After a spot of breakfast I quickly headed back to Estacio del Nord and asked about my ticket issue. I had no joy getting it sorted but it was no biggie! Back at the hotel I spent a couple of hours doing Duolingo and writing my blog, then got set for the day and headed out. I didn’t really have too much of a plan – just to hire a bike and take a route that’s well trodden by tourists.
I’d done a bit of research on where to hire a bike and there was one near my planned starting point for my ride but first I headed back to La Postalera, that little shop which is perfect if you need a souvenir in València. There are a couple dotted around the city and they’ve got prints, postcards and some other bits and pieces that would be perfect as souvenirs or gifts.
I spent ages picking the right postcards out for a couple of people and flicked through the prints again, before deciding just to leave with the cards and a couple of other bits as gifts.
I then turned left past the cathedral and headed up towards the bike shop. Around at the side entrance of the cathedral I caught a glimpse of a lady in what looked like formal Spanish dress. Maybe she was a bride?
Renting a bike
After passing through a wide square with a fountain which was barricaded off (exactly the same as the one in the square outside my hotel – not sure why they’re like that!) I arrived at the bike shop I’d chosen – Happy Tourist Center. I’d hired a normal bike, as opposed to an e-bike, for four hours.
Reserving online in advance had saved me just under a euro.
Things got a bit more complicated and expensive in the shop! The cost of my hire was €11,40. But I chose to add on insurance (which would actually only cover half the cost of my bike!) at €5. So a total of €16,40, but I also had to put a deposit of €200 on my credit card. There is an option just to put down a €50 deposit and leave an ID document, but I decided against that!
Now let me be very honest with you. Me, bikes, and holidays don’t have a great history. I’ve got in a bit of a scrape on one in the Finnish countryside and got struck trying to lift one up a pedestrian bridge over a main road in Lisbon. Would it be a case of third time lucky?
The man in the shop showed me how to lock the bike – with the front and back locks provided, and sent me on my way. There wasn’t any offer of a helmet, which I would usually have worn! We’d also had a brief chat about the route I planned to take. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t all of a sudden faced with the abrupt end of a cycle path and nothing but a major road in front of me.
Gingerly I got on the bike outside the shop, and cycled down two short streets before I arrived at the Torres de Serranos. It’s another building it’s possible to climb, and I had had it on my list, but seeing it I felt it wasn’t probably worth it – the bell tower the day before had been much higher and I thought, would have the better views.
Cycling through Turia Garden to Malvarrosa beach
I was taking a route which is apparently very popular with tourists when they come to València – cycling through the city’s 9km long Turia Garden park down to Malvarrosa beach.
Turia Garden is actually a succession of green spaces twisting through the city, which follows the former riverbed of the Turia river (that got redirected after terrible floods in 1957).
There are pedestrian paths and – brilliantly – also bike paths which run parallel to the pedestrian ones, but are separate. Having read a pet peeve is tourists not knowing about the bike paths and just riding on the pedestrian ones in the park, I made sure to stick to the right ones!
Once I got going, it was pretty relaxing. The sky had turned a light, pale grey, and it wasn’t as warm as it had been when I set off from the hotel, but it was still a pleasant enough day, and I wasn’t cold in my t-shirt and shorts.
I passed football pitches, under pedestrian bridges…
and by what I took to be a large music venue…
… all the time just feeling pretty chilled! Even though my bike was a bit of a bone-rattler.
My favourite building ever?
Cycling along, I soon glimpsed the top of what looked like an interesting building. As I got closer, more of the building emerged above greenery, and I had to take my bike on to the grass and stop and have a look.
It looked really unusual – my first thought was that it looked like a massive cycling helmet or something. I actually got back on my bike and started on my way again before deciding to turn back, and go and have a closer look. I’m so glad I did.
I made my way down a ramp and into an open space at the bottom of the building.
I knew there was a series of buildings that looked a bit like this in the park which together made up València’s City of Arts & Sciences, but I hadn’t really read that much about them apart from that there was an aquarium.
I parked my bike up and wandered around the bottom of the building. Everywhere I stopped I looked up and saw an amazing view. There were massive, sweeping curves. Hidden elements and little details.
I walked around and just thought it was one of the coolest, most creative buildings I can ever remember seeing. It reminded me of a building in Tomorrowland in Disneyland – which was a 1960s vision of what the future would look like.
I walked under a series of arches along a pool of water surrounding the building to get a look at the other end.
Letters in the water revealed the building was the Palau de Les Arts – basically a concert hall that holds a lot of opera performances, but also symphony and pop concerts too.
I don’t know why I was so struck by it – I just loved the look of it. After a good look around I was tempted to get back on my bike, but decided to walk up the stairs and check out the entrance.
I walked along what felt like a very futuristic walkway and came to a ticket office. It turned out you could buy an entry ticket and do a self guided tour for €12, or for an extra €2 you could buy an audio guide. I decided to do the latter, as I was desperate to see what the building was like inside.
A bit on the history
The audio guide explained the building was designed by Valèncian architect Santiago Calatrava, and was inaugurated in 2005. 75 metres tall, it’s designed in the shape of a feather, springing from a reinforced-concrete pylon which is located on the access footbridge. Inside are four different performance spaces.
Exploring inside
I couldn’t wait to get inside. But even as I made my way around to the entry door I couldn’t stop just standing and looking all around me at the different features of the building.
I stepped inside and was met with more curves – walkways that circled the building, large wrap around windows and a slatted ceiling.
Looking out the window, I could catch a glimpse of some of the other City of Arts & Sciences buildings. I was definitely in the coolest one though, I thought to myself.
Walking around the ground floor I came to a curved staircase made from concrete.
Listening to the guide as I went, I walked up a couple of levels…
…and followed a curved walkway round to a door into the main auditorium.
A lady outside the door told me that as there was currently a lighting rehearsal being carried out for a new opera performance, unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to take any photos inside the auditorium.
I did manage to get one facing away from the stage though. I thought the lighting on the seats was really cool…
as was the blue tile which lined the walls…
What a lovely shade of deep blue!
Outside the auditorium, the guide advised me to go back downstairs and then take one of the panoramic lifts outside to get up to the top floor of the building.
There, there was a little terrace garden which would be great for events…
And the entrance to another auditorium which I think is used mainly for classical performances.
I walked back down one of the outside staircases, and couldn’t resist taking more photos…
Overall I’d spent an hour exploring the Palau de les Arts, and I’d go as far as saying it’s probably my favourite building I’ve ever been in? It would be amazing to go and see a concert there I think.
If you find yourself in València, I’d highly recommend checking it out!
Continuing to Malvarossa Beach
I got back on my bike (thankfully it was still there!) and carried on my way throughout the park, towards Malvarossa Beach. It wasn’t long before I hit a bit of a snag! The cycle path looked like this…
Why is it never straightforward when I hire a bike! Thankfully there was a lady cycling just ahead of me, so I followed her as she diverted off the path and cycled underneath one of the City of Arts and Science’s other buildings. I followed her as she turned right before realising that she was actually exiting the park there while I still had a way to go.
I got back in the park, and soon reached the end of it. I had been a bit nervous about what came next, with memories of what happened in Lisbon still fresh in my mind – when a cycling path just ran out!
Thankfully València is different. It’s set up absolutely brilliantly for cycling. Almost every road has a cycle path, which is separated from the road, and which have their own traffic lights for cyclists. And people actually stop at them like they’re meant to! Looking at my map I soon worked out where the beach was – only a couple of turns were needed to get there, and every road had a cycle path.
It wasn’t long before I reached the beach. I’d brought a book as I’d planned to lie and get a bit of sun, but alas, it was not to be! The sky was still clouded over, and the resulting greyness made the beach look bare and a bit depressing.
I had a quick look at an adjacent beach club thinking it might have been a spot for lunch but it seemed closed. I stepped on to the sand, just so I could say I’d at least stood on the beach, before deciding to get back on my bike. I’d seen someplace on my cycle down that could be a good spot for lunch!
On my way back, I took a slight detour as I’d seen a building which I thought might be adorned with some art by a really cool artist I follow on Instagram. And I was right! The pixelated style of Felipe Pantone is pretty recognisable, but it was cool to see one of his works in the flesh.
The best club sandwich ever?
Cycling along quite happily on the paths, I soon reached the spot I’d seen earlier, and where I hoped I’d get a decent lunch. Look what it was!
My fav! I locked my bike up at the racks outside the main entrance, and quickly scooted in and up to the top floor, where the café was situated. It was a really lovely looking space…
and I decided to sit on the outdoor terrace.
A waiter brought me my Coke Zero (no Diet Coke in Spain!) and a little bowl of complimentary crisps!
Shortly after I ordered it, my lunch arrived. And I have to say this is perhaps (and I set a high bar here!) the BEST CLUB SANDWICH I HAVE EVER EATEN!
Look at it!
What wizardry is that with the egg yolk! How have they done that I asked myself! And then I peaked under the bread to discover the yolk is actually still in the egg!
Now let me say this – I’ve had a lot of club sandwiches in my life, including some in fairly fancy hotels. But this – in a Spanish department store cafeteria – may have been the best one I’ve ever had! The mayonnaise had an ever so slightly tomatoey twist to it. It was perfectly seasoned, and it was absolutely, hands down delicious. I’m sorry you weren’t there to eat it with me if your mouth is watering!
I quickly took some pictures of the view from the terrace edge…
Before settling my bill and having a rapid scoot around the home section of the shop. It was 3pm, and I had to have my bike back by 3.40! So I definitely didn’t get as good a look around the store as I would have liked.
An artistic afternoon and a cat house
The ride back through the park was pretty uneventful, and I returned my bike at 3.37 – just three minutes to spare!
I didn’t really have a plan for the rest of the afternoon, but thought I should do something other than just heading back to the hotel. I opened up my València map and looked at what was within walking distance of where I was, before settling on a couple of things to see.
Just a couple of doors along from the bike rental shop was another branch of The Espanista, which I’d visited in Russafa the day before. I nipped in and flicked through some prints before finding one which was perfect – I loved the colour and it was a great souvenir of my afternoon, as it featured the Palau de les Arts. You can see the print I bought here.
Next, time for coffee! And a cake. A short walk away was a place I’d read about called Café Fran. It’s a coffee shop with cool vibes which also sells some ceramics – like the coffee cups and small plates they use.
I liked the vibe inside – although there was some kind of photoshoot with models going on at one end of the space which meant I couldn’t get a comfy seat!
I ordered a mocha and a small chocolate (and delicious) cake, and sat and wrote my postcards.
Back on the streets outside, I was only a couple of steps away from IVAM – the Institut Valencià D’Art Modern – or the Modern Art Institute Museum of València.
I’m not sure why there’s a grave on the ‘a’ in València instead of the ‘e’ in the museum’s name but I’m going with it as it’s how it appears on their website!
Inside, it was quite a cool space, with a large lobby area, and a small shop off to the right. Thankfully I didn’t see any more prints there that I felt I needed to buy!
I went up to the ticket desk, where a man handed me a free ticket! I wasn’t sure what that was about, but it turned out as I moved around the museum that a couple of the galleries were closed, so I think it may have been to do with that.
From what I’d read, I’d been expecting to see a wide variety of contemporary modern art, perhaps featuring some well known works. Aaaaannndddd… I didn’t really get that. I think there were maybe three exhibitions on in total?
It all kinda looked a bit like this…
Each piece was accompanied by text which would read something like…
“The artist reactivates this artisanal knowledge as a means to interrogate the contemporary commodification of affect”.
I mean just reading the descriptions made my head hurt a bit, and I couldn’t really understand what a lot of them meant. I’m sure that’s just me though!
I did like this…
and I thought this was pretty amazing considering it was ceramic!
Look at the detail!
In another gallery, an exhibition from artist Kara Walker featured intricate paper silhouettes that were quite cool too…
They reminded me of those really creepy Eastern European paper silhouette kids’ films that used to be on TV when I was wee. Those terrified me!
Upstairs there was a really interesting looking gallery filled with bright lights that continuously changed colour, but when I went in I was told it was a space for children and I wasn’t allowed in.
The last gallery looked like this…
So I mean I wasn’t particularly impressed with IVAM. That’s not to say you wouldn’t love it, but it just wasn’t really for me!
Around the corner, I had a quick look in a ceramic shop and studio called Plou Estudi, which was pretty sweet…
(that’s taken through the window as I was too embarrassed to take a picture inside!) before I started just wandering around the streets nearby.
I’ve got to say, this area felt a lot more ‘vibey’ than Russafa did. I was in the El Carme neighbourhood, and everywhere I looked there were little boutiques and arty shops. And cool murals as well.
I read about an interesting shop, which was unfortunately closed, but even the “closed for a bit” notice was more exciting than you would usually see!
Turning a corner, I stumbled across a tiny little attraction that I’d actually read about in my research but hadn’t bothered to mark on my map. This!
Here’s a wider picture of it, with one of the objects the space was designed for!
Built into the wall was the Casa de los Gatos – or cat house. My Mum wouldn’t be a fan!
While I was standing waiting for the girls to move so I could look through the tiny house’s door, I read about the house on a website that for the life of me I now can’t find. I discovered a local artist had noticed lots of cats in the area, and around twenty years ago had asked neighbours if they minded if he made them a house. Everyone was happy for him to do so, and so was born the cat house – to provide a place for the local cats to gather.
The outside is quite intricate!
And look through the tiny front doors and you will see…..
…a load of rubble, broken pipes and junk!
Literally three steps down the road from the Cat House was another art venue I’d read about – the Centro del Carmen de Cultura Contemporánea – or CCCC or the Centre del Carme Cultural Centre.
It’s situated in a space which is a real architectural mish-mash. Listed as a National Historic-Artistic Monument in the early 1980s, it features Gothic and Renaissance cloisters, but also the remnants of an Islamic dwelling.
Not put off by IVAM, I decided to head inside, as entry was free.
It was a lovely building – with calming courtyard gardens…
and cloistered corridors, some of which were brightly lit.
Just like IVAM the art was pretty what I would call “out there”! It was stuff like a sideways mouth on a laptop (creepy!)…
There was also a black and white film about a prison guard who seemed to be lusting after an inmate.
A documentary on gamers was showing which was pretty interesting, but my favourite exhibit was one dedicated to the work of Paco Camallonga.
Inside were really intricate pieces which were brightly coloured and cartoony in nature. Look at this!
Isn’t it cool! Paco’s a comic artist but also a designer of fallas. Which I had to look up. Basically every year València holds The Fallas of Valéncia from March 15th – 19th. During the festival, massive, satirical monuments (called fallas) are displayed before being burned on the final night. I had no idea about all this! I couldn’t quite believe such beautiful sculptures, if you can call them that, would just be set on fire, but a video in front of a model proved otherwise…
I also liked this one. I just thought they were really cool!
By now, I needed to get a scoot on! I’d done loads but it was coming up to ten past six, and I had a dinner reservation for 7.30pm.
Leaving the CCCC behind, I made my way back to the hotel. I spotted this… which I’ll tell you more about tomorrow…
And had a quick look in Gnomo, which is another cool print and souvenir shop.
Not long after that, I was back at my hotel, and had a shower and got changed before heading out to try…
The Best Burger in the World?
On my first night in València, I’d walked past an interesting looking restaurant and thought it seemed pretty cool and buzzy.
Googling it led me to the website for Hundred – it was a burger chain! And not just any burger chain. For The World’s Best Burgers – set up by what is apparently the world’s largest burger review website, itself set up by a trio of Swedes, had chosen Hundred as having the best hamburger in the entire world in 2025 – the first time a restaurant outside the US had taken the title.
Anyway, back to me – can you imagine the look on my face as I took all this information in. Obviously I was going to have to try it! I had a reservation booked at Hundred’s Flagship branch – on Calle San Vicente, which was just around the corner from my hotel.
Hundred was established by two burger fans who decided to fly to New York for four days and try the 15 best burgers in the city. Sounds like my kinda trip!
They enjoyed it so much, they decided to travel all over the world doing the same thing – so visited London, Paris, Los Angeles, Dubai, Buenos Aires, Berlin… After that they decided to take what they learned from their travels and start their own burger restaurant. I liked that you can download a list of the places they visited on their travels from their website.
I arrived just a shade before 7.30pm and the place wasn’t too busy. I’d reserved a seat at the bar.
I have to say first impressions weren’t brilliant! The seat I sat on was really, really low and the paddle to raise it didn’t work. I asked the waiter about it and he apologised saying none of the seats raised or lowered. I mean it wasn’t ideal but it was ok.
I had a look through the menu and there were loads that grabbed my attention, but I felt it would be remiss of me not to choose the Singular – the creation that had scooped that recent burger title.
It’s a single meat patty with cheddar, BBQ sauce, bacon, caramelized onion and camembert cream. Now I wouldn’t be a massive fan of camembert, but I decided to take one for the team! Or my blog readers! I also ordered a side of fries. And a Coke Zero which was served in a massive Kilner type jar.
You want a close up? I’ve got you covered!
Now this was tasty. It was, without a doubt, absolutely delicious and a great, flavoursome burger.
As I was eating it, I was thinking to myself ‘Is this the best burger in the world’? And to be honest I couldn’t quite make up my mind. I found it difficult to recall burgers that I’d previously eaten that I thought were amazing. So I’m afraid my thoughts are a bit inconclusive! It would definitely be in my top three burgers I’ve eaten I think, which is still an achievement.
The fries were also pretty good – tossed in rosemary, a lot of them had a groove running along their length which was perfect for scooping some mayonnaise into – my sauce of choice with fries.
Dinner came to €16,55 which I felt was really pretty decent. Dining out in Spain just seems to be so much more reasonable and good value than at home!
A quick bit of shopping
Before I headed back to my hotel, I decided to quickly visit a couple of shops. I had a look in a branch of Media Markt, the electronics chain. Usually enormous, however, this one was lacklustre – just like my FNAC experience the previous day.
Zara Home, similarly, didn’t really have anything worth writing home about.
I nipped into El Corte Inglés and bought a bottle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (in a bottle celebrating the 40th anniversary of their Gourmet Club – I bought it simply because I loved the design of the bottle!) and some tinned sardines. I’ve used a stock photo of the olive oil below as I forgot to take one!
After that, it was a ten minute walk back to my hotel. I was pretty shattered, feeling I’d done loads in the last 24 hours!
Tomorrow would be a chance to do one last quick bit of sightseeing before taking a high speed train to Madrid. I was asleep pretty quickly!