Located on the sunny Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a perfect icon of life on the Iberian peninsula. Discover the history and culture of Spain’s third largest city with a local, private guide on our Half Day Highlights Tour, perfect if you’re visiting for a short time or if you want to get a feel for our wonderful city. Our half day tours give you the opportunity to explore with a local guide while leaving plenty of time for food, shopping, or simply getting lost in the winding streets of the Ciutat Vella – the Old City.

Valencia, like any town in Spain, has its own local festivities. Fallas festival, from March 15th to March 19th, every year, is one of the wildest and artistically interesting festivals in all of Spain. With its origins in the middle ages, Fallas celebrates the coming of the spring, when the local carpenters would celebrate their patron saint, Saint Joseph, whose feast day is on March 19. They would throw out wood no longer needed and make bonfires in their towns and neighborhoods. Nowadays, those bonfires are made out of elaborate flammable light-weight plaster and styrofoam-like material which are put up or ‘planted’ only 5 days earlier. Artists and Fallas clubs work on these giant effigies all year long, sometimes as tall as 5-story buildings, depicting life in Valencia, the world or satirizing politics and society. They are only viewable those 5 days before they burn, so make sure you book your knowledgeable Fallas guide to make the most out of seeing as many of the 700 artistic works that you can. 

Other elements you will see on your walking tour are the parade of women, men and children in traditional silk outfits, carrying flowers to an image of the Virgin of the Helpless and you will see this urban garden come to life over a 2 days. At 2pm every day for the whole month of March until Mar. 19th, you will also see the ‘Mascletá’ or firework show in the middle of the day, which is supposed to be heard and felt, not necessarily seen. At night there are fabulous fireworks that are viewed along Valencia’s old riverbed. Thousands of visitors from all around the world come into Valencia for this fabulous festival, so it is best to get a guide, to show you the ins and outs, what to see, not get lost or too overwhelmed and to have a fabulous time.

Duration: 4 hours

Meeting Point: City Center

Because of the nature of Fallas, we can not drive anywhere in the city center during much of March, so please inquire. If your hotel is in the center, we can meet you there or will suggest a central point that you can easily get to by taxi or walking.

Depending on how much walking you would like to do, will determine how many Fallas displays we can see, but generally we would see at least 5, as well as pass by the most famous of historical monuments to visit as well. 

Inclusions:

• Private, fully bilingual and local guide 
• Entrance into one (1) museum or monument of your choice
• Entrances to one large Falla (where applicable)
• Energetic, passionate and involved descriptions to get you totally immersed in our history and culture.
• Commitment to total client satisfaction pre-tour, touring and post-tour service.

Exclusions:

• Food and beverages
• Gratuity (optional)