Valencia
The old district of El Carmen with narrow streets and an endless amount of squares. Ruzafa is a hip neighborhood for lunch, tapas or a dance class at La Escuela. El Cabanyal, our favourite, is a neighborhood near the sea with old low fishermens houses. The old Turia riverbed has been turned into a long park that runs right through the city and where you can cycle, exercise and relax. You can sign up for a yoga class in the park via the Meetup app. Yoga mats are in the house.
Benaguasil
Sleepy town with beautiful mini Rambla. In the evening you can eat tapas on the terrace at El taller de la tapa under the palm trees.
Pedralba
Small village next to the river. You can go to Sems favorite restaurant, El Chiringuito, which is just outside the village and where the farmers eat in the afternoon. There is a terrace behind the restaurant. Or bar Sardi next door, where a carajillo is drunk early in the morning, coffee with cognac.
To walk
You can walk through the orange groves and then down into the dry riverbed. Here is hunted sometimes with dogs and there may be boars.
The Sierra Calderona are the mountains that you see from the terrace and are a 20-minute drive away. Here you can go for a walk and then have lunch in the cafe of Olocau. Or eat Paella on Sunday afternoon at Antonios in Serra.
Beach
The city beach in Valencia itself is a 30 minute drive. Park for free in Cabanyal or Malvarossa, Or go to the beach in Pinedo or El Saler.
More
Chulilla at a 40 minutes drive is a village of white houses on a beautiful turquoise lake. Here you can walk along a canyon.
Lliria
Lliria is the largest town in the area, in all villages there are supermarkets, cafes and banks, but here you have all amenities. Lliria is known for its music education, many Spanish musicians come from here. The town has Roman remains that can be seen in the museum, among other things, and also real not so pretty Spanish new constructions. On Thursday mornings there is a market with textiles and churros. Have a beer at the Domingo brothers.
Vilamarchante
The terrace of Cerveceria Blanca and Bar Bodega are nice. And along the river you can pick pomegranates in the season.
River
The Turia flows near us. At 3.5 km distance from the house you can swim in fresh running water at La Fenosa. Further upstream at Bugarra you can also swim and there is a restaurant.
Fiestas
In August, almost all villages have village festivals that sometimes last a week or two. You can go from fiesta to fiesta with music, costume parades, throwing merengues, running of the bulls etc.
Having lunch
In Spain, lunch is still the most important meal. Offices and shops usually close between two and four in the afternoon.
In the evening you eat a tapa or a bocadillo. In Valencia city you can of course eat out in the evening, but in the rural areas it is just the cafes that are open in the evenings.
