The Best Places to Photograph in València
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
València
I instantly loved València, with its rich history, the scent of orange blossoms in the air, and paella that lived up to the hype. But nothing prepared me for the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències). Standing beneath its futuristic white structures, reflections moving in the water, I felt like I had stepped into a sci-fi film. And yes, it’s massive.
I’ve chosen València to visit for a number of reasons, one I wanted a bit more warmth in February (not hard living in the UK), to take some photos of the architecture and some other photos for a project I am working on and also due to the fact that the The Fallascelebrations were starting with the Opening Night (La Crida) being held on the Sunday I was there.
For this trip I went away with both the Leica M6 and M11 with 50mm and 35mm lens.
València photography: what makes the city so good to shoot
Valencia is one of the most underrated cities in Spain for photography. You get futuristic architecture at the City of Arts and Sciences, faded colour and street life in El Carmen and Ruzafa, and soft Mediterranean light that stays kind well into the evening. Below are my favourite photo spots, including a few hidden gems most visitors walk straight past.
Quick Overview of The Trip
Day One: Landed, checked in and headed to Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències for an hour.
Day Two: Spend time wandering round Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències and headed to the Old City of Valencia (Ciutat Vella) to see Mercat Central (The Central Market) and The Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir before going to Playa de la Malvarrosa to see the ocean for a bit of relaxing time. I finished the day again at Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències to eat at Contrapunto Les Arts.
Day Three: I headed into the Old City again to see a few different sites such as Cathedral, Miguelete, La Lonja (The Silk Exchange) and climbing the Serranos Towers.
Travelling with Film in a Camera
Lesson learned: Never leave film in your camera at airport security. I had taken five frames on Ilford HP5 400, but there was no time to finish the roll. Now, I’m left wondering, will my shots survive, or did I just create five artistic, foggy messes. I’ve not developed it yet so don’t know what it will look like but from what I have read at this ISO it shouldn’t really impact, but we will see. So if you can plan ahead better than me finish your film as if you take film unused security will put out round the scanner to prevent damage but not if it’s in the camera.
Where I stayed Airbnb
Accommodation wise the Airbnb was great as it was 20min walk to Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, very clean and spacious with everything you needed to cook. Two minutes walk from the apartment I was in a lovey cafe called Liaopastel (excellent cakes) and a supermarket where I did a quick shop for some items that cost less than 12 euro.
The only thing about this Airbnb that would make me reconsider booking again, was the road it was on had a very busy bus service that was noisy into the late of the night.
Capturing València’s Futuristic Wonderland — Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Just incase you don’t know anything about The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciè it translates to City of Arts and Sciences. It is a futuristic complex that includes the Hemisfèric (IMAX and planetarium), Museu de les Ciències (science museum), Oceanogràfic (Europe’s largest aquarium), Palau de les Arts (an opera house), Ágora (event space), and the Montolivet Bridge. It been featured in shows such as Andor, Dr Who and Westworld.
After checking in, it was a quick 20min walk and I was at the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències. There was not much sunlight left so after an hour taking some black and white iPhone long exposure images, I grabbed something to eat and headed back to the apartment.
I really enjoy using the app called spectre for long exposures as its means your carrying less with it being Ana app on the phone. The app gives you a 3 sec option to play with for free and if you pay for the upgrade you get up to 30secs, its about £2.99 from memory.
On the second day the weather was glorious (the third day was too) so I wandered down to Ciutat de les Arts i les CiènciesI early to try beat the crowds.
I don’t think in all honestly that you can take a bad photo here as there’s so many different aspects to photo, especially when it's sunny as you get the white of the structures really glowing, the reflections in the water and then there’s the shadows the light causes.
On this trip, I’ve focused heavily on the architecture, which has me considering a Zeiss 28mm or 25mm lens for the wider view. The 28mm gets great reviews and works seamlessly with the M11’s frame lines, but on the M6, I’d need an external viewfinder—making the 25mm a more tempting choice.
Switching from a Canon 5D MkIV to a Leica system also means rethinking filters. I loved using Lee filters to refine shots in-camera, but now I need ones that fit Leica lenses. While I use the Spectre app for long exposures, I miss the quality of my Canon setup.
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Reflection of the Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe in the water
Air Raid Shelters From the Spanish Civil War
So top of my list of things to do was to see some of the Air raid shelters that were used in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). I went to two different ones that are located at these addresses:
Refugio Carrer de Dalt 37
Refugio Serranos, Carrer dels Serrans
If you want to see more of the air raid shelters then click here to find out more and the address.
When I was looking at Refugio Carrer de Dalt 37 and taking photos, a local man who works for Refugio very kindly asked if I want to see inside the shelter and gave me a tour so I got to experience the full aspects of the shelter which is now used for a club house for the streets Fallas Festival Association.
I was told that the city was bombed over 400 times by the Italians supporting Franco, killing over 800 people and destroying more than 900 buildings. Whilst I didn't get to go in the second air raid shelter I do know from information at the sites that these shelters can hold hundreds of people when needed.
Hidden Gems & Must-See Spots in València
Other things I’d encourage you all to do is visit the following places:
Old City of Valencia and just wander round to take in the buildings such as
Valencia Cathedral and the Holy Chalice
El Micalet (The Cathedral bell tower)
Basílica de la Mare de Déu dels Desemparats
Plaça de la Mare de Déu which is a beautiful square were you can see the above
Torres de Serranos
La Lonja (The Silk Exchange)
The Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir (right at the back of The Silk Exchange)
Mercat Central (The Central Market)
Playa de la Malvarrosa (the beach)
Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia
Parc Natural de l’Albufera (which I didn’t get round to doing sadly but I’ve linked the page)
Best Valencia Instagram Spots
València is one of those cities where almost every corner photographs well, but a handful of spots consistently stand out if you're chasing that perfect shot for Instagram.
Top of the list is the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, the white curves of the Hemisfèric and the reflections across the water are made for golden hour. In the old city, the Plaça de la Mare de Déu is a favourite, with the Cathedral, El Micalet bell tower and the Basílica all framed within one square.
Mercat Central is another strong option if you like colour and life in your photos, the stained glass, ironwork and stalls piled with produce give you plenty to work with. For something quieter, the arches and courtyard of La Lonja (The Silk Exchange) are wonderfully photogenic and far less crowded than the main tourist spots. And if you're there for sunset, head to Playa de la Malvarrosa, it's a proper local beach and a nice contrast to the futuristic architecture across the rest of the city.
Where to Eat in València
100% you must try the local food, I had Seafood Paella at Gran Mercat and was very impressed. The Tapas that was coming out for other customer looked just as good too.
I also ate at Contrapunto Les Arts where I had the Catch of the day with cauliflower sauce and vegetables with a dessert of Cheesecake with toffee and sugared pistachios which was incredible.
Best Valencia Street Photography Spots
If you enjoy street photography, València's old city (Ciutat Vella) is where you'll want to spend most of your time. The narrow streets around Barrio del Carmen are full of life, colour and street art, and make for great candid shots any time of day.
Mercat Central is brilliant for street photography too for market scenes, vendors and locals going about their day give you a completely different feel to the architectural shots elsewhere in the city. Wandering between Torres de Serranos and Plaça de la Mare de Déu, you'll also pass through some quieter backstreets where daily life carries on regardless of the tourists, this is ideal if you prefer a more observational, documentary style. I shot these on my Leica M11, and honestly the old city is exactly the kind of place a rangefinder was made for quick, quiet and unobtrusive.
Final Thoughts
The warmth of the sun in València was greatly needed and I will 100% be considering other city break like València at this time of year for some sun moving forward.
València rewards both the keen observer and the spontaneous explorer. I loved the scent of orange blossoms in Lonja de la Seda’s garden, the hum of markets in the old city, all the plazas you come across and it’s buildings at the futuristic Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, where it seemed every corner offered the chance to take an amazing image in the sunlight.
If you want great tradition paella there’s no better place!
To find out about what you can do in València then I’d recommend visiting the Visit València website.
And if you have you visited Valencia? Share your favourite spots in the comments.
If you love Spain and you're planning more time there, I've also put together a guide for Andalucía in 7 Days which covers things to do and places to photo in Malaga and Seville so is worth building into your route.
