About Valencia

City

The city of Valencia is the capital of the region of Valencia and is located on the eastern coast of Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city is the third biggest in Spain and has a population of 1.600.000.
The province of Valencia has an area of approximately 10,807 km². Inland, you can find enormous mountains whereas on the coast the is completely flat. Valencia has many beaches as well as La Albufera, the largest lake in Spain and one of the most important wetland areas in the Iberian Peninsula.
Valencia was founded in the year 138 B.C by the Romans, who established their Forum in the Plaza de la Almoina, where today a museum of Roman ruins lies. After the Romans, the Visigoths arrived in Valencia. In 714, the Muslims established control of the city, a situation that lasted until 1238 when King Jaime I of Valencia ousted them. The Arabs left a profound legacy with their irrigation systems, recipes and artistic influences that are relevant and noticeable right up to the present day.

Valencia is a Mediterranean city that not only has a wonderful old city centre but also modern, futuristic architecture in other parts of the city. The City of Arts and Sciences has advanced architecture which will take your breath away. It is a city of contrasts, proud of its illustrious, deep-rooted history whilst remaining at the forefront of all the latest social and technological developments. It is city open to all, accessible to everyone, and can be enjoyed by all residents and visitors alike.
The legacy left by the cultures and civilisations which have reached these shores in the past still remains alive in the city's monuments and streets, not to mention in its people's hearts. Business and trade coexist with leisure and culture. Valencia is a city that never sleeps. It has a rich cultural life with festivals, concerts, shows and exhibitions all year round.