Tourist & general information about Valencia on the Costa Azahar, Spain and information on the America's Cup yacht race and its history. Maps, guides, hotels, sport, marinas, yacht clubs, boat shows, Spanish wine & food

A quick insight into what Valencia has to offer its visitors. It is expected that the 2007 Americas Cup being held in Valencia will attract many tourists to the area; perhaps people who have not been to the Valencia region before. As well as useful tourist information, links are included for those who might want to rent holiday accommodation or indeed who may decide to buy property not just in Valencia on the Cost Azahar of Spain but perhaps on one of the other Mediterranean costas:
Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Costa Dorada, Costa Calida, Costa del Sol or Costa de la Luz.For a glimpse of resorts in the Valencian Community, why not visit the live web-cam pictures available on comunitatvalenciana.com

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LOCAL CUISINE - PAELLA ETC

The Valencia region has rice as its speciality. Not
surprising when you think it is a major rice
growing region.

The most famous rice dish is, of course, the
Paella - a dish cooked in a large shallow,
two-handled pan with rice coloured yellow
with Saffron. There are any number of
variations of the Paella ingredients although
probably the most recognizable would be
the traditional sea food paella, decorated with
King Size Prawns and mussels. Paella is often
the Sunday lunch for Spanish families, everyone
swearing that their mother cooks the best paella
ever. People from other areas of Spain make
a point of samplingthe Paellas of the Valencian
region whenever they can. Local fiestas often
have giant Paella, cooked in the open air by firms
specialising in just that. The pans used are
absolutely enormous, as are the cooking utensils,
and feed hundreds of party goers.

Some other rice dishes are well worth sampling:

  - arroz abanda, which is rice cooked in fish stock.
  - arroz negra, which is rice cooked in squid ink,
giving it its black colour.

LOCAL WINES

The region has an increasing
number of locally produced
popular wines (Valencia/
Utiel/Requena) both white
and red.
www.gandiawines.com

FESTIVALS

There are many festivals, "fiestas", throughout
the year but probably Valencia's most famous
celebrations are those which take place in March
and called the "Fallas". Preparations for this
fiesta begin early in the year with the choosing of
organising commisions, queens, maids of honour
etc. The actual fiesta takes place in March, the
final day being 19 March, the day of San Jose (and
coincidentally Father's Day in Spain) Street
parades, bull fighting and a variety of activities
take place during the lead up to the final few days
during which hundreds of enormous papier
mâché effigies are constructed in various
neighbourhoods throughout the city of Valencia.
These statues are normally of a satirical
theme, often depicting controversial local
political situations and decisions, and often quite
rude. They are visited and laughed over by
visitors from far and wide. The end
of the festivities are marked by the burning of
these "fallas" and by magnificent fireworks
displays, for which the area is renowned.
The costumes, as well as the works of
art that are the statues, are a sight well
worth seeing.

ORANGE GROVES

Many different fruits and nuts are
to be found growing in abundance
in the Valencia region; almonds,
cherries, figs, lemons growin
g where-ever you look. But
the orange groves are something
to marvel at when you see trees
laden with fruit but at the same
time the air heady with scent of the
blossom on the same trees, that
will soon turn into the
second crop of oranges.

The Valencian Region is famous for its pirotecnics and many of the firework displays seen at major events around the world are often the handiwork of a Valencian company. A great deal of money is spent on fireworks and all local fiestas throughout the region, no matter how small the town or village, inevitably end with the most magnificent display of fireworks. Fireworks figure prominently in all celebrations including weddings, birthdays and even winning a football match. In short, any excuse is considered acceptable for the setting off of fireworks which are often strung out up and down a street and which ignite one after the other with the most deafening bangs and frightening flashes. Needless to say, with a somewhat lack of regard for appropriate safety measures and control, accidents do frequently occur.