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Eating Tapas & Paella in Valencia, Spain

Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand paella EstudioWebDoce on Pixabay

Valencia is the birthplace of paella. Photo courtesy of EstudioWebDoce on Pixabay

I’m really excited to interview Craig Wealand of InglesPodcast.com about Valencia, Spain. Craig’s tips for the best things to do in Valencia are awesome because he’s been living in Valencia for years. He loves the gorgeous weather, the easy lifestyle along the beach, and the kindness of locals.

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Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand ornate doors at the Colegio Notarial de Valencia courtesy of ddsphoto on Pixabay

Beautifully ornate doors at the Colegio Notarial de Valencia. Photo courtesy of ddsphoto on Pixabay

Valencia, Spain

Valencia, Spain is a port city on the southeastern coast. The city is most famous for its ultra-modern City of Arts and Sciences museum and as the birthplace of the Spanish dish paella. Visitors will find a mix of old and new architecture as they explore the city. As you wander the streets, you can see the influence of the city’s Roman foundations and Moorish history. Spain is one of the most affordable countries in Europe, and Valencia is one of Spain’s most affordable cities.

Craig says it is great to visit any time of the year. However, July and August can get very hot and crowded while families are out of school. One of the most popular festivals is the Fallas Festival which begins on March 1st and culminates in the grand finale on March 19th. It started out as an old carpenter’s tradition and has blossomed into a huge festival that combines tradition, satire, and art. Other events include Semana Santa Maritime Holy Week (around Easter), the Great València Fair in July, and Corpus Christi, which began in 1263.

We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Visit Valencia, the local convention and visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.

If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.

Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand walking on the beach

Walking on the beach

Best things to do in Valencia

Best restaurants in Valencia

Best hotels in Valencia

Getting around Valencia

The local airport is Manises Airport (VLC), which is about a 15-minute drive to downtown.

Craig says that parking is expensive within the city and it is not needed. He recommends taking the train (approx 4 Euros) from the airport to the city. Otherwise, a taxi is about $30 each way. Once you arrive, the city center is very walkable and you can always take the city’s hop-on/hop-off bus. Uber expanded into Valencia in 2019, but Lyft is not yet available as of now.

If you decide to rent a car, click here for the best offers from Avis, Budget, or Hertz.

Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand Casa Carmela for paella

Visit Casa Carmela for paella

Places we talked about on the podcast

Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Craig Weland about Valencia, Spain. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.

  • Red dots = best restaurants in Valencia, Spain
  • Green dots = best things to do in Valencia, Spain
  • Yellow dots = best hotels in Valencia, Spain

Who is Craig Wealand?

Craig Wealand has been teaching English as a second language since 1994 and has been working with The British Council since 1997. He teaches English online through his website MansionIngles.com and the Ingles Podcast. Craig co-hosts the Ingles Podcast each week with Reza Shah where they help listeners improve their vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. The podcast also features episodes on passing the Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) exam and interviews of interesting people working in the teaching and online education field.

Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand Las Arenas

Craig Wealand at Las Arenas

Here are a few of his podcast episodes:

You can connect with Craig on his website and on Twitter and Facebook.

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Best things to do in Valencia Spain with Craig Wealand City of Arts and Sciences courtesy of Papagnoc on Pixabay

City of Arts and Sciences is considered one of the 12 Treasures of Spain. Photo courtesy of Papagnoc on Pixabay

Stay tuned for our next episode

Best Things To Do In Orlano Florida with DeShayla Strachan Orlando Magic game

DeShayla Strachan at an Orlando Magic game

Listen to the next episode when DeShayla Strachan of Shaytown Flying Solo shares the best things to do in Orlando, Florida. DeShayla shares where to eat a donut burger and how to find Broadway-worthy shows. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.

What’s your favorite part of Albuquerque? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!

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To see which cities we’ve interviewed and scheduled, please visit WeTravelThere.com/map. If you’d like to be a guest on the show, please submit an application at WeTravelThere.com/guest.

Related episodes

To learn more about Spain and the Mediterranean, listen to our other interviews: