We enjoyed wandering around old Valencia. The old quarter of town is relatively compact, with wall murals and orange trees providing a more intimate complement to the grander churches and monuments.
The centre of the old town is dominated by Valencia’s cathedral (open Tuesday to Sunday 7:30am to 1pm and 4:30 to 6pm) and the neighbouring Basilica of the Virgen (open daily 7am to 2pm and 6:30 to 9pm). We visited both late on a Sunday morning, when there was standing room only during the church service. We stood quietly, admired the beautifully-painted ceilings, listened to the rhythms of the service, and watched the congregation drifting in and out. As you might expect, the Basilica of the Virgen houses a statue of the Virgin and apparently it was to her that the Valencia soccer team gave thanks when they won a European soccer cup last year.
Next to the Basilica of the Virgen, is Valencia’s cathedral. The cathedral claims to house the "true" holy grail and this is displayed in its own side chapel. The cup (behind protective glass) in itself looks small and insignificant, but clearly it is much more important than that. We enjoyed sitting for a while, admiring the cup and the interesting wall murals in the chapel.
Another architectural highlight of old Valencia is the Lonja – the old silk exchange (open: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 2pm and 4:30 to 8:30pm, Sunday 10am to 3pm). It is mainly a beautiful, big stone room, supported by pillars carved like rolls of fabric. The carved people (many playing imaginative musical instruments) and animals on the door frames and walls made for energetic decoration, and we enjoyed the peaceful calm of the orange-and-vegetable garden out the back. The Lonja’s chapel was closed ("until the summer") when we were there.
Random strolling around old Valencia threw up occasional surprises. As well as beautiful ceramic wall murals and shrines, we saw trompe d’oiel painted people sitting in windows and grotesque Fallas party costumes on sale in the small Fallas costume shop. We could imagine the occasional parks and orange trees providing much-appreciated shade during the summer months, and the fountain in front of the Cathedral was a focus point for weekend meeting and promenading.