Valencia

Go to the goddamned aquarium, it's amazing

The Aquarium, the Cathedral, the "Ciudad de las ciencias y las artes". Eat Paella, go to tripadvisor and look for cheap and good places where they serve it, never go to the touristic sites to eat it. Try "Arroz a Banda" (the best paella type of meal). Try Orchata. Go to the beach, enjoy the sun, the sand and the sea.

I see other users are asuming you're visiting Valencia in Spain but I think you should be more specific.

You need to be careful where to buy a paella, not only that, but specially any dish made with rice. It's very easty to "fall" in a place made for tourists, when they sell you and advert their true valencian paella and you think it's good but you are eating shit. It's very hard to eat a good one. Maybe in some beach restaurant, but those are expensive. You can check la playa de la malvarrosa or las arenas. Now La Patacona seems to be rising, when use to be shit.

El casco viejo it's okay, it's losing their identity because tourism and tourist apartments make real money. El barrio del carmen it's very nice and I think it hasn't as many problems during the night as It use to be. There is a lot of restaurants too. You also can check the cathedral but not only the cathedral, la plaza de la virgen, la plaza de la reina and el miguelete are just there and you can have a nice walk while looking at those.

Don't forget to check the executioner's door (even if it's a legend) and check the arm.

If you try horchata look, by all means, it's artesana and not from the brik. There are stands seling in the middle of street and, as far as I know, it's good and better than you expect, but you'll find a better one in a horchatería. Normally it's eaten with fartons. Also, you'll probably find it with the name of 'Orxata' wich is the regional language word for horchata.

La ciudad de las artes y las ciencias are different buildings, now it's trying to be 'revived' by the new political administration, so probably will have more life now. There are two museums if i'm not mistaken and you have L'oceonagrafic too. If you like those kind of trips, you have the Bioparc, wich is the city zoo, is based (due to climate and the law about those things) in Madagascar and the monkeys run free, there are also "open barriers" except from the dangerous animals and you can have dinner (very expensive and low quality) while the giraffews are looking at you (probably they'll be eating too and ignoring you).

There is a bird spectacle too. Don't go if the sun is striking, you'll have a bad time.

Close to the ciudad is the river, wich is a dry river and people wen with the bike, jogging and all that stuff. Check the gulliver parc (even if it's full of kids skating), have a walk and depending of the day you could watch amateur matches of football (soccer), baseball, rugby, etc. Philipinno community even had their particular soccer cup.

If you have dogs, they'll go to the Parc of Capçalera, if I'm not mistaken.

I have no idea about museums, but you have the museu faller, museo de bellas artes, fundación bancaja is having a comtemporary art exposition, muvim... No idea about 'The patriarch' place, apparently is organized by the local university.

Anyway, don't forget to check el Mercat central (central market) and close to it La Lonja, probably the most important thing in the city. Recently named 'world heritatge' by the unesco. Just go.

PS: If a restaurant has someone working in the doors "luring" people inside and showing them the menu or something like that, avoid it. Personal preference, but I'll skip it if there is something else available.

If you have any mean of transport (like a rental car) go to Albufera. It's just a few Km separated from the city (maybe there's public transportation by bus there, I'm not sure). Its a "salty water lake" where they get the rice from. Any town in that area you'll get the best paella or rice speciallity you can eat.

You can go to La Albufera and have a paella there with the tourist bus company at the Plaza de la Reina. Despite all the comments, go up the 3 towers (Serrano, Miguelete and Quart). Walk around El Carmen neighbourhood (check Cánovas and Ruzafa too, some tourist like it because they are not accostumated to see this type of buildings).

Dont forget to try the beach. The mediterranean sea is very relaxing

I'm from Alicante. I went to Valencia few times, things to see:

http://www.cac.es/es/home.html

If you go eat paella, be care where you go, the restarants that are near the beach arew usually too expensive.

If you go to Alicante i can tell you good beach places.

Among things not suggested before:

• if you go with little kids, be sure to spend some hours in the Gulliver, in the Turia park.
• if you're phisically ok, rent a bike; there are bike rentals almost eveywhere and it makes a lot of sense in a horizontal city with many bike lanes and a gorgeous Turia Park (where the river used to flow in the past, now it's a garden).
• spend some time in the tourist port, after the America's cup there is a nice ambient when it's summer (reach Veles i Vents building, close to Neptuno beach).
• if you're into football, you could have a stop at Mestalla stadium.
• if you're into motorsports, the Ricardo Tormo circuit is 20-30km away, but I'm not aware of any events in the calendar. Almost no remains of the F1 circuit.
• If you're into night partying, check these zones: Carmen (many tourists), Canovas (have money with you), Suker (university youngsters), Docks, Ruzafa.
• my advice for going to the beach is Malvarrosa, close to the city and good ambient.
• culture: IVAM museum (modern art), Science museum, Fine Arts Pio V museum.
• avoid zones: the worst is some streets in the Carmen / barrio chino, with some prostitution and drug, easy to avoid if you want to.

Happy cakeday!

I would recommend you see pictures of the stuff to draw a plan. Use street views too.

Happy cakeday!

Happy cake-factory day!
And have a nice holiday and post some photos of your trip ;)

Happy Cakeday!

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