BEFORE YOU GO

EAT THESE

Five foods and drinks to try on your trip to Valencia

PAELLA Valencia is famously the home of paella. The traditional version includes rabbit and beans (and sometimes snails); order a paella de marisco if you’d prefer seafood.

HORCHATA A kind of ice-cold “milkshake” (orxata in Valencian) that’s made from water, sugar and tiger nuts. You can find it at lovely little tiled café-bars throughout the Old Town.

ESGARRAT Simple local tapas dish of cured cod and roasted red peppers, torn into fine strips and served with garlic and olive oil.

FIDEUÀ Similar to paella, this seafood dish is made with thin, vermicelli-style pasta noodles instead of rice.

FARTONS Fingers of sweet dough that are dusted in sugar, and then dunked in a glass of horchata. Kids love the name as much as the taste!

DO THIS (and don't do that)

A few handy pointers on Spanish culture

DO...

• Brush up on your Spanish – outside of hotels and some restaurants, English isn’t that widely spoken. Better still, learn a few basic Valencian words or phrases.

• Take advantage of the fixed-price menu del día, a great budget option (2 or 3 courses, plus a drink, from €10) at lunchtimes.

• Invest in a Valencia Tourist Card if you’re going to be seeing and doing a lot – it covers all the city’s public transport and several museums.

DON’T…

• Forget to take a siesta in the middle of the day, especially if you’re visiting Valencia in the summer, when most places close for a few hours (generally from around 2pm to 5pm) due to the heat.

• Be tempted by Oceanogràfic, at the City of Arts and Sciences, which unfortunately keeps beluga whales in captivity and features a daily dolphin show.

• Underestimate agua de Valencia. It may taste like fresh orange juice, but there’s also Cava, vodka and gin in there too!