A Rainy Day in Valencia’s Historic Center

Last updated on June 28th, 2020 at 06:01 pm

Our first stop along our 16 day road trip through Spain was Valencia. We woke up a bit late on Saturday because we were jet lagged and exhausted from the flight. Thunder was vibrating through our AirBnB as it started pouring rain. Not exactly the warm welcome I was expecting.

I had been planning to spend some time at the beach, but as soon as it started raining I figured that wasn’t going to happen.

So what do you do on a rainy day in Valencia?

Grab a rain jacket…

I decided we would start the day doing inside activities and see if the weather cleared up. But since it was raining pretty hard, it was inevitable that we were going to get wet.

Armed with a rain jacket and a travel umbrella (paid links), we ventured out into the pouring rain. Make sure you wear shoes with good traction because I was slipping all over in my sandals and had to change into my sneakers.

Mercado Central

Head to the market to get some food of your choice or just wander around in awe. The market was one of my favorite parts of Valencia and has rows of delicious and interesting looking foods including fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, pastries, coffee, spices, jamón ibérico, wine, cheese, and more.

La Llotja de la Seda

La Llotja de la Seda is a Gothic style building that was historically used as a silk exchange and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is fairly small, but pretty and has a grove of oranges in the center. This stop is about 15-20 minutes and it’s €2 to get in and an additional €3 for the audio guide.

Valencia Cathedral

I always enjoy visiting Cathedrals and rarely find one that I don’t enjoy. The Valencia Cathedral is no exception. They are one of the few places that claim they have the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus drank from during the Last Supper, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide. This structure has been a holy place for 2,000 years, including the time it was a Mosque during the Moorish occupation. The audio guide here is free and I recommend picking it up.

Horchateria Santa Catalina

Walk through the Plaça de la Reina  on your way to Horchateria Sanata Catalina. Horchata de chufa is one of the things that everyone says you must try when you visit Valencia, but I’ll admit I hated it. In Spain it is made with water, sugar, and tiger nuts, which is very different from the Mexican horchata that I am used to which is a cinnamon rice milk drink. However, even though I didn’t enjoy it, I encourage you to try it (although maybe you want to split it with someone just in case). Drink it down with some fartons, a pastry that is traditionally served with Spanish horchata.

Boatella Tapas

If the horchata worked up your appetite, head to Boatella Tapas for a glass of wine or coffee and tapas. It’s right in front of the Mercado Central, so the people watching is good and the food is great!

Gelato Amuri

This was one of my favorite gelato shops in Spain because it reminded me most of the gelato I had years ago in Italy. It is really high quality gelato and the employees were very nice. We went there several times and tried fragola (strawberry), limone (lime), chocolate sorbetto, and zabaione (an Italian dessert).

Ruzafa

A fun area of town with another market, hip cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques. Walk through Ruzafa and explore a different taste of Valencia.

Zumeria Naturalia

Since we wanted to eat traditional paella, and Valencia is the originator of paella, we walked to La Ruia. Unfortunately, they had a wait already when we arrived, so we were told to come back in an hour. To kill time, we wandered into Zumeria Naturalia. Neither of us were that interested at first, but when we found out that Zumeria Naturalia is a natural juice bar where they make juice cocktails, we were much more excited. We tried a pitcher of Agua de Valencia, which is cava, vodka, gin, and orange juice. We really enjoyed it!

Restaurante Taberna Jamón Jamón

When we went back to La Ruia, we realized that many other people had arrived before us and they no longer had any tables. Facing the cold reality that we weren’t going to get any traditional Valencian paella, we headed back to our AirBnB. That’s when we stumbled upon Restaurante Taberna Jamón Jamón, which is an elevated tapas restaurant. We did the tasting menu for two which was 22 € per person. If you go, I highly recommend getting the goat cheese with tomato jam. It was incredible.

It eventually stopped raining for us and I hope the same is true for you if it happens to rain during your visit. Either way, there is plenty to do in Valencia.

Have more time in Valencia?

I felt like one day was plenty of time to get a taste of Valencia, but if you are staying for longer, there is much more to do! Check out the Museo de Belles Artes to see paintings from the 14th to 17th century. Visit the City of Arts and Sciences to marvel at the modern structures of Valencia or hit one of the beaches in the area. And of course, don’t forget to make reservations so you don’t miss out on the traditional Valencian paella like I did.

Read about my wedding proposal gone wrong in Port Saplaya and pick up some tips for avoiding theft in Europe.

Shop My Essentials for a Rainy Day in Spain

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