One beautiful Spanish city – voted the best place to live in 2022 – is the ultimate March escape, with 20C heat and £4 wine. The charming thing, as with many Spanish cities, is just how walkable everything is. Within a tiny radius, you can traipse around food markets, ogle at ancient architecture, and kick back with a sangria in hand on the beach.
When you add that to the fact an average meal sets you back €13.25 (£11.09), a bottle of wine is around €5 (£4.18), and the morning coffee is just € 2.04 (£1.71), according to transfer platform Wise, it’s easy to see why Valencia was voted the best place to live by Forbes. One of the first stops should be the old town, where you can check out a momentous piece of Christian history at the Valencia Cathedral – the Holy Grail – which archaeological studies claim could be the chalice used by Jesus in the Last Supper.
The beautiful Cathedral is a mix of Gothic, Romanesque and Baroque styles, and if you’re up for it, climb the Miguelete Tower for a spectacular panoramic view of the city.
Just a short walk away, you’ll find the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Silk Exchange ( La Lonja de la Seda), which was the heart of Valencia’s bustling silk trade in the 15th century.
The building is a true masterpiece of Gothic architecture, with impressive columns, intricate stonework and a stunning ceiling worth craning your neck for.
Truly an outdoor city – you’ll see locals drinking coffee on sunny plazas in true Mediterranean style – make sure you walk through the beautiful Turia Gardens, which were once a riverbed and now one of Spain’s largest urban parks.
Valencia also boasts 20km of blue-flag beaches, where some of the best Paella restaurants can be found. All you have to decide is whether to walk to nearby Cabanyal or Malvarrosa, or cycle further afield to beaches like El Saler.
If paella shockingly isn’t your thing, the Central Market has a huge variety of fresh produce, as well as tapas, the ripest olives you can taste, and fresh seafood.
