Audio Guide: Valencia Introduction Walking Tour (Self Guided), Valencia

Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, has been around since 138 BC, when it was founded by the Romans as a colony for battle-tested veterans. Known then as Valentia, which means “valor,” it honored the courage of its first inhabitants. The city was destroyed in 75 BC by Pompey the Great, but was rebuilt within a century, later becoming home to Visigoths and then the Moors, who transformed the region with new crops, gardens, and irrigation systems still admired today. In 1238, Aragonese Christians took control, declaring Valencia the capital of their kingdom.

The 15th century marked a true Golden Age for the city, as trade with the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and the wider Mediterranean fueled immense growth, leaving behind some serious architectural evidence. By the century’s end, Valencia ranked among Europe’s largest cities. A striking reminder of this prosperity is the magnificent Silk Exchange, a Gothic masterpiece now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The city’s historic center is packed with highlights. Valencia Cathedral houses what many believe to be the Holy Grail, while its Miguelete Tower rewards those who climb it with sweeping views over the rooftops. Nearby, Queen’s Plaza and Virgin's Plaza offer lively places to pause, people-watch, and take in the surrounding architecture. Meanwhile, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken adds devotion, tradition, and a very Valencian sense of ceremony.

Valencia also knows how to impress with civic grandeur. Town Hall Plaza is one of the city’s great gathering places, framed by elegant buildings and animated by daily urban life. The Town Hall itself brings official elegance as a symbol of local pride, while the North Railway Station, just a few blocks away, dazzles with colorful ceramics, mosaics, and Art Nouveau details that make arriving by train feel quite glamorous.

More decorative drama continues inside the National Museum of Ceramics, housed in the lavish Palace of the Marquis of Dos Aguas, where the ornate façade is almost an exhibit in itself. For local flavor, the Central Market offers a feast of colors, chatter, spices, fresh produce, and everyday Valencian energy fit to wake up even the sleepiest of travelers.

And when you need a breath of fresh air, the Turia Garden steps in. Set in a former riverbed, it stretches through the city like a long green ribbon, linking neighborhoods, museums, bridges, and parks.

Indeed, with so much to see, Valencia is not a city to rush. Just put on your walking shoes and let it show off a little. With the GPSmyCity app as your guide, this self-guided tour turns every step into a discovery—and every corner into one more reason to keep walking...