Valencia is often described as "charming to get lost in". It certainly is, with its atmospheric old streets, but the charm goes away quickly when you suddenly need to get somewhere fast or you are hungry. Orientation in central Valencia can be more challenging than in many other cities. Spend 15 minutes learning this page and you will definitely thank us later.

This page is very important. Take your time to read and understand it and you will find your time in Valencia much more productive - you will see more, lose less time and have more options. You will also find it a lot easier to use this website, if you know which areas we are talking about.

Valencia is is generally very logical and often symmetrical. Apart from the centre - that part can be very confusing and needs special attention.

1. Puente de Real bridge
2. green Glorieta square ending with a marble arch
3. Train station and Bullring
4. Libraby (old Hospital) - a cross-like Rennaisance building
5. IVAM Modern Art Museum
6. no landmark

7. Plaza de Ayntamento
8. Plaza de la Reina
9. Plaza de la Virgen
10. Glorieta - shady green

The centre is thus split roughly into 4 quarters and a core in the middle. In reality, only the core, the top left quarter and the bottom right quarter are worth seeing - the first two constituting the Old Town landscape of Carmen (read below) and the remaining quarter being the more upmarket, done-up business and administrative district with stunning architecture. The other two quarters have almost no sights, nor are they visually special areas.

Officially, Barrio del Carmen is enclosed within the square of
9 . Plaza de la Virgen (see above)
12. Torres de Quart (Wall gates)
5. IVAM Modern Art Museum (see above)
11. Torres de Serranos (Wall gates)

Practically though, the atmosphere of the barrio has spread beyond those boundaries and when you hear "Carmen" it will mean something like this >>>>
This is important to keep in mind when reading this website.
13. Mercado Central (Central Market)

The restaurants and nightlife concentrate immediately around Pz de Canovas (green circle on the map) and to the South of its main artery - wide alley of gran Via marques del Turia. The closer to the river you get, the more dense the leisure becomes.

Like Canovas (see above), Juan Llorens also appears only in our restaurants and nightlife listings. It is a smaller and more dense cluster of weekend leisure situated almost perfectly symmetrical to Canovas, on the other side of the Centro, behind the major city artery Gran Via Fernando de Catolico

Two mega-arteries go to the sea - Avenida del Puerto (2) ends at the America's Cup Port and Avenida Blasco Ibanez (3) goes almost all the way to the beach. Avenida de Aragon (1) connects the top of Av. Puerto with Av. Blasco Ibanez. There are two more avenues parallel to and below Av. Aragon - Cardenal Benlloch and Manuel Candela.

Aragon and Blasco Ibanez (see above) are the student districts of Valencia, with lots of restaurants, live music and student nightlife. Aragon is also home to Mestalla football stadium. When referring to Zona Blasco Ibanez we don't mean the whole avenue (3) - rather the section two thirds down, below Manuel Candela, on both sides, where most of the stuff is.

This area is of interest for 2 reasons, First, you have to see the CAS at no excuse. Second, the area between CAS (marked red on the map) and Av. Puerto (2 - see above) has become an upmarket cluster of hotels, restaurants and shopping. You may well end up staying here, along the main arteries of Av. Francia or Av. Baleares.

When we refer to the Port / Beach area throughout this site, we usually mean America's Cup Port, Southern Cabanyal or the stretch of the beach closest to the port.