Spanish Sunshine In Valencia

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 230
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Roughly half way up the eastern coast of Spain lies the port city of Valencia ? one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. Valencia is a city that can legitimately claim to have everything: sun, sea, sand, incredible cuisine, amazing culture, and a mixture of ancient history and modern magnificence.

Valencia has been inhabited for thousands of years, but first came to some sort of prominence as a Roman town over two thousand years ago. Valencia later became part of the Moorish civilisation and thrived as a trading centre, bringing wealth to the area and leading to a whole raft of impressive buildings that can still be seen today.

Valencia''s most famous hour came at the end of the 11th century when it served as the final home of one of Spain''s greatest national heroes ''El Cid''. El Cid conquered Valencia from its Moorish rulers and held it for five years. After his death his wife was ruler for another two years before it was conquered by the Almoravid Dynasty and later Christian Crusaders.

Valencia''s rich and often violent history has come back to the fore in recent years as attempts have ...
... been made to increase the city''s position as a centre of tourism. Renovation work has been done on many major sites, enhancing the mixture of styles found in the city.

A recent addition to the city''s tourist heritage is the ''Ciutat de les Arts i les Ci?ncies'' an enormous entertainment complex featuring a number of stylish buildings, most famous of all, perhaps is the Hemispheric which appears like a massive glass and steel shell on the waterfront. It''s particularly worth checking out in the evening.

One of Valencia''s major tourist attraction is the Falles in March. The Falles is a five day long festival renowned for its incredible pyrotechnic displays, vibrant energy and striking processions. At times Valencia can feel like a warzone during the Falles, but it''s a great time to visit and a unique experience.

Valencia''s final claim to fame is to do with the Spanish dish, paella. Paella was allegedly first made in Valencia using fish drawn by the city''s fishermen. It is, of course, impossible to say whether there is truth in this claim, but the cuisine, and particularly the paella in Valencia is fantastic.

Valencia is one of the upcoming tourist destinations in the world. Fantastic all the year round but particularly during the summer months it has everything that one could want from a holiday. Bonny Kominek was inspired to write this article after visiting Valencia with Octopus travel and recommends their booking facilities when searching for Valencia hotels.