Valencia, Spain Travel Guide
AHHHH I can’t believe it. It feels like I just got back from Ireland and now I am already back home again from Spain AND now I need to pack for Europe again!!
This blog post is going to be all about Valencia, Spain and I don’t know if it is just because it is fresh on my mind and I haven’t been to Spain since 2019, but it was definitely my favorite trip / city in Spain! Before this, I went on a trip to Spain and hit up a TON of cities (including Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Zaragoza, Malaga, and more).
You may be wondering why the heck I am traveling so much and so close together… so here’s the story!
I am a full time wedding + elopement photographer and I do destinations (international, USA, and of course where I live in Kentucky). In February I was so blessed to photograph an elopement in Dublin, Ireland (click here for that blog post). Then, on March 21st I got to shoot a FULL WEDDING DAY in Spain at the most beautiful venue I have ever seen (and I am not exaggerating)!! I will be writing more on this below under day 2! All in all, the reason I was in Spain was because I got flown out to shoot a wedding, but I decided to bring one of my friends with me and make a trip out of it while I was there because why not?!
One of the reasons I think that I really loved this trip to Spain is because we were on our own. Last time, I went with a tour group of people in their 20s and though it as an awesome experience and we had so much fun / I made a lot of friends, it was just really nice to make our own schedule and decide when and if we wanted to sick to it!! Another thing that was really nice is we only stayed in one Airbnb the entire time! Every single time I have been to Europe I try and cram in as much as possible, but it was soooo nice to just stay in one place and feel more like a local than trying to run around to different cities everyday! Okay, let’s dive in..
Day 1 – Flight Day
Our flight out of Lexington, KY left around 2pm which was nice because we got to sleep in. WARNING: this was a rough flight schedule but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. From Lexington we flew to Atlanta, from Atlanta, to Paris which is where it started getting wild! On our long flight from ATL to Paris, which was around 8 hours, they gave us dinner (which was actually so good) + snacks and drinks + breakfast (this was all included in the ticket price). On top of that, they also gave us a pillow and blanket and offered headphones and a sleep mask. I slept less than three hours but it honestly went by so fast and really isn’t as bad as you would think! Our flight from ATL was delayed, so our lay over in Paris was even shorter than it should be which resulted in us having to run through the airport. We also had to go through customs / passport control AND security again since we were entering a new country. I had my liquids in my carry on roller bag because that is fine to do in the USA… but once we got to Paris I had to stop and take them all out and it was a mess lol. The lay over was super stressful are we BARELY made our flight from Paris to Valencia.
Once we arrived in Valencia, we did something that was SO HELPFUL, so make sure to do this if you go!! We took the metro directly from the airport to downtown and instead of buying a one time pass or whatever, we got a 3 day visitor card for only 25 Euros that allowed us to travel unlimited amount of times on the metro!! It also gave us a free glass of wine and tapas at a restaurant and discounts to major attractions and we even got in free to some because of the card! It was sooo cheap for the amount of money we saved by using it!
I will never forget Chandlers reaction whenever we came out of the metro (which was underground) into the heart of the city – it was her first time ever in Europe! Anywhere I have went in Europe is just so stunning and different from here in the USA and no matter how many times I visit I am always in awe!
When we got there we immediately went to our Airbnb to do a luggage drop off so that we didn’t have to carry everything around (BTW most places will let you do this, you just have to ask)! I can’t brag enough about the place we stayed. It was in the PERFECT and I mean perfect location!! It is perfect for two people and even had a cute little balcony… here’s the view!
After this, we walked around and just stumbled upon a cute place to eat!! We got a 3 course meal for $15 and it was SOOOO good!!! I was already instantly thriving like as soon as we got there. If you want the live action videos, go over to my Tiktok because I posted like 5 vlogs a day haha. I was truly living my best life. Something to note about Europe is thatI have never seen somewhere that gives refills… you have to be careful and pace your drink or it will all be gone (even water)! OH and water is the price of pop at most places and is served with a glass and a glass bottle.
Our next stop was Starbucks because we had been traveling for over 20 hours with less than 3 hours of sleep so we needed some caffeine assistance! I am really only adding this is because they didn’t have cold brew or cold foam so I was standing there speechless when it was time to order hahah and the spelling of our names was so funny. Honestly though, with my country accent she wasn’t wrong is the thing…
With our fuel in hand, we walked / took the metro around the city to sight see! Everywhere you look it beautiful here. We ended up going to the Science and Art Museum (link here for more info) . It is pictured above with the pretty water – you an even paddle board there and stuff too!
Next up was SHOPPING hehe. Honestly, on my next trip I think I am going to under pack to allow myself to shop more while I am there! We ended up at Zara, of course and went into local shops and I got the cutest pair of earrings from this local shop!!
Once we got back to where we were staying it was already dark and we were tired… don’t hate on us but we ended up eating McDonalds (we tried the local options though) because in Europe dinner or really any meal takes like 1.5-2 hours. The service is very slow paced and not rushed and by that time we were like we have to shower and get in bed (again, videos of all this – including the food, are on my Tiktok)!
Day 2- Wedding Day!!!!
AHHHHH it’s wedding day!! The whole reason we were here and it was the most magical day ever and I am not sure if I will ever stop posting pictures from this!!!
The wedding was a little out in the country which I was so happy about because the views were AMAZING! Because of this we had to take a bus out of the city, and then a taxi from the bus stop to the venue! Even the walk to the bus stop we saw so many pretty things!
Here is a link to the blog post to see ALL my favorite Spain wedding pictures from this day!!
The wedding day was SOOOO magical. They had their closest friends and family there and it was so apparent their families were so close and so loving! I can’t even begin to explain how amazing this day was… but pictures are worth 1000 words right?! So, here is the blog post that shows all about it!
Day 3 – Exploring Valencia!!
We spent the whole day exploring the city and it was so much fun! We went to some monuments (like the Torres de Serrano) and the Church of San Nicholas (which btw, Chandler said was the peak of her trip)! It was really awesome.. it is nicknamed the Sistine Chapel of Valencia for a reason!! We ate a great 3 course breakfast outside in the sunshine and it was simply amazing. The weather and atmosphere here was 10/10!!
I have been studying Spanish and taking a call at the Carnegie Center in Lexington… I was only a few classes in, but I have also been learning on my phone and it was SO cool to be able to speak a little to the locals – I think they appreciated the effort even when I didn’t say something perfectly!
We also had to stop for a mid-day snack break… the churros and chocolate were amazing! The city at night is just as beautiful (pictures below) and I ate some Paella, which is the traditional dish of Spain and it is SO good!!! I always like to try the native food when I am places! We ended the night with this amazing dinner + view (PS they eat dinner SO late in Spain.. I am talking like 9pm which was a big adjustment for me)!
Day 4 – Our Final Day in Valencia
Starting off by saying, I almost cried because I didn’t want to leave!!! This is one of my favorite places I have been and I just loved everything about it!
We ate an awesome breakfast at Dulce de Leche – A MUST DO! Then we went to the Marina Beach Club which is also a MUST!!! It was sooo beautiful. You can sit by the pool and have a drink / eat some good food and read / listen to music. It was amazing. Then we did some shopping at Zara of course (and I bought this jacket) and got some gelato (of course)! Next, we climbed to the top of the church bell tower (which turned out to be harder than anticipated lol) ate dinner and ended the night by the Neptune fountain (which is a cool happening place – there are always people there and its so fun)!
Day 5 – Flight Home
We woke up at 2am to head back to the airport and home! We were the only ones out on the street which was wild to see because it was always so busy!
All in all, we had the BEST time in Valencia, Spain. I will never forget the opportunity I got to photograph a wedding in Spain + the amazing week that Chandler and I had!!!
Goodbye to Spain for now, but I definitely will be back!!
Here is a link to the Airbnb that we stayed in – it was in an amazingggg location, like couldn’t have asked for a better one and a good size for only 2 people!
Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts and / or questions!!!
