Architecture And Street Art, English

Overview

This GuruWalk walk sets out from Plaça de l'Ajuntament and spends two hours and thirty minutes on Valencia's buildings. The guide moves through Valencian Gothic, Baroque, Modernism and Rationalism, showing how the styles overlap and sometimes merge into single works of originality. Street art appears along the way as an expression of today's world interacting with that architecture.

The route begins at the Town Hall square, where the guide points out the ayuntamiento itself, the post office building, the north station, the bullring and the Bank of Valencia building nearby. From there it continues past the Museum of Ceramics and the Round Square, then on to the Church and Tower of Santa Catalina, Queen's Square, the Cathedral, the Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken, Virgin Square and the Palace of the Generalitat. The walk then heads along Street of the Knights to the Serrano Towers before finishing in the Carmen neighbourhood, where street art takes over, and past the Silk Lodge, the Church of San Giovanni del Mercato and the Central Market.

The walk runs in English and Italian. Reviewers repeatedly describe it as an excellent introduction and overview of the city, informative and entertaining, with one saying it far exceeded their expectations.

Itinerary

1. Meet at Plaça de l'AjuntamentThe guide waits in front of the entrance to the Ayuntamiento, the Town Hall building. There is no pickup: guests make their own way to the square.
2. Town Hall square and its buildingsThe opening stop covers the square and the buildings around it, among them the ayuntamiento, the post office building, the north station, the bullring and the Bank of Valencia building.
3. Museum of Ceramics and Plaça RedonaThe walk passes the ceramics museum and the Round Square, the first three stops shown on the route. The full route has 15 stops in total.
4. Cathedral quarter and the GeneralitatStops include the Church and Tower of Santa Catalina, Queen's Square, the Cathedral, the Basilica of the Virgin of the Forsaken, Virgin Square and the Palace of the Generalitat, with Street of the Knights along the way.
5. Serrano Towers and Carmen street artThe route reaches the Serrano Towers, then crosses into the Carmen neighbourhood, where the focus turns to street art.
6. Silk Lodge, San Giovanni and Central MarketThe final stretch passes the Silk Lodge, the Church of San Giovanni del Mercato and the Central Market. The whole walk lasts two hours and thirty minutes.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points are worth knowing before reserving a free spot on this GuruWalk walk.

• Pace and distance. The walk lasts two hours and thirty minutes and covers a route through Ciutat Vella, from the Town Hall square to the Carmen neighbourhood. Comfortable shoes matter more than anything else. Several travellers called it an introduction and overview of the city.
• Language. The walk runs in English and Italian, as the GuruWalk listing for this walk shows.
• Group feel. Reviewers describe the guide as informative, entertaining and knowledgeable, and one said the tour far exceeded expectations.
• Weather and photos. Check conditions before setting out.
• Food and drink. Nothing edible is included. The route passes the Central Market near the end.

Common issues. The GuruWalk listing states no inclusions, and the route has 15 stops across two hours and thirty minutes. The GuruWalk page does not state a policy on cancellations, group size or accessibility, so read the guide's GuruWalk page for those details before reserving.

Questions People Ask About This Walk