Valencia City Vacation Rentals

Valencia is the perfect year-round holiday destination. The city enjoys 300+ days of sunshine and seemingly eternal blue skies. Why choose between a city of culture and a relaxing beach when Valencia offers both? Spain's third largest city is a blend between old and modern and home to the America's Cup, F1 and Moto GP. It has something for everyone.

No visit is complete without a tour of Valencia's Old Town, featuring the Mercado Central, with over 900 stalls, and the UNESCO World Heritage site La Lonja (The Silk Exchange). Don't miss the Plaza de la Virgin and its 15th Century Basilica, or the Plaza de la Reina with the Cathedral. The best activity is getting lost in the Barrio del Carmen's maze of streets, famous for its thriving nightlife.

Valencia is flat and compact, making it the ideal place for sightseeing on foot or by bike – there are miles of bike lanes and it rarely rains. It also has a reliable transport system. Túria River Park is a unique feature. After a severe flood in 1957, it was drained and rerouted. Luckily, the planned motorway was replaced by a 4-mile-long park, which provides endless recreation options. Besides being a useful landmark for tourists, the park boasts sports facilities, fountains, bike lanes, cafes, streams, sculptures, skating bowls and Gulliver's, a free adventure park. Near the Palau de la Música, festivals are set up most weekends.

At one end of the Túria, lies the Bioparc, a zoo where animals roam freely. At the other, sits one of Valencia's most famous landmarks: The City of Art and Science. You'll love exploring its science museum, aquarium and IMAX cinema. If time is not on your side, go there for the architecture alone to make your holiday snaps more interesting.

Valencia has no shortage of restaurants. The best areas for dining out include Canovas, the Old Town and Russafa, with everything from Cuban to Italian establishments. Valencia is most famous for paella, which is made of saffron rice, chicken, rabbit and beans. People flock to the beach or to the Albufera Nature Reserve on Sundays to partake in the best paella in the city, if not the world. Other essentials are the cocktail Agua de Valencia (it's not water, but cava, vodka, Cointreau and fresh orange juice) and horchata (a milkshake-like drink made from tigernuts).

Visit in March, during the festival Las Fallas, and you'll be blown away. The city becomes a giant art gallery and outdoor party. Valencians spend the whole year creating giant papier mache monuments, which are displayed briefly and then ceremoniously burned on La Nit del Foc (Night of the Fire). Don’t miss the daily fire displays, including La Mascleta at 2pm, which to the untrained eye resembles a bomb scene, or the parades with marching bands and girls in traditional costumes. If you don’t catch the festival itself, visit the Fallas museum.

There are many day trips from the city. La Malvarrosa beach is a short bus or tram ride away and its promenade is littered with cafes. Alternatively, go a little further afield to Pinedo or El Saler beach on the 'Yellow buses'; catch them between the train station and the bullring. The Albufera and towns such as Sagunto and Xàtiva are well-worth a visit too. You also try a could try a short term rental villa in Orba, or even a self catering apartment in Gandia.

Shopaholics will find plenty of delights around the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (main square), including numerous stalls selling accessories and trinkets, or they can hop on a Yellow bus to one of the large shopping centres on the outskirts: Bonaire, Sedaví or El Saler (near the Art and Science Museum).

Fly into Valencia airport (8km from the city and accessible by metro, bus or taxi), or Alicante (2 hours away by train or bus). Check www.aena.es to see a list of destinations and airlines. There are bargains to be snapped up with budget airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair. Check www.skyscanner.com, which searches all airlines and compares prices over a month. This guide is merely a taste of what Valencia has to offer. Come and see what delights you can discover for yourself.