We'll be in Valencia mid-september. So far I planned an "historic essentials" walking tour (2.5 hr tour) for our first full day there. Other than that, checking out other nearby areas on our own (City of Arts and Sciences, Turia Park, etc). Also want to see the beach/port area (suggestions exactly where best to check out?). Not doing a beach day, but maybe a beach hour or 2, depending on the weather.

Want to check out the Ceramics Museum of Manises. Do we have time for day trip to Xativa castle? Looks like we can take a train there and do it on our own. I'm also a fan of streetart, if there are any specific areas to see some of that.

Also, any recs for good paella? We're staying at the Cosmo Hotel Boutique for 4 nights.

We took a trip to Xativa , couldn’t make it all the way to the castle . It is quite a climb. (mid Sept. will be hot).
I cannot remember much of the town.
If you visit the beach, there is a stretch of restaurants near hotel Las Arenas. Nice spot for lunch.
We stayed in Valencia for five days. Loved it.

OH, good, we have 9 days there in November but I am going to cut it down to 7 in order to stop in 'Cuenca for 2 nights.

The Valencia Ceraamics Museum in wonderful--is that the one you mean?

And the Central Market is one of the best n Spain.

Make sure you visit the up and coming neighborhoods like Nazaret (less gentrified) and El Cabanyal, former fisherman's areas now with cool small restaurants, shops, etc....


https://theculturetrip.com/europe/spain/articles/an-insiders-guide-to-el-cabanyal-valencia

Maribel gave some good rice restaurant recommendations to me on one of these two threads:

VALENCIA, DENIA, ALICANTE....finalizing plans for November/December


VALENCIA/CUENCA in November (?). Hotels and food..

Thanks. Turns out there are 2 ceramics museums. The one you (ekscrunchy) mention is even better, very close to hotel. I'll go to that one!

I LOVED that museum, and its not overwhelmingly large!!

See if this helps with food; Maribel posts on this site and its great for restaurants...many of the former Chowhounders now post here:




https://www.hungryonion.org/t/3-nigh...lencia/35170/3



Here is my trip report from most recent trip to Valencia..





https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/que-viva-valencia-wandering-and-eating-amidst-the-orange-blossoms-881879/

I'm just circling back to thise thread, since hearing the horrible news of heartbreaking flooding in the Valencia region. Seems the worse of it was south of the city. My thoughts are with all the people of this area, and my heart goes out to those how lost loved ones.

We did go on our trip in September and just loved it. No time for daytrips, there's plenty to do in the city itself. We did go to the Ceramics museum, which is free Saturday evenings and Sunday. We visited a few other museums, most free with the Senior discount, even for non-EU citizens. The only disappointment was a dud guide for our city tour. He talked more about his grandmother than the city. We ended up walking off the tour, read up more history, then revisited some of the places he had taken us to.

We did have lunch one day at the beach, after walking most of Turia park and seeing the city or arts and sciences (the architecture there blew us away). If we had more time, we could have easily spent some of it on the beach, it was lovely, lots of restarants all along the main street there and an easy bus ride back to the old town. We did stay at the Cosmo Hotel and were pleased with that as well, and it's just steps from the Central market, so convenient for a breakfast to go and just about eveything else.