Art & Design Trips to Valencia

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city and has undergone a major regeneration to emerge as one of the most modern cities in Europe, successfully combining both the old and the new.

The old city, contained within Moorish walls, has a rich architectural history with religious buildings, and palaces that were built over many centuries. In contrast, major projects such as the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences, which includes a planetarium, oceanarium and interactive museum have revamped its cultural infrastructure. It also has several superb beaches and a green ribbon of park winding right through the city, making it one of the best urban destinations for a Spanish language school trip.

 

Curriculum Topics Key Stage 4 & 5

  • Art, Craft and Design
  • Graphic Communication
  • Textile Design
  • Three Dimensional Design
  • Photography

Prices start from£639pp

Popular itinerary

Our sample itinerary provides you with an idea of the visits you can cover during your trip. We can tailor-make an itinerary to support your specific learning outcomes.

Morning Afternoon Evening
1 Depart UK airport for flight to Valencia Transfer to your accommodation & Guided walking tour of the city Evening meal at a local restaurant
2 Visit the City of Arts and Sciences Guided tour of Museum of Las Fallas Valencian Paella meal at a local restaurant
3 Visit Valencia Institute of Modern Art Visit to the Museum of Fine Art Evening meal at a local restaurant
4 Visit to Valencia Cathedral and Bell Tower Transfer to airport for return flight Arrive in the UK
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
Morning Depart UK airport for flight to Valencia
Afternoon Transfer to your accommodation & Guided walking tour of the city
Evening Evening meal at a local restaurant
Morning Visit the City of Arts and Sciences
Afternoon Guided tour of Museum of Las Fallas
Evening Valencian Paella meal at a local restaurant
Morning Visit Valencia Institute of Modern Art
Afternoon Visit to the Museum of Fine Art
Evening Evening meal at a local restaurant
Morning Visit to Valencia Cathedral and Bell Tower
Afternoon Transfer to airport for return flight
Evening Arrive in the UK

Price Shown includes

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  • 3 nights Accommodation
  • Return airport transfers
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Reasons to Visit

City of Arts and Sciences

Now one of the city’s most emblematic new symbols, students can discover here the world of science, nature and art. The eyeball-shaped Hemisferic houses a planetarium, laserium and IMAX theatre, and uses hydraulic lifts to make the building’s eyelids open and close. The centre makes excellent use of interactive games, experiments, theatre, workshops and guided tours to enhance the visit experience.

Fallas Museum

Valencia’s huge annual fiesta is one of the best-known in Spain. Each neighbourhood competes to create the best Fallas- papier-mache figurines- which are then paraded around the town before being burnt. This museum preserves some of the papier mache figurines that are saved from the yearly street festival. The museum also displays photographs , posters and articles showing the history of the festivities.

Valencia Cathedral

A Roman temple stood on this site, then a mosque, before the cathedral was built between the 13th and 15th centuries, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque features. The museum contains a chalice recognised by the Vatican as possibly the original Holy Grail. See paintings by Goya and other major artists before climbing the 207 steps of the Miguelete bell tower for sweeping 360 degree views of the city skyline.

Valencia Institute of Modern Art

This is an impressive permanent collection of 20th century Spanish art. It has seven galleries and includes permanent holdings by Julio González, the catalan artist who collaborated with Picasso. Details of forthcoming exhibitions are given on the gallery’s website. Equally worth noting is the Sala de Muralla, a long, narrow basement gallery which incorporates part of the original city wall, which is often used for temporary photography exhibitions.

Museum of Fine Arts

This is actually one of the most important art museums in Spain, although it keeps quiet about it. Housed in a 17th-century seminary building, it has excellent 14th- to 16th-century collections, as well as works by Velázquez, El Greco and Valencian artists including Sorolla. A new room is dedicated to the museum’s paintings by Francisco de Goya.

National Ceramics Museum

The museum is housed in an 18th-century palace with an opulent alabaster façade. Inside, displays chart the development of ceramics from the Iberian, Greek and Roman periods onwards. The top floor contains a typical Valenciano kitchen, completely covered in azulejo tiling which is well worth a visit.

Patriarch’s Museum

The Patriarch’s Museum is part of the Corpus Christi college and church. The building was founded by the Patriarch and Viceroy San Juan de la Ribera, and conserves a beautiful Renaissance cloister. The Museum contains painting collections from the 16th and 17th centuries and works by Juan de Juanes, El Greco and the primitive Flemish painters.

Jose Benlliure House Museum

The former home of the famous 19th century Valenciano painter has been filled with period furniture and fittings. The highlight is the magical little garden filled with tiles, fountains and shady palms, it’s a delightful oasis in the middle of the city. At the end of the garden is Benlliure's light-filled studio, which contains his magpie collection of ceramics, swords, and artworks.

Mercado Central

Constructed in 1928, Valencia’s central market is one of the most beautiful in all of Spain; a vast Modernista concoction of wrought iron and stained glass, surmounted with cupolas and whimsical weathervanes. The region of Valenciana is not known as Spain’s orchard for nothing and inside you’ll find a breathtaking array of colourful, fresh produce with almost 1,000 stalls to choose from.

Miguelete Bell tower

The Gothic-style Cathedral tower is a symbol of the city. It rises to a height of 50.85 metres, which is also the size of its perimeter. This eight-sided tower owes its name to one of its twelve bells, specifically the bell that marks the hours. The climb up the 207 steps rewards with splendid views over the ancient city.

Day trip to Sagunto

On the coast 16 miles north of Valencia, Sagunto is a town piled onto a hillside under a ruined castle. Occupied by Iberians, Romans, Moors and Christians it is packed with vestiges of this rich history. The Jewish quarter, one of the oldest in Spain, is a dense labyrinth of compact, whitewashed houses, tiny passages and archways.

Day trip to Requena and Torre Oria Winery

Requena is a monumental city in the Ayora Valley and has a wine growing tradition going back many centuries. Underneath the town is an extensive network of caves which have been used in various ways throughout the centuries including storage places and wine cellars. There is a guided visit of the Torre Oria winery with a wine tasting at the end of the visit.

Day trip to Alicante

Although descended upon every year by thousands of tourists, it nevertheless has managed to remain authentic and pleasingly Spanish. Elegant, palm-lined boulevards stretch along the seafront, decorated with colourful azulejo tiles, and the old town is an atmospheric huddle of narrow streets. Must do’s include a visit to the Santa Barbara Medieval fortress, and the Modern Art Museum, that includes works by Dali, Picasso and Miro.

Terra Mitica Theme Park (Alicante)

The leading theme park in the area offering all the usual thrills and spills themed around 5 Mediterranean civilizations. Starting in Ancient Egypt, visitors can see the Pyramid of Keops or slide down the Cataracts of the Nile before heading to Greece, the Land of the Gods, with its huge Olympia theatre. Rome is next, offering the dizzy Flight of the Phoenix and the largest wooden roller coaster in Europe - a guaranteed crowd pleaser!

Serranos Towers

These two imposing towers that guard a narrow gateway are the most spectacular survivors of the medieval city walls. Built in 1392, the towers have been used as a prison for knights and the nobility, and have since become a popular symbol of the city. You  can enjoy splendid views of the city and the river Turia from its terraces.

Bioparc Valencia

Bioparc Valencia is a new generation zoo which aims to immerse its visitors into the wild habitats that have been recreated here: the Savannah, Madagascar and Equatorial Africa. Visitors can enjoy, practically without barriers, spectacular landscapes in which different species co‐exist as they would in nature.

Albufera Lake Boat Trip

Situated south of the city, Albufera is a wetland area that is home to the largest lake in Spain, and is famous for its rice production. Chaperoned by a rice farmer, your group will hear about the history and significance of rice in Albufera, and you will also learn about how the rice is cultivated. Groups will enjoy a boat trip to admire the beautiful scenery and wildlife on the lake.

Visit to an Orange Grove

One of Valencia’s most famous exports is Oranges. Take a trip to visit an Orange grove where groups will receive an educational tour of the groves to learn about how the oranges are grown and cultivated. They will then get the chance to pick their own oranges and mandarins in order to make their own fresh orange juice!

Sant Josep Caves

Located in a National Park are the caves of San Jose.  Take a boat trip along the longest navigable underground river in Europe which is one of the most extraordinary activities that the region of Valencia has to offer.   The cavity emerged through the erosion of limestone which has been shaping stalactites and stalagmites for thousands of years.  This pleasant boat ride accompanied by a guide will lead you through more than 2km that have been explored up to now.


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