Route 66 Idiomas is in Calle Moratín 15, which is right in the centre of Valencia. The Town Hall Square is only one street away and, as always in big cities, everything is close by. This means that after your Spanish language class, you don’t have to go far to discover Valencia and its delicacies. You can explore the whole city centre on foot. In the following post we’ll tell you about 10 activities and sights that are only a 10-minute walk from our language school.
1. Drink horchata in Mercado Central
Mercado Central, the biggest market hall in the centre of Valencia, is located on the fringe of “El Carmen”, the city’s nightlife district. Here rows of market stands sell meat, fish, cheese and other freshly-wrapped delicacies. Follow the various scents through the hall and sample the different specialties at every stand. You can also try horchata, typical Valencian ground almond milk, together with fartons, a Valencian pastry. The market opens Monday to Saturday from 07:00 to 15:00.
2. Enjoy an ice cream in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento
If the midday sun is not too hot, you can enjoy some wonderful moments in the Town Hall Square. If you need a break from your city tour, you can get an ice cream or a frozen yoghurt with fresh fruit from the numerous shops all around the square, and relax on a bench. From here, you can see the flower shops in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the people rushing by and the sparkling fountain, and you can smile at other travellers as they take pictures of each other with the Town Hall in the background.
3. Discover “El Carmen”, the nightlife district
“El Carmen” is one of the city’s nightlife districts. Here it’s one bar after another, where you can try a tinto de verano or the typical agua de Valencia. But El Carmen is also worth a visit during the day. The small alleys in this part of town are lined by old houses, many of which are elaborately decorated with extravagant graffiti.
4. Admire the “Calle de los Colores”
Calle Moret, also known as Calle de los Colores, is a small, almost forgotten street in “El Carmen”, where Alfonso Calza and other Valencian artists have created artworks and which is definitely worth a visit. Next to huge murals, including one featuring an anonymous kissing couple, lots of visitors hang up pictures, old family photos, holiday pictures or other private mementos.
5. Send postcards home
When visiting a great city like Valencia for vacation or even when living here, you’re allowed to make others a little jealous of your luck. Nowadays this mostly happens via Facebook or Instagram. However, the traditional postcard is still popular. You can buy postcards from the souvenir stores all around the Town Hall Square and you can send them from the Post Office, a large building opposite the Town Hall. The Post Office is worth visiting just to admire its astonishing glass dome. Valencia Post Office’s opening hours are: Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 20:30 and Saturdays from 09:30 to 20:30.
6. Buy books written in Spanish
Especially during holidays, lots of people enjoy reading to relax, and what could be more perfect while on a language trip with Spanish classes in Spain than reading books written in Spanish. From Route 66 Idiomas it’s only a few minutes’ walk to two book stores: “Casa del Libro” is in Passeig de Russafa 11, on your way to Xàtiva metro station; a few streets further away, in Calle Guillem de Castro 9-11, you can find FNAC, where you can get books, electronic gadgets and games.
7. Climb up the “Miguelete”
The Miguelete is the bell tower of Valencia cathedral. It’s one of Valencia’s landmarks and can be found on almost every postcard and souvenir. The cathedral is in Plaza de la Reina, where lots of buses stop. For only a €2 entrance fee you can climb up the tower’s 207 steps and gaze across Valencia right out to the sea. But only visit if you don’t have vertigo! In summer (April to October) the tower opens daily from 10:00 to 19:30. You can find more information here.
8. Wave from the balcony of Town Hall
Since the change of mayor in May 2015, Valencia’s Town Hall is open to all. Everyone can now admire the crystal salon on the first floor and step out onto the balcony above the Town Hall Square, which had previously only been opened for special occasions and select guests. The Town Hall also houses a city history museum where you can find some very old exhibits, like the Real Senyera de Valencia, the flag of the Comunidad Valencia. The museum opens Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:00.
9. Start the perfect shopping trip
The city of Valencia is the perfect place for shopping. The centre is quite quiet and there are lots of pedestrianized streets where you can walk around without feeling like you’re shopping on a main road. Our language school can be the starting point for the perfect shopping trip: from the Town Hall Square, walk up Calle de las Barcas towards the former Banco de Valencia building (don’t forget to take a picture of this beautiful building!). Continue straight on and you’ll end up in Calle Don Juan de Austria, the first pedestrianized zone on your shopping trip. If you work your way along this street, you’ll arrive at Colón metro station. Turn right and visit all the shops which run the length of Calle de Colón, until you reach the bullring (Plaza de Toros). After that, choose one of the three streets to the right – all of them will lead you back to the Town Hall Square. This way, you can visit lots of stores in the city of Valencia while travelling in a circle and end up back at Route 66 Idiomas.
10. Set off to other parts of the city of Valencia
Once you have seen everything in the centre of Valencia, you might want to explore attractions further afield. From Route 66 Idiomas you can reach two metro stations – Colón and Xàtiva – in just a few minutes. Numerous underground trains depart from these stops which will take you to every corner of Valencia. Have you already seen the City of Arts and Sciences? Or maybe you fancy visiting the animals at the Bioparc? You can travel all over the city from the language school in a series of short journeys.
So what are you waiting for? Contact us today and we’ll help you find the perfect Spanish language course and organize a great language trip to Valencia!
