Located in the heart of the old town area of Valencia is Plaza de la Reina. This is a pretty square, with flowers in the middle, and cafes, restaurants and grand buildings around the edge. The one thing you can't help but notice when you are in the square is the Cathedral and bell tower, which stand at its northern end. Just off the square, at the south west end, is the small Plaza Santa Catalina, where you can visit Iglesia de Santa Catalina.

The Plaza de la Virgen sits on the site that once was the forum of Roman Valencia. It is surrounded by impressive buildings and home to lots of pigeons. You can't miss the impressive Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados on the eastern side of the square, and on the western side is the Gothic Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of government for the Valencia region. Also in the square there are some cafes with plenty of outside seating for the obligatory people watching. In the centre of the square is a fabulous fountain which represents the irrigation of the Turia River. We recommend to sit at the edge of the fountain for a while and watched kids chase the pigeons, enjoying the sense of community in the square.

The Balneario La Alameda has opened its doors to the public in Valencia. After a meticulous process of refurbishment, the spa was inaugurated in the old Casa de la Lactancia, which is extremely close to the 600 metre deep, 42 ºC thermal spring. As a modernistic palace built at the beginning of the 20 th century to host the 1909 Valencia Regional Exhibition, the Casa de La Lactancia remains one of the most unique buildings in the city.

The building includes more than 2000 square metres, which have been distributed between three floors. A wide range of services are on offer, including a terrace, gardens, solarium, thermal club, gym and nursery. The Alameda Spa boasts the latest in technical infrastructure in order to offer the very best in health and relaxation thermal treatments, such as Roman baths, thermal baths, mud wraps, electrotherapy, spraying, etc. For further information, visit: www.balneariolaalameda.com

Take a relaxing boat trip around Valencia's port, the biggest commercial port in Spain. The price of around 10 Euro included a light lunch and the trip lasted for about an hour. Ok if you like ports and shipping but I would have preferred to walk on the beach! Walk to the port area and they are moored alongside the quay.