Valencia with Be Madrid

My second trip with Be Madrid tours was to Valencia! I’ve always wanted to visit the eastern side of Spain and Valencia was a beautiful preview. I was lucky enough to travel with Javi, Martine, and Greg so we spent two days running (literally) around the city and packing in as much as possible. 

We met with Be Madrid and the rest of the group at 7:45am at the Plaza de Toros in Madrid to drive approximately four hours. Upon arrival we immediately ate delicious paella valenciana at restaurante Azahar. Paella is one of the many symbols of Spain, and it originated right in Valencia!

The restaurant was right next to the beach so we ventured off with our cameras, selfie sticks, and full stomachs to discover some of Valencia’s beautiful coastline. It was incredibly windy the entire trip, as you may conclude from the photos. Later on we ate ice cream for dessert and tried horchata. I’ve only had horchata in the States at Mexican restaurants, but to my surprise it’s actually quite popular in Valencia.

Later in the evening, Be Madrid had planned a walking city tour. We arrived in the lobby of the hotel at what we thought was the desired meeting time, but we apparently heard incorrectly. A number of others in the group had heard the same hour as us so thanks to Javi’s map skills and Greg’s previous experience in Valencia, we set off to find the rest of the group. 

By the time we reached the city center and miraculously found the rest of the group in the middle of a plaza, the four of us decided to explore the city on our own. We visited a beautiful cathedral, ate some tapas and ice cream, and visited the outside of a bull ring and the city hall before walking back to the hotel.

The next morning we woke up early and set off for my most anticipated visit: Oceanográfic Valencia. The Oceanográfic is a huge aquarium divided into 12 separate buildings and areas including a delfinario, an aviary, and sections with walruses and beluga whales! I had a blast exploring every inch with my camera in-hand.

Our last destination was one of the symbols of Valencia, the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the group of buildings look very futuristic. The color of the water is light turquoise and bound to give you interesting looking photos. We made it just in time to witness a Bruno Mars “Marry You” flashmob proposal! Martine caught it on camera.  

After eating lunch at Pans & Company we ran back to the bus and were literally almost blown over by the wind. It was hilarious though and we laughed all the way back. Valencia is a must-see city of Spain!

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