The Art & Culture of Valencia

Day 1 – Valencia guided tour

Scheduled flight to Valencia from your preferred airport – transfer with our professional tour manager in our private executive coach to the 4* Ayre Hotel Astoria Palace – after lunch a guided walking tour of Valencia, Spain’s third largest city, takes in the 13th century cathedral, the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the city’s triangular main square and home to the town hall, the Old Silk Exchange (La Lonja de la Seda) and the Colegio del Patriarca, built in the mid-16th century.

Day 2 – José Benlliure Museum & Paella lunch

Dedicated to the life and times of this famous Valencian painter, the José Benlliure Museum also displays his personal collection of art, and recreates the atmosphere of a middle to high class bourgeoisie home during the time of the Spanish Restoration – enjoy an included Paella lunch at a typical rural Valencian restaurant followed by a horse and carriage ride through the surrounding farmland.

Day 3 – City of Arts and Sciences complex & Museo de Bellas Artes

Half day guided tour of the City of Arts and Sciences complex, a futuristic ‘city within a city’ made up of five main areas: the Hemisfèric (IMAX cinema and digital projections), the Umbracle (a landscaped vantage point), the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum (interactive science), the Oceanográfic (aquarium) and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (operatic and ballet programmes) – guided tour of the Museo de Bellas Artes renowned for its collection of primitive Valencian painters plus works by El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo and Goya.

Day 4 – Sagunto & Palau de la Musica

Morning guided tour of Sagunto, a walled and fortified town 25km outside Valencia, contemplates the town’s history including the bloody siege by Hannibal in the 3rd century BC which set in motion the Second Punic War and the several reminders of the Roman occupation – on our return to Valencia in the afternoon we stop at the port to view the Palau de la Musica, Valencia’s prestigious concert hall.

Day 5 – Museo de la Cerámica

Located in the 15th century Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas, the Museo de la Cerámica contains an important collection of ceramics including prehistoric, Roman, Greek and Arab items and contemporary works including some by Picasso – transfer to the airport for our scheduled flight back home.