When Im in town i generally stay by the Calatrava complex. After taking a stroll through the…read morearchitecture, I make my way through the Turia river bed gardens. If I had a day to spend Id try and walk the whole thing out to the outskirts of the western parts of the city. It is quite huge. It's interesting that this city planning and beautiful space came out of the tragedy of the city flooding and the new river, which is almost completely barren on the outside of the city is down trodden. Anyways, there is way more to explore than meets the eye, and a bonus is on hot days, it's usually more temperate in the gardens below

This beautiful green space and bike path once had a river ran through it, and following severe…read moreflooding in 1957 it changed the city's landscape forever, becoming what is now 9 kms of park snaking through the heart of the city! Fantastic way to discover the Valencia from the old city to the City of Arts & Science or vice versa, with gardens and funky architecture along the way. Wonderful example of how changes can bring more green space and alternate use and pedestrian and cyclist transportation to a city!

The Albufera is much larger than I imagined. I think I only got to the northern tip of it. Mostly…read moreto find places with excellent arroces dishes. There is no denying the best rice comes out of this area, but the scenery and the wildlife is also equally amazing. I think next time Im here and it's not dumping buckets, I may just go get a kayak and troll around the central parts.

Most of my four stars are for the best sunset in Spain that you can enjoy here on the jetties. The…read morephotos provide all the info required for the sunsets here. The rest of the national park and beach is pretty bland. We stayed here for 5 nights and 1 was enough. May have been more interesting if the rice fields were in full swing and not just empty fields of mud. Apparently this is where Paella was born!!

I am originally from the Pacific Northwest, and I really miss the green trees and fresh air. The…read moreJardins de Ayora are a sanctuary for those that need to escape from the city for a little while. The trees here are stunning and plentiful, the air is clean and crisp, and the sounds of the birds drown out the city noise. I also love that there are no dogs allowed in this park because I spend most of my day playing hopscotch trying to avoid this millions of crap bombs all over the city, and here I can take a break from that too. I love this city for many reasons, but I love the Jardins de Ayora because they remind me of home.