Valencia - Spain, Europe

Old and new Spain sit enticingly side by side along the Mediterranean coast in the region of Valencia and the Costa Blanca. Nowhere is the gracious past more sweetly savoured. And in no spot can you enjoy more pleasures tailor-made for the modern vacation traveller.

The region’s largest city, Valencia traces its roots back to prehistoric times, when humankind first settled in this fertile spot. Indeed, to this day the city and its surroundings seem a veritable Eden, lush with palms, pomegranates, almond, olive, and lemon trees. The legendary Spanish hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known as El Cid, battled the Moorish rulers here in the 11th century AD. The epic poem that chronicled his great exploits described Valencia as ‘the luminous city’, words still proven true today by the way the golden sun plays across its elegant old towers. Thanks to its balmy Mediterranean climate, Valencia’s seems equally radiant after dark, with a nightlife centred on its many outdoor cafes and other gathering spots.

Following the coast southwest from Valencia and connected by a modern autoroute and swift train service, the Costa Blanca, or ‘white coast’, meanders playfully through an assortment of beach vacation destinations to suit any taste, from such charming villages as Altea, Calpe, and Javea; to historic harbour towns like Murcia and Denia, which have embraced tourism while safeguarding the past; to modern developments that seem almost exclusively devoted to sunbathing by day and nightclubbing after dark, epitomised by the highrise-lined strand of Benidorm.

Whichever particular destination you choose in the region of Valencia and the Costa Blanca, you can be assured of a gracious welcome and the opportunity to sample the many different facets of this delightfully varied part of Spain. Your wisest strategy is to settle in comfortably for a good, long stay that provides you with the chance to enjoy it all.