Day trip Valencia

A narrow lane opens onto green and yellow façades with ornate balconies.

• Look up as you walk to spot the details.

On Plaza del Ayuntamiento, grand façades surround an open square with greenery and a fountain.

• This is Valencia at its most metropolitan.

The clock tower, balcony and richly decorated façade make City Hall a striking landmark on the square.

A flower kiosk among the palms brings colour to the square.

• Ornate buildings around Plaza del Ayuntamiento rise behind the greenery.

Shops, buses, terraces and tall façades meet in the centre.

• Another perspective on the streets around City Hall Square.

From the handlebars, the city unfolds in front of you.

• Combine walking with a bike ride and use cycle paths where available.

The enormous trunk and spreading roots immediately catch the eye.

• Beneath the leafy canopy is a shady place to pause.

The curved Hemisfèric sits beside a blue pool in the City of Arts and Sciences.

• The sculptural Palau de les Arts stands behind it.

Palms, terraces and the beach sit side by side along the promenade.

• A lovely place to exchange city streets for sea air.

Coffee, toast and scrambled eggs on a terrace, with palms and the beach opposite.

• A relaxed seaside pause.

The wooden boardwalk crosses the sand towards the water, passing parasols and loungers.

• Bring enough water and sun protection on sunny days.

The pan holds rice with prawns and shellfish.

• This seafood version rounds off the photo tour; it is not the traditional paella Valenciana.