Valencia Holiday

Out and About the Area

Palma de Gandia (or localled called Palma) has everything you may need: shops, ATM, chemist, butchers and a bakery. There are several tapas bars and "Bar Palma" has a rustic lunchtime and evening menu. Moma at "Aventura" offers an evening menu serving delicious steaks and square pizza. Mmmm

Gandia has two main zones - Gandia City where the Borgia Palace, Cathedral and shopping takes place and Gandia Playa with its superb beach. Take a look at the Gandia video.

The town is linked to the beach by road and a tramway and the many sandy beaches along the coast (our nearest beaches are Miramar, Daimus, Piles and Bellregard 5kms)are linked by roads through the orange groves. Gandia's prominence and wealth dates back to 1485 when Rodrigo Borja became the first Duke of Gandia and founded the famous or infamous Borgia clan. His son Cesare and daughter Lucretia were implicated in murder and debauchery whilst his great-grandson was canonized as St Francis Borja by Pope Clement X in 1671.The city is rich in its cultural heritage with the old historic part of the city traffic free where you can wander through the many maze of passages which offers a rare glimpse of old Spain.

Totally unspoilt, yet being a truly sophisticated working Spanish city, with a wealth of good modern shops, a bowling alley, a multiplex cinema and Carrefour hypermarket, the whole town is level and compact so that almost any part is within a pleasant walking distance from the city centre.

The tree lined paseo has ornate fountains and is lined with cafes from where you can get to know the local Vicente Gandia wine - a good place for people watching. Your holiday in Gandia would not be complete without tasting fideua (a kind of paella done with noodles instead of rice) The dish was invented in Gandia in the 1960s when it is said that a fisherman forgot to take some rice with him whilst he was fishing at sea and so that the hungry men could eat, he threw in some spagetti! Good story, but don't know how true it is.....

There is a fantastic selection of seafood caught straight from the coastal waters and fruit and vegetables are always fresh. The best thing of all in Gandia is the people. Stylish, warm and friendly.

Click here to have a look at the beaches via the web cam

Other Places of Interest

The old Moorish town of Oliva lies just 8km (less if you take the short cut through the orange groves) south of Palma de Gandia and is spread out over 3 areas. The old Arab influenced part with the ruined castle of Santa Ana dominating the old steep narrow streets, the modern Oliva with its tree lined paseo and shops and Friday's fabulous market and the beach area where you will find more beaches - some with beach sports and some rustic backed by sand dunes and tamerisk trees. The beach area never gets crowded. The nearest beaches to Palma are Piles (pronounced Pee les) Daimus and Bellregard.

To the south of Oliva lies the historic towns and beaches of Denia and Javea which are worth a day out and south of Alicante  is the city of Elche which is famous for its ancient palm forest, Roman archaeological finds and museums and the Basilica that holds the life size statue of Jose Marie Escriver, founder of Opus Dei.(Dan Brown fans please note)

On the outskirts of Benidorm is the castle of Guadalest  - a bit touristic but worth a visit.

Places to See

Just north of the Valencian coastline is the stunningly beautiful fortified medieval town and castle of Peniscola "the town by the sea".  Rising up from the sea it once acted as a watchtower and impregnable fortress watching over the crescent shaped beach below.  For 70 years the town was the Papal seat of the self proclaimed Pope, Benedict XIII known to all Spaniards as Papa Luna during the schism or split in the Roman Catholic Church.

Major civilisations have made Peniscola unique: Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs have all recognised its strategic position and even pirates have also played their part in the history of the town.

In 1961 Peniscola and the Knights Templar castle was the backdrop for the film "El Cid" starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren.  Mock ramparts and old buildings were renovated and towns people were given parts as extras.  Sophia Loren however, did not do any filming in the town.

Sagunto is definitely worth a trip to see the Roman amphitheatre and old Jewish quarter. Cullera s surrounded by freshwater lakes and rice fields (for Paella) and on a natural vantage point is the medieval castle and sanctuary of La Mare de Deu del Castillo which stands at the highest point. Cullera lighthouse and Dragut Cave await the traveller on the other side of the hill. The Turkish pirate Dragut used the cave when he raided the town around the 14C. In the evening Cullera is illuminated on the north facing hillside and clearly outlines the stations of the cross.

Xativa is where Rodrigues Borgia (Pope Alexandre VI) was born. The castle stretches over 3 hillsides and was also the home to Hannibal before the 2nd Punic War.The small city was the first in Europe to make paper and has interesting architecture (especially doors!)It said that there are over 1,000 fountains in the city!

There are many other interesting places to visit, medieval towns, caves and National Parks, but the pièce de resistance is Valencia.The city can be reached by car but let the train take the strain - the scenery is wonderful and passes through orange groves, vineyards and rice fields. On arrival you can either walk round the city or hop on and off a tourist open topped bus. Barrio del Carmen is one of the oldest parts of the city where ancient houses, charming old palaces and winding narrow traffic free streets nudge small squares with restaurants and tapas bars.Some of the must sees is the Cathedral which holds the Holy Grail and nearby is the largest indoor market in Europe with over 1,000 stalls. You must also visit the recently opened l'Hemisferic and l'Oceanographic Museums.

Click here for more information about Valencia, or click here to fly over Valencia. Obtain a discounted visitors card  discounted visitors card (you can obtain one at the tourist office inside Valencia station )

The tragic flooding of the Turia River in 1957 - video

Sports & Leisure

There are so many sports available in the area, with all manner of beach and water sports catered for. There is an 18 hole Severiano Ballesteros Golf Course just south of Oliva, river and sea fishing, horse riding, go carting, scuba diving and mountain biking. (equipment for scuba diving and bikes can be hired locally) Terra Mitica and Terra Natura and two extensive theme parks for young and old. Mondomar Animal Water Park and Aqualandia Water Park and Cullera Water Park within 40 minutes. The Natural Parks are perfect for walking - the local tourist office can supply excellent illustrated walks, some following old ice trails - please let us know and we can point you in the right direction both for trails and more information. If you are into Car Boot Sales, you can take a day off sun bathing and get yourself a bargain at one of the weekend Rastros.

Vineyards

Want to visit a vineyard? A fairly local winery we recommend is Vicente Gandia Pla at la Hoya de Cadenas just outside Valencia – 5 mins from Utiel. With more than 115 years and 4 generations of wine making the company exports to over 75 countries and 5 continents. There is so much passion, effort and care going into their high quality wines its no wonder they have been winning many awards over the years. Needless to say Vicente Gandia is now one of the leading winemakers in Spain and at an altitude of over 800 metres, it is an ecological paradise with over 200 hectares of local and international grape varieties. The winery is equipped with the state of the art technology which is sympathetic to the land. All vines are grown on trellises and the computerised irrigation system only uses water when scarce otherwise water is reused where possible. Pruning, prepruning and harvesting is carried out using environmentally friendly technology to avoid erosion of the land.

Vicente Gandia offers 2 different tours of the vineyard by tourist train (1½ or 2 hr visits) - and tastings. The VIP Visit (tour 3) gives you a chance to visit the Finca Hoya de Cadenas’ private estate which will be dedicated just to you. Discover the secrets of the bodegas and you will be able to enjoy an unforgettable 7 course lunch befitting a VIP with a menu created by one of the best Spanish chefs and accompanied by some of the best wines produced by Vicente Gandia. Booking is essential. Click on the following web sites for more information and a telephone number where you can enquire about reservations. http://www.hoyadecadenas.es/ and www.vicentegandia.com