The park stretches 9 kilometers through the center of Valencia. Once the bed of the city’s majestic Turia River, before the river was redirected around the city, it is now a verdant belt dotted with palm trees and fragrant pines, with flowing streams. I am.
Known as the Turia Gardens, this green artery is both the city’s playground and the preferred route for Valencians and tourists to travel through Spain’s third-largest city.
It’s easy to bike or stroll between neighborhoods along park paths, from the Gothic Old Town in the west to the City of Arts and Sciences in the east. It houses a collection of futuristic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, a science museum, his house of opera, and European architecture. Attractions such as the largest aquarium.
With Valencia being named European Green Capital in 2024, the Turia Gardens have become a symbol of how effortlessly the city is embracing a sustainable lifestyle.
This is where outdoor living takes place. The eastern side of Valencia is surrounded by golden beaches, and around the city there is a green belt of farmland that extends over 120 square kilometers. La Huertaor “orchard”.
Connected to the city by bike lanes and dotted with traditional country restaurants hidden among the fields, this vast green space is where produce is grown for markets and restaurants.
Just north of the city is the Turia Natural Park, which contains approximately 20,000 acres of Mediterranean forest. Also, a 10km bike ride south of the city is the Albufera Natural Park, with its vast lakes and wetlands, home to birdlife and where the rice for paella, Valencia’s designation of origin, is grown.
Valencia’s natural wealth may make sustainability an essential focus for local residents, but its status as a green capital is also part of ambitious government plans in recent years.
Eva Fernández from Visit Valencia explains: “Valencia is always interested in enjoying time in the fresh air. That comes from its own people.
“But there is also a clear commitment to a healthy lifestyle. And here we will focus on building a 200km network of cycle lanes across the city that will promote sustainable mobility.
“This has been completed in recent years with the creation of the Metropolitan Cycling Ring, a 50km route connecting all the city’s green infrastructure.”
Currently, Valencia’s three main squares are pedestrianized, 97% of residents live within 300 meters of a park, and the city has an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, There are also plans to go neutral.
For clients, this is a city that easily combines culture and nature. They’ll find a city easily explored on foot or by bike, where they can combine time spent in parks and beaches with museums, modernist buildings and the winding lanes of the old town.
With 300 days of sunshine a year, you can enjoy seasonal lunches at our terrace restaurant, prepared by local chefs using the best ingredients from around the city.
Chef Ricard Camarena is a great champion of Valencia’s fresh produce, and his focus on sustainable and organic farming earned him a green Michelin star in 2020 alongside the regular two Michelin stars Did.
Among the city’s many restaurants, Bar Central, a casual tapas spot located within the cathedral-like indoor Central Market, is the ideal place to enjoy simple tapas dishes made with fresh ingredients.
As Valencia emerges as Europe’s green capital, welcoming travelers to explore its green spaces and laid-back lifestyle, customers may fall in love with Spain’s most underrated city.