Valencia – Sports and Tourism

Of course, the marathon can be an opportunity to visit one of Spain’s most beautiful cities, where you can admire several ancient and modern attractions. These include the three historic gateways to Valencia Cathedral: Puerta del Los Hierros, Puerta del Palau, and Puerta de los Apostoles. Built during the 13th century, the Cathedral is the epitome of the city’s architectural history and stands on the ruins of an ancient Roman temple and a Muslim mosque. From the Miguelete, the tower that towers over the Cathedral, there is a spectacular view of the city’s historic center, but the reason many tourists come to visit is to see the alleged Holy Grail, or chalice from which Jesus drank during the Last Supper. The City of Arts and Sciences, where the marathon will start, is one of the most fascinating places in Valencia; here you can visit the Oceanographic Museum, the Palace of Arts, and the Science Museum. Visiting it all in one day is almost impossible, but it deserves at least one stop. In the heart of the historic center is the so-called Barrio del Carmen, a true place of Valencia’s memory, which during its existence has held various roles: from refuge to barracks to center of city prostitution, passing through the heart of the medieval aristocracy and becoming, in 1900, a working-class neighborhood. Today it is one of the most beloved and visited neighborhoods, both by day and by night: shopping and nightlife are the two watchwords of Barrio del Carmen. La Lonja de la Seda, or the Silk Market is another historic place in Valencia worth visiting, the heart of cultural and commercial activities during the 16th century. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, an example of European late Gothic architecture and now home to the Valencia Cultural Academy. Finally, directly across from the Lonja de la Seda stands the Central Market, an extraordinary steel structure decorated with stained glass windows and hand-painted ceramics. It is home to as many as 959 stalls of fresh produce, ensuring a journey through the colors and smells of the Valencian land and where you can sample specialties such as Salamanca ham or shellfish.