Ciutat Vella and El Carmen
4 h route4 stopsBest: In the morning, to catch the Central Market openUpdated July 2026
Valencia’s old town (Ciutat Vella, with the Carmen neighbourhood at its heart) was Roman, Visigothic and Arab before it was Christian, and each layer left its mark. Two towers of the medieval wall still stand, and between them pile up the cathedral, the silk exchange and the finest Modernist market in Spain.
It’s walked in a morning, and it pays to go early to catch the Central Market in full swing. This route runs from the Gothic jewel of commerce to the city gates, by way of the cathedral that claims to hold the Holy Grail.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
Lonja de la Seda
The 15th-century silk trading exchange, and one of the masterpieces of European civil Gothic: a World Heritage Site. The main hall is a forest of columns twisted like palm trees holding ribbed vaults twelve metres up, raised to show off the money that trading Valencia moved. It’s not a church, mind: it’s a civic, commercial building, and it even once had a jail for defaulting merchants. Entry is cheap and there’s almost never a queue.
- 02
The Central Market
One of the largest Modernist markets in Europe, from 1928, with an iron frame, glass domes and Valencian ceramic tiles. The difference from other tourist markets is that this one is real: local people come to buy the day’s fish and vegetables.
Get lost among the nearly a thousand stalls of fruit, cured meats, spices and the horchata and fartons that are local specialities.
Go in the morning: by midday many stalls start packing up.
- 03
The cathedral and the Micalet
The cathedral, a mix of Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque from its centuries of building, keeps in one chapel what the Church recognises as the Holy Chalice: an agate cup many consider the Grail of the Last Supper. True or not, it’s the relic that made its name.
Beside it rises the Micalet, the octagonal 14th-century bell tower, symbol of the city. Climb its 207 spiral steps for a view over all of Valencia, the sea beyond and the Turia bed winding through.
- 04
Torres de Serranos
One of the two surviving gates of the medieval wall, from the 14th century, on the northern edge of the old town. It’s imposing and you can climb to the top for little money, with views over the Turia bed and the old city’s rooftops. In March, during Fallas, it stages the crida that opens the festival, and weeks later much of the finale burns here. The rest of the year it’s the best place to grasp where walled Valencia ended.
Frequently asked
Is the Holy Grail in Valencia?
Valencia Cathedral keeps the Holy Chalice, an agate cup the Catholic Church recognises and tradition identifies with the cup of the Last Supper. It’s one of the most venerated relics and can be seen in its own chapel.
Is Valencia’s Central Market worth it?
Very: it’s one of the largest Modernist markets in Europe, from 1928, and it’s still a real market where locals shop. Go in the morning, when it’s in full swing.
Can you climb the Micalet?
Yes, the cathedral’s bell tower is climbed by a spiral staircase of 207 steps, for a cheap ticket. From the top you see all of Valencia, the sea and the old riverbed.