Well worth seeing are the three old bridges, Puente del Real, Puente de la Trinidad and Puente de Serranos with its 15th century towers. The river Turia was actually deviated around the city after a catastrophic flood 1957; today the locals for all kinds of sports and leisure-time activities use the old riverbed.

The IVAM (Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno), located at the riverbed, is one of the leading museums of modern arts in Spain.

The city has been called the "cradle of art” and special attention should be given to the House where San Vicente Ferrer was born, which is almost a place of pilgrimage for the people of Valencia, and the Cruces de Término, crosses indicating the boundaries of municipal land. Of Modernist architecture are the Bullring, Norte Station, Colón Market and the Central Market, one of the best in Europe.

The Hemispheric at Valencia's City of Arts and Science Park includes a planetarium, IMAX dome and laserium. By 2002, additional attractions at the City of Arts and Science Park will include the largest oceanarium in Europe and a major performing arts complex. .

Valencia also has a 13th-century church, which claims possession of the Holy Grail. The chief attraction to the city is the Fallas (March 15-19), a festival culminating in the burning of papier-mâché effigies satirizing famous Spanish figures and a magnificent fireworks display.

Valencia' s mild weather ensures a good climate all year round, encouraging the student to enjoy the museums, shop in the Central Market, relax on its sandy beaches, taste a genuine Valencian paella or simply watch the world go by while sipping a drink in one of the city' s delightful street cafés.

Our program allows you plenty of time to discover your new country, culture and customs. Below are some of our recommended highlights. Some tours and packages can be organized when booking your program, please see the program price page for more information.

city tour
Valencia's old part of town is limited by the rails of the tramway, which run where have been the old town-walls until 1865.

the cathedral
It is mainly of early gothic style, though some parts of it were added in later eras. Its three portals are Romanesque, gothic and baroque, respectively. The main chapel, Capilla Mayor, is in baroque style, the two lateral chapels are neoclassic. The octagonal bell-tower, called Micalet or also Miguelete, is the landmark of the city. From there you have a great view over all Valencia, and Victor Hugo has counted 300 more bell-towers in all the city.

basílica de la virgen de los desamparados, ("mare de deu dels desemparats")
Close to the catherdral there is the Basílica de la Virgen de los Desamparados, ("Mare de Deu dels Desemparats") , a church consecrated to the patroness of the city, and the Almudín, a medieval granary that is nowadays used as a museum.

In the closeby church Iglesia de San Esteban are said to have been married the daughters of legendary Cid. Some more interesting buildings in this area of town are the Palace of Almirantes de Aragón, the church San Juan del Hospital and the Convento de Santo Domingo.

the river
Well worth seeing are the three old bridges, Puente del Real, Puente de la Trinidad and Puente de Serranos, the latter with the Torres de Serranos , 15th century towers that have been part of the old town-walls and combine the elegance of a triumphal arch with the solidity of fortifications.

The river Turia actually was deviated around the city after a catastrophal inundation in 1957. The old river-bed today is used by the population for all kinds of sports and leisure-time activities. The IVAM (Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno), located at the river-bed, is one of the leading museums of modern arts in Spain and so a must to visit for everybody interested in this subject.

la lonja and surroundings
At Plaza de Manises is located the Palacio de la Generalidad, a 15th century palace that today is used as seat of government. Of high interest are the wall-paintings in its Salon de las Cortes, Salón Dorado and Galería de Retratos de los Reyes de Valencia. Through the street Calle de Los Caballeros you arrive to the town-gate Torres de Quart, of 1441, and to Plaza del Mercado, the square where is located Valencia's probably best known monument, La Lonja, the old stock-exchange building of 1483.

At its side there are the baroque church Iglesia de los Santos Juanes, with important wall-paintings of Palomino, and the bell-tower Campanil de la Iglesia de Santa Catalina. Through Calle Torno you arrive to the Palace of the Marquis de Dos Aguas, in rococo-style and with a very highly individual portal designed by Hipólito Rovira. The Patriarca College, of 1603, is typical for the austere ambience of religious Renaissance buildings in Spain. Valencia's University and its extraordinary Law Court are of neoclassical style. Another monument of quite recent date is the bridge Nuevo Puente of 1995, nicknamed La Peineta, "side-comb", due to its form.

barrio del carmen
This district represents like no one Valencia's way of living, if you don't know it you don't know the city. Here you'll find numerous shops, café-theaters, bars, restaurants, flower-stands...it is the center of everyday life and a unique scenery for the visitor.

el ensanche
A walk through this more modern part of town, inhabited mainly by bourgeoisie and officials, may give you an impression of today's Valencia.

the gardens
"Valencia es la tierra de las flores..", "Valencia is the land of flowers", says an old folk-song, and the parks and gardens of the city demonstrate it in an impressive way. The Jardines de la Alameda and Jardines de Monforte are romantic parks of 18th century. "Real" Gardens, which include also the Zoological Garden, have beautiful cultures of roses and large pine-woods. Inside them you can find the ruins of an old king's palace. The Botanical Garden shows a variety of exotic plants.

party in the island of ibiza (eivissa)
Ibiza is the party capital of the world and it can be easily reached from Barcelona. Ferries leaves daily from the port of Valencia to the ports of IBIZA, MALLORCA & MENORCA. The ferry normally leaves a few times daily during the week and once at the weekend, the price per person varies depending on your destination. For additional information, please visit: www.viamare.co.

excursions

la huerta
Seen from the air, Valencia is surrounded by a wide green belt of very fertile land, called "La Huerta". Up to four harvests per year are possible here. Very interesting are the traditional houses of the agricultural labourers, the so-called Barracas, constructions of clay with roofs of rush.

Few of them are conserved until today. The same has to be said about the manorial houses, Alquerías. A very nice example is the gothic Alquería del Pi in Burjasot. The perhaps most beautiful cultures are Alcira, Carcagente and Oliva, as well as the rice-cultures of Sollana, Sueca and Cullera. Its golden color in autumn creates a unique ambience.

la albufera
This salt water lake is located at the South of "La Huerta". here you may have some boating and visit romantical fishing villages, as the picturesque Palmar.

sagunto und játiva
Sagunto has to offer a very well conserved Roman theater and an impressive medieval fortress, thus certainly being worth a visit. Játiva is conserving its ambience of a traditional manorial town. Its fortress shows remains of almost all periods of Spanish history, starting with some old-iberian walls. Close to Játiva there is the cave Cova Negra, one of the most important prehistorical remains of the peninsula, at an age of over 8000 years.