic Islands and equidistant from the country’s two major
decision-taking centres: Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia’s main
tourist attractions are to be found in its cultural wealth, a sound
infrastructure for business trips, a network of accommodation
situated on clean beaches, its range of nature reserves, its varied
calendar of fiestas and rich gastronomy. A supply of
accommodation of hotels, hostels, apartments, campsites and
spas make it possible to receive a large number of visitors every
season.

In the fifteenth century, Valencia witnessed a golden age, when

the political autonomy granted by the Aragonese king, James I,
the boom of the silk trade, the literary audacity of its writers
and poets and the Mediterranean ambitions of its rulers and
nobles made it into an unquestionable power of the period.
Valencia is now working on major projects and infrastructures
so as to meet the demands of the new century.

Playa de la Malvarrosa. Valencia

COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 2

Trips along the coast

The north Valencian landscape with farmsteads
and large market gardens
coast (huertas).

The north coast of Valencia, At the end of the Malvarrosa

the shoreline which is closest Beach lie the fields of
to the capital, has become a Alboraya, which are used as
large expanse of sand, where chufa or earth almond
tall towers of apartments and plantations. It is from chufas
service infrastructures have that the refreshing drink,
been built, sharing the horchata, or orgeat, so typical

Playa de Alboraya

Pa
lan
cia

Algar de Almenara
Palancia A-7
"Cartuja de
Playa Corinto Asunción Church.
Playa de L’Almardá
Portacoeli" Sagunto Canet d'En Berenguer Alboraya
Serra "Sto. Espíritu del
Náquera Monte" El Port
Monte Picayo
Puçol
Bétera La Pobla
de Farnals Puig
La Pobla
de Vallbona Massamagrel
Moncada
Paterna Burjassot
Manises Playa de Alboraya
Playa de la Malvarrosa

Torrent Valencia
Pinedo
Catarroja El Saler
Playa del Saler
Picassent Silla La Albufera
PARQUE NATURAL
DE LA ALBUFERA
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 3

of this area, is made. The

marine sports complex of
Port Saplaya enables the
visitor to moor his sailing
vessel on his doorstep.
La Pobla de Farnals was a
pioneer experiment in the
development of the coastline.
The visitor finds himself in a
holiday city close to the
capital, planned to enhance
relaxation as he looks out La Pobla de Farnals
onto the sea.

On arriving at the town of El Christian conquest of

Puig, one is met by reminders
of times past. In the town
centre are the only two hills
in the area. The rest is a vast
plain. According to legend,
it was on these hills that the
Byzantine image of the Virgin
of El Puig appeared. She
had come from a Basilian
monastery, where the monks
had hidden her beneath a bell
during the period of the
Moslem domination until
1238, the year of the
Valencia. St. Pedro Nolasco,
the founder of the Order of
Our Lady of Mercy, discovered
her in the place shown to him
by a cloud of stars. In the
1950s, she was crowned
Queen of the Lands of
Valencia. A shrine and a
convent form an architectural
combination guarded by the
members of the order. Of
the early church, only the
Romanesque facade remains.
The modern temple is Gothic.

Monasterio Santa María de Puig

3
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
Roman ruins. Sagunto
Sagunto is one of the major
enclaves of the Romanisation
of Spain. The town looks
down on the plain from a hill
which is still resonant of the
name of Hannibal and his
siege of the Iberian settlement
of Arse. It is well protected by
the outer foothills of the
Calderona and Espadán
ranges and lies open to the
sea, forming a huge plain
crossed by the River Palancia.
The town’s shore is made up
of 13 km of low, sandy
coastline, with sandbanks held
down by vegetation and
clumps of palm trees. Here lie
the beaches of Puerto de
Sagunto and Almardá, both
of which have been awarded
the Blue Flag, along with
Corinto and Malvarrosa, on
the provincial border with
Castellón de la Plana.
4
21:07 Página 4
The hill, on whose northern
slope the rows of seats
belonging to the Roman
theatre still stand, is defended
by a castle of almost one
kilometre, surrounded by
walls of Roman and mediaeval
design and housing a spacious
interior divided into seven
squares (plazas). The Plaza
Mayor with its porticoes,
leading up to the Jewish
Quarter and the castle, was
the commercial and cultural
hub of mediaeval Sagunto.
The column shafts of Roman
times have survived until the
present day. The Gothic
Church of Santa María
dominates the square.
On Calle Mayor, impressive
palaces once belonging to
the nobility are to be found.
Another of the town’s
churches, the Church of
El Salvador, was built in an
early Gothic style and is made
up of a single nave with a
Romanesque front. Next
to the porticoed square,
the Town Hall is housed in
a building with an attractive
neoclassic façade. M
T
The castle at Sagunto
P
Al
Ca
L'A
G
A
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 5

From Valencia to hectares, upon which 13

Cullera
Situated to the south of the
capital, separated from the
waters of the Mediterranean
by a chain of dunes and pine
groves, the lake of La
Albufera was formed in the
distant past from the deposit
of sediments from the Rivers
Turia and Júcar, which
hemmed in this small inland
sea of fresh water. The nature
reserve measures 21,000
Typical Valencian thatched house.
La Albufera
municipal districts stand.
The lake’s diameter is six
kilometres. The lluent, which
means speck of light, refers to
the central area. Arab poets
defined it as the mirror of
the sun. From the lookout
situated on the first floodgate
and also from the village of
El Palmar, typical of the area,
where a delicious paella is to
be had, there are boat trips
round the lake guided by old
fishermen. Visitors to the
reserve may cycle along its
inner paths. An alternative
route leads to the beach.
Moving from the inland area
towards the sea, first the
permanent dunes, then the
piles of fishing nets and the
drifting dunes and finally the
sandy beach make up the
usual route to the Dehesa del
Saler. This strip of shoreline is
10 kilometres long by one
kilometre wide.

Puçol The lower course of the River

Bétera La Pobla
de Farnals Puig Júcar meanders along to its
Massamagrel outlet into the sea, watering
Moncada
Paterna Burjassot Playa de Alboraya the fields and huertas of the
Manises Playa de la Malvarrosa

Torrent Valencia
Pinedo La Albufera
Catarroja El Saler
Picassent Silla Playa del Saler
La Albufera
PARQUE NATURAL
DE LA ALBUFERA El Palmar
Almusafes Perellonet
Benifaió El Perelló
Alginet A-7 Sollana
Carlet Algemesí
Sueca
L'Alcudia
Guadasuar Cullera
Playa de L’Estany
Alzira Favara
Alberic Playa El Dorado
Carcaixent Tavernes de
la Valldigna
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Church of San Pedro. Sueca
villages belonging to the
region of La Ribera Baixa.
A large network of irrigation
channels carries its waters to
the furthermost corners.
Where the paddy fields end,
the orange orchards begin, as
every inch of land is used for
agricultural purposes. The
town of Sueca, an urban dot
appearing in the middle of a
vast plain of marshland used
for rice growing, was
conceded by Charles IV to
15/2/07 21:07 Página 6
Godoy in 1803 and it
belonged to him for five
years. Its main religious
monument, the Royal Church
of Nuestra Señora de Sales,
was built in the seventeenth
century. Here, the highly
prized canvas of Our Lady of
the Milk, attributed to the
school of Juan de Juanes, can
still be seen. Also, the Church
of San Pedro, dating from the
eighteenth century, the Town
Hall building and what is
known as the Casa del Quatre
Xantons, both from the
seventeenth century, along
with important samples of
modernist architecture, bear
witness to the good economic
situation attained by the
town. A full view of the lake
may be enjoyed from the spot
named Muntanyeta dels Sants.
Following this route, the
Sueca shoreline continues
southwards with its
urban development and
Cullera
6
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
tourist accommodation
infrastructures from El Saler to
Perelló and Perellonet, to link
up with the coast of the
municipal district of Cullera.
Thanks to its geographical
location, in Cullera, the tourist
may wander with ease from
the sand to the rocks, go
diving one minute and sailing
the next or, just as easily, go
fishing or hiking. The old
town was clasped onto a
mountain, the Muntanya de
l’Or, also known as the
Mountain of Les Rabosses
(vixen), and grew up in the
vicinity of the River Júcar,
surrounded by several
freshwater lagoons and over
13 kilometres of sand and
rocks. It boasts the province’s
only fishing port and river
sports centre. The mediaeval
castle and the Shrine of Mare
de Deu del Castell are at the
town’s highest point. Within
its walls, figures of historic
21:07 Página 7
renown took up residence as
its strategic position enhanced
efficient control of the region
and the coast.
Alzira is the inland capital of
the region of La Ribera Alta.
It is situated on an old island
in the River Júcar. Hence it
was christened by the Arabs
with the name of Al Yarizat
Suquar. The remains of the
Arabic wall, where a section
of about 300 metres is
preserved, are proof of one of
the most glorious periods of
the town. During the Moslem
domination, a network of
irrigation channels, still in use
today, was traced. Christian
occupation erected its
artistic heritage upon the
architectural contributions of
the Arabs. In the old quarter,
the archpriest’s temple of
Santa Catalina, of Gothic
origin, has an interesting
Baroque facade. At the
Alzira
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Fiestas of the Mare de Deu de la
Salut. Algemesí
Renaissance palace of the
Marquis of Santiago, where
the Town Hall is now housed,
the master room is beautifully
coffered.
Five kilometres from Alzira,
the city of Carcaixent does
not occupy its original
location as a tragic flood
15/2/07 21:07 Página 8
made it necessary to move the
town in the fourteenth
century. The day-to-day
occupation of its inhabitants
consists of the monoculture
of citrus fruits which are then
handled and processed on
industrial premises, some
of which are of clear
architectural interest.
The parish church, dating back
to the end of the sixteenth
century, features some
spectacular Baroque
altarpieces. On the same
route, approaching Valencia,
stands Algemesí, a large town
whose hermitage, the Mare
de Deu de la Salut, is the
destination of a celebrated
regional pilgrimage. On
September 8th, the festivity of
the virgin is held, with the
dances and human towers
of the Muixeranga.
Carcaixent
8
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 9

The beaches of La found a new role for itself in

the form of intense court
Safor activities, fanned and
supervised by Juan de Borja,
The visitor to the region of Second Duke of Gandía.
La Safor finds himself in an Alexander VI, the Borja Pope,
attractive area with a history marked out this destiny for the
of its own, nestling in a natural capital of La Safor when he
environment whose bought the land from
characteristics are twofold: the Ferdinand the Catholic to
high mountains which form assign it to his son, Pedro Luis.
the ranges of Mustalla, Safor, From that time onwards, the
Grossa and Aguilles blend into fate of this prosperous town,
a natural circle of pinnacles then engaged in the
and woodland, while the manufacture of silk and sugar,
plain is crossed by an was interwoven with the lust
accommodating coastal for power and intervention in
corridor of market gardens European affairs which fuelled
and beaches. Gandía, the ducal the saga of the Borjas.
town and regional capital, Amongst all of the Borjas,
grew up between the River it was to St. Francis of Borja,
Serpís and the Gully of San the Jesuit general, born in
Nicolás in the space created by Gandía, the great-grandson of
an early Iberian settlement. In Alexander VI and Fourth Duke
the fifteenth century, the town
The collegiate church. Gandía
The Ducal Palace. Gandía

A-7 Sollana
Algemesí Sueca
Cullera
Playa de L’Estany
Alzira
Favara
Carcaixent Playa El Dorado
Tavernes de la Valldigna
Benifairó Mondúver Xeraco
Simat de 841 Playa de L’Ahuír
Valldigna Barx Xeresa El Grau
"Cueva de Parpalló"

Gandía Daimús
Quatretonda Miramar
Benigánim is Playa de Oliva
Se
rp Oliva
Rugat
Castelló de Rugat Pego 332 Denia
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
of Gandía, that the ducal town
linked its destiny. St. Francis
moved away from the moral
turmoil of other members of
the family to devote his time to
fostering culture and virtuous
coexistence. So as to
consolidate the cultural life
which had been nurtured years
before by the poet Ausias
March, the novelist Joanot
Martorell and the humanist
Joan Rois de Corella, he
founded the Gandía University
of the sixteenth century.
The present-day town centre
has preserved the heritage of
the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries in the symbolic
buildings of the Ducal Palace,
the Collegiate Church, the
Convent of Santa Clara, the
Hermitage of Santa Ana, the
Archaeological Museum and
the Town Hall. The Collegiate
of Santa Maria was built little
by little between 1250 and
1520, with the Gothic style as
its constant reference point.
Originally, the Door of the
Apostles featured sculptures by
the master, Damià Forment.
10
21:07 Página 10
The Ducal Palace was built on
the foundations of an old
rambling Arabian house, close
to the left bank of the River
Serpis. The Italianising
influence is obvious and is
accounted for by the close
connections which the Borjas
maintained with Italy.
The Archaeological Museum,
located in the Hospital of San
Marcos, has an elegant Gothic
room with pointed arches,
known as the Men’s Hall.
The second most important
town in the region of La Safor
is Oliva, situated a few
kilometres to the south on the
provincial border with Alicante.
Countless visitors are attracted
by its welcoming, clean beaches
and the number of campsite
places available. The ancestral
home of the Enlightenment
scholar, Gregorio Mayans,
stands today in the town
centre. The Centelles family,
who owned the town in the
sixteenth century, also left their
mark. The popular quarters are
to be found on the side of the
The beach at Gandía
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
Cerro de Santa Ana, while the
hustle and bustle converges on
the beaches of Daimús,
Miramar and Guardamar. The
inland valleys of the region of
La Safor, protected from the
wind and inclement weather by
Mount Mondúver (841 metres),
along with the northern area,
known as La Valldigna, make
up another attractive route
through the mountains. The
trip begins on the outskirts of
Gandía, on the byroad leading
to the municipal district of
Barx. As one leaves
Marxuquera, one has a first
glimpse of the groves of
orange trees which have
replaced the leafy pinewoods
of former times. The entrance
to the Parpalló Cave, on the
inner side of the Mondúver,
may be seen towards the right
from the road. This cave is an
archaeological bed which is
indispensable for the
reconstruction of Upper
Palaeolithic life. The route
continues up the Drova Valley,
where the ascent of the
Mondúver commences.
The town of Barx used to be
the summer resting place of
the monks who lived in the
11
21:07 Página 11
Monastery of Valldigna.
Encompassed by fountains and
engaged in the cultivation of
fruit trees, almond trees and
citrus fruits, it enjoys mild
temperatures on account of its
altitude whereas, down on
the plain, the climate is hot.
Leaving this scenic view and the
surrounding mountains behind,
which may be appreciated from
a spot with the tuneful name
of Visteta, a winding road leads
down to La Valldigna.
According to local tradition,
the monarch, James II, while
visiting the place with the
Catalonian abbot, Boronat de
Vilaseca, exclaimed that this
was a vall digna (literally, a
worthy valley) for a monastery.
As a result, he founded the
Monastery of Our Lady of
Valldigna towards the end of
the thirteenth century. With
the help of the Valencian
government, it has been
possible to recover this valuable
part of the heritage which for
centuries was administered by
the monks of the Cistercian
Order.
Monastery of Simat de Valldigna
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
Inland routes
The wine route
On the way towards the Valley
of Buñol from Valencia, along
National Highway III, the
traveller in search of Valencia’s
vineyards arrives at Cheste, a
town of Arabian origin whose
inhabitants earn their
livelihood from winemaking
and the exploitation of olive
and cereal crops. Further on,
in Chiva, the shrine and the
castle remains stand on a
hilltop while the modern part
of the town flourishes on the
plain. The eighteenth century
church houses frescoes of
considerable interest.
Buñol clings to the side of the
castle hill and is surrounded
on all sides by watercourses.
Here, town planning is a
complex business. The Town
Hall is unable to provide a
square wide enough for the
popular tomato field battle,
known as Tomatina, held at
21:07 Página 12
the end of August. In the
town centre, there are over
300 fountains. The Municipal
Lo
Archaeological Museum
occupies the spot where the R
old Mosque used to be and
the surrounding area has been
endowed with an open-air
sculpture museum. Towards
the outside of the town, after
passing through its long,
lengthways streets, the visitor
comes upon Buñol’s most
popular fountain, dedicated
to the patron saint, Luis
Beltrán. Tradition has it that
he worked the miracle of
giving this spring eternal life.
Musical band concerts are
held frequently at the open-
air auditorium.
Back on National Highway III,
with the town of Siete Aguas
behind us, we enter the
region of Requena-Utiel,
clothed in vineyards. This is
the Valencian Community’s
leading wine-producing area,
The castle at Buñol
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 13

TU
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Valencia
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Teresa de Cofrentes "Cueva de La Araña"

Ayora Caserío Benalí

Ayora

with the widest range of red

and rosé wines in Spain. Part On its main facade, the
of the wine is sent to other Church of Santa María still
Spanish cellars to obtain has a fifteenth century Gothic
specific qualities. The traveller front of the period of Isabel II,
reaches Requena, a toponym although the three inner
meaning strong, safe rock. It naves are not in such a good
derives from a settlement, state of preservation.
situated on the left bank of The Church of San Nicolás is
the River Magro, on top of a considered to be the oldest
small crag defended by walls in Requena. Built in the
and fortified towers. fourteenth century, it was
Nowadays, the old area is later refaced in 1730. Similarly,
known as La Villa (the Town). the Church of San Salvador,
As it is the original nucleus, it in the square bearing the
preserves over 40 buildings same name, still has an
and ornamental ensembles. attractive Gothic facade.

Requena
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Standing outside the La Villa
quarter is the Municipal
Museum. Building of this
former Carmelite Convent was
commenced in the thirteenth
century but it was not
completed until the
eighteenth. Of particular note
is its interesting Valencian
tiled plinth and the Baroque
cloister. It contains the
various rooms of the
Municipal Museum, which
consists of sections concerning
painting, archaeology,
ethnography, natural
sciences and diplomacy.
The International Wine
Museum is most certainly
worth a visit.
Situated on the same high
plateau, the town of Utiel
grew thanks to the productive
drive coming from wine
making. Unlike Requena, with
its historical centre, life in the
town of Utiel hinges round
farming tasks and activities.
15/2/07 21:07 Página 14
The main church, dedicated to
Our Lady of the Assumption,
is a refined piece of the Gothic
style under Isabel II. The Wine
Museum is located in the
famous Redonda Cellar.
This building was restored
in 1891 so that future
generations might learn of
the area’s rural archaeology.
From Requena, there is access
to a secondary route, that of
the Calle de Ayora, of interest
on account of its beautiful
castles in Cofrentes, where the
River Curiel meets the River
Júcar, Jalance, with the Cave of
Don Juan, Jarafuel, Teresa de
Cofrentes and Ayora, with the
Iberian town of Castellar de
la Meca and a thriving activity
in the form of beekeeping.
Other places of interest
include Hoces del Cabriel,
the Contreras Reservoir and,
towards the south, the major
National Hunting Reserve,
Muela de Cortes.
Cofrentes
Se
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 15

The monumental bishopric whose see was

located in the hermitage of
route Sant Feliu. At the time of the
Arab domination, Europe’s
This route begins in Xátiva, first paper mill was founded in
the capital of the region of Xátiva, using rice straw as the
La Costera. The town’s history raw material. The paper is still
commenced on the peak of known in Morocco by the
Mount Vernissa. After the name of xativi. This historic
successful implantation of event culminated during the
the Saetabis Augusta, the long period of statutory
Visigoths created their development in the Kingdom
of Valencia. At that time, it
was looked on as the area’s
Old quarter. Xátiva
second most important town
in view of both its population
and its political influence.
It produced two popes
connected with the Borja
saga, Calixtus III and
Alexander VI, not forgetting
the painter, José Ribera,
Españoleto. But a change in
history, brought about by the
arrival of the Bourbons on the
Spanish throne after the
defeat of the supporters of

Alzira
Favara
Carcaixent Tavernes de la Valldigna
Vilanova
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dels Moros"

Bañeres
Alcoy
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
The hospital. Xátiva
Archduke Charles III of Austria
at Almansa, doomed the town
of Xátiva (formerly Setabis) to
a state of hopeless decadence.
It is from this period that its
name of burnt city comes:
Philip V, the victor, banished
all the inhabitants and burnt
the town down. The locals
have never forgiven him for
this act of aggression and, by
way of a punishment, his
portrait is hung upside down
in the museum.
The highest point in the town
is the castle, born of the
joining together of two
fortresses, one Iberian and the
other, Roman, making a huge
16
21:07 Página 16
enclosure protected by 30
towers and four fortified
gates. Its walls are in a good
state of preservation, as are its
outbuildings and its single-
nave chapel, which features a
ribbed vault and large Gothic
windows. It was built on the
instructions of Maria of
Castile, the wife of Alfonso
the Magnanimous. The way
along the streets of San Pedro
and Moncada brings to mind
the busy court life which used
to go on within the walls of
the palaces and their wide
inner courtyards. Gothic
fountains serving water to
small squares and ancestral
homes decorated with
aristocratic coats of arms form
part of a townscape created
by an educated, well-to-do
society. The basilica collegiate
church, dedicated to the
Assumption of Our Lady, was
begun in 1596 and received all
kinds of privileges and
donations from the Valencian
curia, which had connections
with the Borjas. The Gothic
Church of Sant Pere is also
worth seeing. In the centre of
the sightseeing area is the
Municipal Museum, called
L’Almodi, which is housed in
the building of the same
name, and the Peso Real.
Between the Grossa and Creu
mountain ranges to the north
and the Mariola and
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 17

Benicadell ranges to the drive the waterwheel.

south, the valley through
which the Rivers Albaida and
Clariano flow forms another
region of contrasting
countryside. Albaida,
Ontinyent, Bocairent and
L’Olleria, with their handmade
glassware, constitute the
backbone of communications
of Vall d’Albaida. At the
end of the plain, near the
foothills of the Benicadell
mountain range, lies the town
of Albaida, “white town” for
the Arabs, which has kept its
traditional aspect in the midst
of an industrialised
environment. The artistic
legacy of the painter, José
Segrelles (1885-1969), a pupil
of Sorolla, is the inhabitants’
pride and joy. In the town’s
main square stands another
old palace, that of the
Marquis of Albaida, along
with the interesting Church of
the Virgen de la Asunción,
decorated, as is only natural,
with 10 paintings by Segrelles.
The visit begins in the part of
the town where the Town Hall
Square is situated. Housed in a
historical building belonging
to the period of Charles III, the
Town Hall stands next to the
arches of the Jordá chemist’s
shop and the colonnade.
Further along, the visitor will
see the Gothic Church of
Santa Maria, with a single
nave and lacking both dome
and transept because the
space was limited by the
uneven lie of the land. Its tall
belfry, measuring 68 metres,
the Plateresque front and
the Purísima Chapel are
characteristic. Throughout the
Albaida

About eight kilometres to the

southwest, the town of
Otinyent is divided between
the protection it is afforded
by the Grossa mountain range
and its dependence on the
River Clariano. Next to its
waters, there are still traces
of the pioneering textile
industries which took
advantage of the cascade to

17
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
old quarter, palaces and
rambling houses still remain
for all to see.
Along the Bocairent Road, the
source of the River Clariano
makes for an attractive piece
of natural landscape known as
Pou Clar, whose spring waters
provide pleasant refreshment
in the summer. Moving on
from here, the walls with
dugout caves going back to
prehistoric times are an ideal
preamble to the traveller’s
arrival in Bocairent, a town in
turn built in the rock. This
monumental town is
Bocairent
18
21:07 Página 18
practically surrounded by
gullies and precipices. As the
land is so rugged, some
houses have to be entered
from the second or third
floors. The Town Hall Square is
overlooked by these higgledy-
piggledy houses, by the Arc de
l’Aigüa arcade and, above all,
by the huge Asunción Church
topped with a characteristic
belfry in the Gothic style. The
mediaeval quarter is a superb
ensemble of history and art.
Hermitages, fountains and
springs await the visitor as he
strolls round the town centre
and outskirts.
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
The River Turia route
This route stretches over the
regions of Camp de Turia and
Los Serranos. It begins in
Llíria, the main regional town.
The Romans called it Lauro
and thus the chronicler Pliny
refers to the wines grown in
Plà de l’Arc as lauronenses.
The modern town grew up on
the plain. At the time of Philip
V, the king decided to reward
the English Duke of Berwick
for his victory at the Battle of
The church of San Miguel. Llíria
15/2/07 21:07 Página 19
Almansa by creating the
Dukedom of Llíria. The third
duke married Maria Teresa de
Silva, the Duchess of Alba,
who is buried in the town.
Nowadays, the Casa de Alba
palace is the seat of the Town
Hall. Llíria is the music town,
with two bands devoted to
this form of cultural
expression: the Banda
Primitiva, probably the oldest
in Spain, and Unión Musical,
founded in 1903.
Running parallel to the course
of the River Turia, neither too
close together nor too far
apart, are the villages making
up the natural space of Alto
Turia, in the region of Los
Serranos. The villages are
scattered over a broad
expanse of land, watched over
by towering pinnacles and
woodland reaching down to
the very waters of the river.
The inhabitants’ livelihood
comes from the exploitation
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
Tuéjar
of the hillside, cattle-
breeding, cereal crops and
vines. Good wine is produced
there, especially white with an
appellation d’origine. Chelva,
which is classified as a
regional centre, possesses
archaeological remains from
the Bronze Age, the Iberians
and Romanisation. Its
archpriest’s church, dedicated
Chelva
21:07 Página 20
Titaguas
to Maria de Dios de los
Angeles, has a breathtaking
facade by Herrera. The urban
design of the old Jewish
Quarter is still there today.
In Tuéjar, there is a tourist
information office. The road
continues to climb until it
reaches Titaguas, a town
which is overlooked by the
Lampara Mountain. A detour
takes the traveller to the
historical town of Alpuente,
which is a must: a tiny
monumental treasure locked
between two hills.
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 21

Ademuz

Inside the lands of Aragon scenery is relieved only by

and Castile, the Province of the river’s fertile plain with
Valencia still has a small its farmland, apple orchards
corner which measures 470 and vegetable gardens.
square kilometres, bearing the
name of Rincón de Ademuz.
It consists of a mountainous
spot, extremely rugged
and isolated. The wild
Alpuente

21
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
V alencia, Turia’s capital
Valencia is identified with the
Mediterranean Sea because
the culture deriving from the
old Mare Nostrum is manifest
in its patterns of social
behaviour.
It is the administrative capital
of the Valencian Community
and the centre of the region
of L’Horta. It is the most
densely populated town in
the Valencian Community as
it is encircled by a wide belt
of medium-sized municipal
districts which form an
unbroken built-up area with
an average density of 1,600
inhabitants per square
kilometre.
Plaza de la Virgen
Palau de la Generalitat
22
21:07 Página 22
Sightseeing around the city
begins in the old quarter.
Until the mid-nineteenth
century, it was defended
by a wall, the tracing of
which is now the inner route
of the number five bus.
Still standing as proof
are the graceful Torres de
Serranos (1), the spacious
Torres de Quart (2) and some
remains of the apron wall in
the basement of the
Valencian Institute of Modern
Art (IVAM).
The most outstanding artistic
heritage is to be found in the
districts of Seu and Xerea,
where the marks left by the
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 23

City guide
Places of interest

1 Torres de Serranos
2 Torres de Quart
3 Palau de la Generalitat
4 Basilica of Virgen
de los Desamparados
5 Palace of Batlía
6 Marqués de los Scala Palace
7 Palace of Benicarló
(Valencian Parliament)
8 Cathedral
9 Marqués de Campo Palace
(City Museum)
10 Convent of Santo Domingo
Torres de Serranos 11 Temple Palace
12 La Lonja (commodity
exchange)
Romans lie hidden beneath 13 Central Market
Arab ruins and modern 14 Church of Santos Juanes
churches and palaces. This, 15 City Hall
the heart of the old city, is 16 Marqués de Dos Aguas
home to the administrative Palace (National Ceramics
centre of the political life of Museum)
the Consell (government) and 17 Royal College of El Patriarca
the Corts Valencianes 18 University of Valencia
(parliament) and of the 19 Old Carmen Convent
ecclesiastical institutions. It 20 Julio González Centre
provides the central stage for (IVAM premises)
the year’s major celebrations
and festivities. Plaza de la
Virgen is encompassed by the
impressive Gothic building of COMMON SIGNS
the Palau de la Generalitat
(3), by the similarly Gothic i Tourist Information Office
Gate of the Cathedral P Car Park
Apostles and by the Basilica Railway Station
of Virgen de los Bus Station
Desamparados (4), the H Hospital
patron saint of the Post Office
Valencians. m Tube Station

23
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 24

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 COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 25

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del Norte 0 100 200 300 400 m

afa
Calle

Gral.
Ca

Sanm N
artín RA CARTOGRAFÍA: GCAR, S.L. Cardenal Silíceo, 35
ste

G Tel. 91 4167341 - 28002 MADRID - AÑO 2001

llón

N-340
CARTAGENA 287 km
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 26

It is at the Gate of the

Cathedral Apostles that the
Water Tribunal is held at
noon every Thursday, under
the gaze of the Miguelete
Tower, the city’s symbol. In
the small Menises Square,
where the Palaces of Batlía
(5), the seat of the Provincial
Government, and of los
Scala (6) are situated, one can
sense the charm of a square
renovated in the Italian style.
Plaza de San Lorenzo
contains the Palace of
Benicarló (7), the seat of the
Valencian Parliament. At the
back of the palace, a new
extension has been built,
housing the parliamentary
chamber.
The street of Almudín takes
its name from a large wheat
storehouse which for years
supplied the inhabitants of
Valencia, a city which, in its
Calle de la Paz
La Lonja (commodity exchange)
heyday during the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries, was
considered to be the most
densely populated in the
Iberian Peninsula. After a
thorough restoration, the
building has been turned into
a pleasant exhibition hall.
In Plaza del Arzobispo, the
cathedral (8) (in Valencian,
Seu, hence the name of
the district) displays its La
Almoina side door in archaic
Romanesque style, while the
Marques de Campo Palace (9)
flaunts the elegance of a
noble building converted into
a city museum. Plaza de la
Reina forms part of a town
planning initiative for new
building works and, once the
pickaxe got to work, small
streets and old buildings
were replaced by spaces

26
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07 21:07 Página 27

opening up to an easier flow

of traffic and new shops and
businesses. The Miguelete
Tower, with a height of 60
metres and a flight of 207
steps is the city’s symbol,
dating back to times when
the bells were rung to
announce the opening and
closing of the wall gates.
Central Market
At the far end of the district
of Xerea, next to the old
riverbed, stand the notable
Gothic Convent of Santo modernist building which
Domingo (10) and the Temple reflects the architecture of
Palace (11), surrounded by the twenties, brilliantly
palaces once belonging to combining iron with tile,
the Valencian nobility. The mosaic with brick, and the
Temple Palace is now temple dedicated to the
occupied by the Central Santos Juanes (14).
Government Delegation.
The district of Sant Francesc
The Mercat district took takes its name from the
shape around the commercial convent which used to stand
life of the city’s inhabitants.
Accordingly, its two most
City Hall
emblematic buildings are
used for trading purposes.
The Gothic building of La
Lonja (12), declared by
UNESCO as a world heritage
site, features a beautiful
columned room where the
old tables on which trading
transactions were finalised
are still in use today.
The spiral-shaped columns
support vaults decorated
with symbolic figures.
Opposite La Lonja is the
central market (13), a

27
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Marqués de Dos Aguas Palace
on what is now the city’s
main square, Plaza del
Ayuntamiento (15). The seat
of the municipal government
is surrounded by buildings
conceived from the outset as
monuments, mostly for the
purposes of financial and
commercial activities.
This square is the setting for
the most multitudinous acts
in the Fiestas de las Fallas,
dedicated to St. Joseph and
held in March. In this, the
most modern area of the
city’s traditional nucleus, the
visitor should go and see the
Baroque ensemble of the
Marques de Dos Aguas
Palace (16), the premises of
15/2/07 21:07 Página 28
the National Ceramics
Museum, the Renaissance
ensemble of El Patriarca (17)
and the former premises of
the University of Valencia
(18) on Calle de la Nave. The
old quarter goes on to
include the popular districts
of El Carme, full of artistry
and nightlife, and Velluters,
a hive of handicraft activity.
While in El Carme, anyone
interested in culture is
strongly recommended to go
and see the old Carmen
Convent (19) and the Julio
González Centre (20), which
together make up the
premises of the Valencian
Institute of Modern Art
(IVAM).
28
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Julio González Centre (IVAM)
Outside the destroyed wall
grew the Valencia of the
bourgeoisie, with its wide
pavements, broad landscaped
thoroughfares and countless
instances of modernist
architecture. On the other
side of the Turia’s old
riverbed lie the nursery
gardens, along with the Fine
Arts Museum and the
ultramodern part of the city
which, on account of its size,
serves as a nexus between
the coastal townships and the
old quarter. The futuristic
face of the city is mirrored
on the old riverbed through
the Gulliver Children’s Park
and the leisure and culture
complex, Ciutat de les Arts i
de les Ciencies. Life in the
city spreads down to the
15/2/07 21:07 Página 29
seafront with the harbour
area and the beaches of Las
Arenas and La Malvarrosa.
The Valencian huerta (the
huge plain of market
gardens) is occupied by town
upon town which, together
with the capital, go to make
up a compact piece of
latticework. The major towns
are Alboraya, Burjassot,
Rocafort, Moncada, Paterna,
Manises, Torrent, Aldaya,
Picanya and Catarroja.
The inhabitants combine
farmwork with intense
industrial activity. They keep
the traditions of craftwork,
such as ceramics, the
preparation of earth almond
orgeat (horchata de chufa)
and fan making, so as not to
lose the marks of their
identity, while making the
most of the opportunity to
develop prosperous industries
like furniture.
Museum of El Patriarca
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COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
Lshows
eisure and
Ports and nautical
sports
The 112 kilometres of the
Valencian coastline offer
countless opportunities for
leisure and sport. With an
annual average of nearly
2,700 hours of sunshine, a
temperature of 24º in summer
and 10º in winter, lovers of
nautical sports will find
everything they need on the
premises strategically placed all
along the shoreline where, with
the exception of Cullera, cliffs
are rare. From north to south,
the nautical sports centres are as
follows: Canet d’en Berenguer,
Pobla de Farnals, Port Saplaya
(residential estate), Real Club
naútico de Valencia, El Perelló,
Cullera, Gandía et Oliva
Federación de Vela de Valencia
(Spanish Sailing Federation):
% 963 530 120 ) 963 534 331
www.fvcv.com
Sailing Club. Valencia
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21:07 Página 30
Golf. El Saler
Sports, golf and active
tourism
All the most popular sports,
including traditional ones, such
as Valencian pelota, may be
practised on the many facilities
available. However, when on
holiday, one tends to be
particularly interested in sports
providing a greater
involvement in the natural
environment of the area, such
as golf. In Valencia, the golfer
will find the El Saler Golf
Course, considered in Spain to
be exemplary. Also on the coast,
in Oliva, is the Oliva Nova Golf
Course, designed by Severiano
Ballesteros. Other courses
include: L’Escorpion, in Betera,
Manises and El Bosque, in
Chiva.Thinking now of those
interested in active tourism, the
choice ranges from hiking, with
the tracing of two major
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
European paths, the GR-7 and
the GR-10, and touring by
bicycle to abseiling in the
gullies, canoeing, horseback
touring, gliding and
paragliding.
Leisure and culture
In Valencia, cultural activities
revolve round the temporary
and permanent exhibitions held
at its 86 museums and the
innovative, competitive
approach of 56 art galleries.
Plastic arts have a long tradition
in this part of the world, where
the visitor can see the works of
the leading figures in each
period of its history, from Juan
de Juanes and Ribera to Sorolla,
Benlliure and Pinazo, not
forgetting the recent
contributions of Alfaro, Valdés,
Genovés, Calvo and Navarro.
With five music chambers, the
acoustic quality and the
imposing building of Palau de
la Música deserving a special
mention, and a good number
of theatres, Valencia presents
the visitor with a wide selection
of cultural activities as regards
any of the performing arts.
A quick glance at the
entertainments page and
leisure guide in the newspaper
and the billboards round
the city will suffice.
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21:07 Página 31
Ciudad de las artes y
las ciencias
This complex (lit.: The City of
the Arts and Sciences) is an
avant-garde work by architects
Santiago Calatrava and Félix
Candela. Its purpose is to
provide its visitors with training,
information and enlightenment
in the arts, the sciences and
nature.
The complex is made up of
L’Hemisteric, Museo de les
Ciencies (the Science Museum),
Palau de les Arts (the Arts
Palace), L’Oceanographic (the
Oceanography Museum) and
L’Umbrale.
Nightlife
The Province of Valencia is
famous for its discothèques,
where the music plays until
dawn. They are situated on the
outskirts of the city and on the
Palau de la Música. Valencia
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
Valencia-Cullera road, crossing
numerous residential estates
and beaches.
Fiestas
The calendar of popular fiestas
is rich and varied in Valencia.
Each part of the year has its
own celebration and
recollection of tradition. The
bonfires of San Antonio Abad
(January 17th) come first on the
calendar, with burning pyres of
firewood and the blessing of
animals. Of particular note is
the one held in Canals. On
March 19th, the fallas dedicated
to St. Joseph take over the
streets of the capital and of
over 60 other towns in the
province. On the appointed day,
huge catafalques bearing
cardboard figures are erected,
to be burnt four days later amid
a blaze of fireworks. These are
the fiestas which attract the
largest number of spectators
and arouse most interest
15/2/07 21:07 Página 32
among visitors, drawn by the
colourfulness of the passacaglia,
the offering to the Virgen of
the Helpless and the firework
display. Later on in the year, at
Easter, various stage
productions may be seen in
Xátiva, Requena, Benetússer
and Moncada, in addition to
the highly popular Easter
marine processions in the
coastal towns of Valencia.
The celebration of Corpus
Christi takes place in Valencia
and also in Xátiva in the form
of processions going back as far
as the Middle Ages, in which
guilds, biblical characters and
the various social classes were
represented. Under the spell of
the night of St. John (June 24th),
the love of fire is reborn and
the bonfire is lit by the sea so
that participants may carry out
the rite of dipping their feet in
the waves. In honour of the
Virgin of the Assumption
(August 15th), big processions
are organised, the most
32
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
outstanding being the Fiesta de
les Alfabegues (basil plants) in
Bétera. At the end of the
month, the famous Tomato
Fiesta is held in Buñol.
In the last week of August,
Ontinyent holds its Fiesta of
Moors and Christians, as does
Bocairent in February.
Cocentaina and Paterna also
hold their fiesta at this time,
the latter with a firework
display (known as the cordá).
The parades with period
costumes, moving in step to
exotic music, recall the rivalry
existing between the Moorish
and the Christian troops at the
time of the Reconquest. This
tradition is also kept in Albaida,
Agullent and L’Olleria.
The end of August and
September is the time for the
grape harvest fiesta in Requena
and Utiel and also for Gandía’s
big fiesta, dedicated to St.
Francis of Borja, while in
Algemesí, a fiesta is held in
honour of the Virgin of Health.
On October 9th, the Valencian
Community’s official day, the
main item on the menu is the
traditional Sant Donis marzipan
confectionery. The year’s
festivities come to an end with
the Christmas Season, when
nativity scenes and processions
abound, not forgetting the
Madman’s Fiesta in Jalance
on the 28th.
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21:07 Página 33
Shopping and handicrafts
In ceramics, the shopper will
find a wide range of qualities
and sizes, with Manises as the
undisputed traditional centre of
production. Tavernes Blanques
is the home of Porcelanas
Lladró, a firm which exports all
over the world. To earthenware
and pottery must be added the
craft of vegetable fibre applied
to furniture and household
equipment, as seen in the
towns of Vallada, Montesa ,
Navarrès and L’Olleria. This last
town, together with Llosa de
Ranes, also supplies a full
catalogue of handmade
glassware. Craftwork in wood,
which led to the thriving
furniture industry, is to be
found in Alboraya, Xirivella
and Torrent, while Sagunto is
the place for handicrafts in
cork. Connected in a way to this
raw material, the towns of
Aldaia, Alacuas, Godella and
Falla. Valencia
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES
Popular ceramics market. Valencia
Valencia show fine
craftsmanship in fan making,
going from the simplest to the
most sophisticated models,
made with mother of pearl and
painted by hand.
If the shopper is on the lookout
for foodstuffs, he will find a
wide variety of sausages,
confectionery and bakery
products at the
bakehouses and cake shops, not
to mention rice and citrus fruits
and other fruits which are more
usual in the inland area. The
visitor should also taste the
delicious red and white wines.
Fairs
Valencia is a popular place for
business travelling. Its
International Trade Fair,
founded in 1917, is the oldest in
15/2/07 21:07 Página 34
Spain. In the course of the year,
about 50 different shows take
place in the spacious fair
enclosure situated in
Benimamet. The most
important ones concern the
promotion of innovations in
furniture, market gardening,
toys, ceramics, textiles,
children’s fashion and jewellery.
There are also regional and
local fairs displaying farm
produce and machinery,
handicrafts, old and modern
books, sausages, wine and
antiques.
Gastronomy
The Valencian paella, made
with rice, chicken, rabbit and
greens, is the typical dish in
Valencian gastronomy. Each
village has its own variations
and preferences because rice
mixes well with so many
different ingredients. However,
the most popular specialities
are the meat paella (with
chicken or rabbit), the seafood
paella and the mixed one.
Among fishermen, a dish
known as arroz a banda
evolved, so called because the
rice and the fish are cooked
separately, for the flavour to be
taken in, and it is served with
garlic and oil (all i oli). Rice
done in the oven in an
earthenware dish is also
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COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 15/2/07
extremely popular among
Valencian families, together
with rice and beet, cuttlefish,
cauliflower and spinach, among
other ingredients. In the region
of La Safor, a dish known as
fideuà is made. This is similar to
rice with seafood, but noodles
are used instead of rice.
In some inland regions, the
main dish is gazpacho (a cold
soup of bread, tomatoes, garlic,
salt, vinegar and oil), served in
the form of a shepherd’s tart
made of wheat flour and
cooked over the fire. This dish
is found in the regions of
Requena-Utiel, Valle de Ayora,
Canal de Navarrés, La Costera
and Los Serranos. In Los
Serranos, the visitor might also
like to try what is known as the
olla churra, made from pieces
of pork and black pudding, and
gachas (a form of porridge),
so as to have a taste of the
region’s plentiful meat.
Speaking of meat, it is custom
to cook lamb chops over the
fire, together with varieties of
sausage such as longaniza (long
and thin), black pudding and
chorizo (spiced pork sausage).
It is from the world of
traditional home cooking that
the custom of frying chicken
and rabbit garnished with
tomato sauce comes, as does
the popular hervido (a dish of
green beans cooked with
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21:07 Página 35
potatoes and served with an oil
and vinegar dressing), eaten as
the evening meal.
Valencia is a land of tasty
sweetmeats and bakery
products. There is bread of all
sizes and flavours,
panquemados (toasted bread),
Valencian doughnuts,
turnovers, coconut cakes,
anisette rolls, almond rosegons,
egg-rings for Easter, Epiphany
rings, and so on, all available at
the many bakehouses and
confectioner’s shops.
As for drinks, a special mention
must be made of orgeat
(horchata), made from earth
almonds, which is served as a
cool refreshment, and natural
orange juice mixed with cava
(Catalonian wine similar to
champagne) to make a drink
known as agua de Valencia.
Wine production is notable,
as shown by the existence of
75,000 hectares of vineyards.
The main cellars are to be
found in Requena, Utiel, Llíria,
Villar del Arzobispo and Tuéjar.
Quality cava is also made in
Requena.
Gastronomy
COSTA de VALENCIA–INGLES 26/2/07 22:33 Página 36

USEFUL INFORMATION

International dialling code % 34 Valencia Tourism Agency

% 963 986 000
TURESPAÑA Tourist Information www.comunidad-valenciana.org
service www.spain.info

GENERALITAT VALENCIANA TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICES

Tourist Info Valencia Tourist Info Ontinyent
Paz, 48 % 962 916 090
% 963 986 422 Tourist Info Requena
Tourist Info Valencia % 962 303 851
Plaza de la Reina, 19 Tourist Info Sagunto
% 963 153 931 % 962 662 213
Tourist Info Valencia Tourist Info Tavernes de
Poeta Querol, s/n la Valldigna
Edificio Teatro Principal % 962 885 264
% 963 514 907 Tourist Info Xátiva
Tourist Info Valencia-Renfe % 962 273 346
Xátiva, 24 (Estación del Norte) www.turisvalencia.es
% 963 528 573
Tourist Info Alto Turia Other handy information
% 961 635 084 La Albufera Nature Reserve
Tourist Info Bocairent Information Office
% 962 905 062 Racó de l’Olla
Tourist Info Camp de Turia www.albufera.com
% 962 793 619 Valencian Institute of Modern Art
Tourist Info Cullera (IVAM)
% 961 720 974 Guillemde Castro,118
Tourist Info Gandía www.ivam.es
% 962 877 788 L’Hemisteric, Museu de
Tourist Info Manises les Ciencies, Palau de les Arts,
% 961 525 609 L’Oceanografic y L’Umbrale
Tourist Info Miramar % 902 100 031
% 962 802 165 www.cac.es
Tourist Info Oliva
% 962 855 528

STATE HOTELS (PARADORES)

Booking Office Parador de El Saler
Calle Requena, 3. 28013 Madrid Avda. de los Pinares, 151
% 902 547 979 46012 El Saler
) 902 525 432 % 961 611 186
www.parador.es ) 961 627 016
TRANSPORT
AENA (Spanish Airport and Air % 963 974 040
Navigation) Central Bus Station
% 902 404 704 % 963 466 266
www.aena.es Trasmediterranea
Rail: Renfe % 902 240 202 % 902 454 645
International Information www.trasmediterranea.es
% 902 242 402 Highway Information
www.renfe.es % 900 123 505
Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat www.dgt.es
Valenciana