Valencia Old Town & Holy Grail Walking Tour

Valencia's old town, Ciutat Vella, is a maze of narrow streets, small squares and old churches, and this walk with a local guide strings its highlights together.

You start at the cathedral, which blends Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical styles. Its chapel of the Holy Chalice displays the Valencia Chalice, an agate cup venerated as the Holy Grail and kept in the cathedral since 1437; Pope Benedict XVI used it at Mass in Valencia in 2006. Next to it rises the Micalet, the octagonal bell tower that gives the best views over the rooftops.

From Plaza de la Virgen you walk on to the Silk Exchange (La Lonja de la Seda), with its twisting stone columns, and the Central Market, a modernist hall full of fruit, ham and rice stalls. The route ends at the Torres de Serranos, the 14th-century city gate on the old Turia riverbed. Your guide will point you to the best places for paella and a glass of horchata.