Valencia: City Guide
Came for the citrus, would stay for titaina!
Although you may have heard of Valencia for its bountiful citrus, there are many more local specialties to taste and beautiful architecture to see. As it turns out, pumpkin is a key ingredient here and that I have competition for my extreme love of cinnamon?
As always, you can find my travel video highlights in specific folders on my IG and TikTok.
I flew to Valencia with my friend Nicola Lamb for the purpose of visiting the Todoli Foundation. This citrus farm is well-worth the half day trip to taste different varieties, learn about their history and immerse yourself in the beautiful surroundings. Back in Valencia, the streets are still lined with citrus trees (a feature of the city I did not expect upon arrival!) but the restaurant and bakery menus strangely don’t feature the fruit as much as I had anticipated.
After doing a full deep dive on the Valencian region and asking some friends in Madrid that have lived there previously, I came to realize that there are so many local traditions I was fully unaware of. That’s when I began compiling my list of what to do, see and especially, what to taste…
Top Three Recommendations
Todoli Foundation - This is the citrus foundation I visited in Palmera. You’ll need to rent a car and drive about an hour to arrive but it is well worth it! Valencia is known around the world for its citrus (ever heard of valencia orange?) so this is a must when visiting the city even if you’re only there for a few days. With over 400 varieties, the domain is visually astonishing with its hues of oranges, yellows and green. The guided tour includes numerous taste tests of not only pulp, but the pith and peel as well! Absolutely fascinating.
Casa Carmela - If you’re going to eat paella anywhere in the world it should be in Valencia, its birthplace. This famous paella restaurant by the beach is extremely popular amongst locals and tourists alike so make sure to book in advance! The establishment is 100 years old and located in the traditional neighborhood of Malvarrosa, so allocate some time to walk around its surroundings. Read more about the history and etymology below under paella.
Horchateria Daniel - Horchata and farton (tiger nut milk and its accompanying pastry) are the iconic duo of Valencia. While you can read about their history separately on this newsletter (I did quite a big deep dive on their history and simply had to share), make sure to pick at least one spot to try them both together when in Valencia. There are numerous horchaterias across the city but Horchateria Daniel was my personal favorite as the tiger nut milk was lighter, fresher and the Farton was more brioche-like so it really soaked up all of the juices. You can find my longer list of recs below.
Similar to my South Africa guide, rather than telling you exactly where you should eat, I have suggested some foods you should try below instead. I would love to keep these city guides as relevant as possible and while restaurants come and go, tradition remains. The bites below are all pertinent to local tradition… taste, history and suggestions below: