Top 10 Things to See and Do in Ciutat Vella, Valencia

Across from La Llotja you’ll see the enormous Central Market, which is a must for any foodie and one of the top food experiences in Valencia. This 1920s’ building is home to one of Europe’s oldest, continuously-running food markets. And it’s still thriving, with mostly local shoppers picking up their fresh produce. A walk around the market stalls is a great way to experience local life among piles of oranges, cheese, jamón and fresh seafood. Taste the produce, grab a bottle of wine to take home and stop for a wedge of creamy tortilla at the market’s one very popular, but tiny café.

Silk Museum

Valencia’s silk museum occupies the stunning 15^th century building of the College of High Silk Art, now restored to its former glory. The looms, artworks and other exhibits take visitors on a journey through Valencia’s Golden Age when it was an important center for the silk trade. Seek out the peaceful courtyard café around the back of the building, accessed through an arched portal in the medieval walls. Behind the museum is the site of a ruined medieval hospital, where one of the tiny chapels still stands amid peaceful gardens.

Museo y Colegio del Arte Mayor de la Seda, Carrer de l’Hospital, 7, Valencia, Spain, +34 963 51 19 51

Archaeological Museum

Next to the cathedral is one of Valencia’s most interesting museums. Go underground to see the former site of a 20-year archeaological dig, right in the heart of the city, now kept under a glass roof at the Almoina Archaeological Museum. You’ll see walls and treasures from every period of the city’s history, from Roman to Arabic and beyond.

Center Arqueològic de l’Almoina, Plaça de Dècim Juni Brut, Valencia, Spain, +34 962 08 41 73

Plaza del Virgen

The little square next to the Cathedral is famously picturesque, with its smooth stone floor and pretty fountain. There are a couple of cafés here that are perfect to while away an hour over coffee or tapas, people-watching and admiring the view. From here you can walk up the Carrer dels Cavellers to see more stunning architecture before landing in the quirky El Carmen neighborhood in the north of the Old Town.

Plaça de la Verge, Plaça de la Verge, Valencia, Spain

San Nicolas Church

Along Carrer dels Cavallers you’ll find a small church known as Valencia’s answer to the Sistine Chapel. The spectacular 17^th century frescoes that cover its ceiling have recently been restored to their former glory.

Parroquia de San Nicolás, Carrer dels Cavallers, 35, Valencia, Spain, +34 963 91 33 17

Post Office

The most impressive building on the central Town Hall Square, or Placa de l’Ajuntament, isn’t the Town Hall itself but the Post Office. With its grand domed roof and elaborate exterior, this could be the most intricate Post Office you’ll ever see. The correct name of the building is the Palacio de Comunicaciones, although it is better known locally as the Edificio de Correos y Telégrafos, or The Post and Telegraph Building. The palace was inaugurated by King Alfonso XIII and Queen Victoria Eugenia at the beginning of the 20^th century and completed in 1923.

Post Office, Plaça de l’Ajuntament 24, Valencia, Spain, +34 902 19 71 97