In a nutshell

We will get to know Valencia through its history with a tour of the buildings that are symbolic of the city's past - today the heart of contemporary art in Spain, and at the same time, the guardian of a historical legacy that began two thousand years ago. Finally, we will stop to sip the typical local orange juice, the iconic drink of Valencia.

Main stops

Cathedral (internal visit)
Tribunal de “Las Aguas”
La Lonja de la Seda (external visit)
Mercado Central market (external visit)

The programme

We will begin our tour of Valencia at the Cathedral, better known to Valencians as "La Seu", or "The Seat", which is now the hub of religious, cultural and daily life in the city. We will observe this stunning church, the construction of which began in 1262 in a Gothic-Cistercian style and took until the 18th century to complete, producing a wonderful blend of complementary styles.
Every Thursday, at one of its gates, the famous Tribunale de "Las Aguas" water court is held, the oldest judicial institution in Europe which, because of its tribunals and irrevocable sentences, mostly settles disputes over the use and exploitation of irrigation water from the fertile plain of Valencia. The court, which originated in the Middle Ages, gathers every Thursday at midday at the chiming of the bells of the Miguelete, the cathedral's bell tower, announcing a lively and unique tradition.
Now a stop with typical flavors awaits us: we will taste the famous juice made from the local Valencia oranges, which are iconic throughout the world.
We will then pause in front of the Lonja, the old silk exchange and one of the most fascinating pure Gothic-style civic buildings in history. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996, the Lonja is a symbol of Valencia's wealth during the Golden Age, in around the 15th century, and the commercial and social revolution that took place in the Late Middle Ages.
Next, we will cross the road to admire the famous Mercado Central of Valencia, which is one of the largest indoor markets in Europe, home to around one thousand sales points and spanning more than 8,000 m2.

Good to know

On Sundays and religious festivals, the visit to the Cathedral will be limited to the outside.
On Fridays, public holidays and in the event of exceptional closures, the Central Market can only be visited from the outside.