Valencia
Valencia is now regarded-rightly-as one of the most attractive cities
of the Mediterranean. It has benefited from a
spectacular programme of urban renewal which includes the restoration
of its medieval quarter, the up-dating of its excellent museums and,
of course, the architectural wonders of its City of Arts and Sciences.
Our home for the week is the excellent 4-star Hotel Reina Victoria,
spacious and perfectly located. It is one of Valencia’s classic
hotels with a fascinating historical pedigree (for example, it was base
for foreign journalists covering Republican Spain in the Civil War).
Our visits encompass all the major sights, including some of the best
museums in Spain, the Medieval quarter (UNESCO
World Heritage) and we spend a day at the City of Arts and Sciences.
We shall also search out the many lesser-known corners that make Valencia
such a varied city.
We make two excursions out of the city: to the unique Natural Park of
the Albufera lake and to the wine lands of the interior.
DAY 1: Flying directly to Valencia we make for the Hotel Reina Victoria,
our home for the week. Throughout, of course, we shall be savouring
the delicious Mediterranean cuisine for which the city is renowned.
DAYS 2 & 3: Valencia is a fascinating city. We start our exploration
in the magnificent 14th-century Silk Exchange (possibly Spain’s
most important non-ecclesiastical Gothic building and UNESCO World Heritage),
the Modernista market and the splendid Cathedral.
We spend Day 3 in the incomparable surroundings of City of Arts and
Sciences, the space-age creation of architect
Santiago Calatrava: an absorbing complex of Museum, Aquarium, Opera
House and IMAX cinema.
DAYS 4 & 5: Some 15 kilometres from the city is the fresh-water
lake of the Albufera, a Natural Park and home to much
fascinating aquatic wild-life. We shall take a boat on the lake and
visit its environs, immortalised by Vicente Blasco Ibañez in
his heart-breaking chronicle of rural life, ´La Barraca’
and savour the unique cuisine of the region. We lunch at Paco Gandí’s
famous restaurant where he serves the ‘best paella in the world’
(New York Times).
On Day 5 we travel through the Province to Utiel-Requena where we visit
a winery and enjoy an insight into one of the leastknown of Spain’s
Denominated Wine Regions.
DAYS 6 & 7: The weekend in Valencia can be exhilarating. In terms
of Art the city has everything: a superb and recently re-modelled Fine
Arts Gallery; one of the best museums of Contemporary Art in Spain and
several galleries devoted to the work of Valencia’s own outstanding
artists. We visit the College of the Patriarch, a major collection of
medieval art. Valencia has an enviable reputation for live music and
we hope to offer a visit to one of its outstanding concert halls.
DAY 8: We take our return flight.
THIS TOUR DEPARTS: 11th February 2010
OUR HOTEL: the excellent 4-star Reina
Victoria in the centre.
NUMBER IN PARTY: 12-16
THE PRICE OF THIS TOUR: £1460
(single supplement £170)