Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, mingles centuries-old architecture with unmistakable modernity, boasting a tangible heritage of over 2,000 years.  It is a truly beautiful city with a well-preserved old centre, full of unique medieval buildings. A prime example of splendour is the silk exchange, La Lonja de la Seda. This is set in a spectacular group of buildings testament to the city’s wealth in the late Middle Ages – we feel it is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture, recognized by Unesco as World Heritage.

Another highlight is indeed its main Cathedral, incorporating mostly Romanesque and Gothic influences but you can see easily spot additions in the Renaissance and Baroque styles of design. A spiral staircase leading upwards to a terrace boasting magnificent views of Valencia is worth the climb.

Lovely contrasts to old Valencia are the iconic white-arched buildings that house the City of Arts and Science, surrounded by huge and shallow pools.  This is close to the old town and largely the work of world famous star-architect Santiago Calatrava, a native, and much celebrated and embraced locally. This giant art centre served as inspiration for other Calatrava works, such as the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York.

Valencia is of course home to paella and a plethora of other rice based dishes. You will find here many varieties of paella, with its hallowed status in Valencian cuisine, that you may not have experienced before. Such as the “fideuá”, which uses broken pasta instead of rice.

Or a delectable modern paella version, creamy like a risotto and full of clams, infused with ginger and lemongrass. A new generation of chefs has arrived here, marrying traditional flavours with modern techniques, reimagining the region’s classic dishes with skill and enthusiasm.

The city is also famous for its oranges. A firm favourite is the salad of oranges, olives, onions and blue cheese or salt cod.  As desert, the ‘’flan de naranja’’ or orange caramel flan is much loved.   

Last but not least, the food markets are reason enough to go to Valencia. The obvious one, but very much worth your while is the Mercado Central, housed in a soaring Art Nouveau building. Ambling though this market which is so richly stocked in fruits & vegetables and meat & fish, never fails to entice a food lover.  

Valencia’s wine making tradition goes back thousands of years. However, until recently, the Denominaciones de Origen (DO) of the Valencia province,  Utiel-Requena, and Valencia, were virtually unknown outside Spain. Yet, as you travel across the DO’s, there is ample proof of old vineyards which were recovered, and indigenous grape varieties that have been making a comeback – interesting developments for any wine lover.

In this tour we focus on the Utiel-Requena region. Here in particular expert winemakers are leading a revival of traditional grape varieties, such as Vernil, Bobal, or Merseguera, with some spectacular results.  We find here too some prime examples of low-intervention or organic viticulture, with emphasis on native grapes and respecting the characteristics of local terroir.

During our tour you will visit a least one innovative winery, in the mountains an hour’s drive from  Valencia city.