Located midway up the Spanish coast on the eastern side, Valencia is one of Spain’s historical cities with its rich 2000 year old history and charm. It is noted for its commercial enterprises and agricultural wealth, a progressive city in many respects, which still retains its links to the past in its architecture and streets.
Why should you choose Valencia as a holiday destination? This is actually quite a difficult question to answer, not for lack of things to say but for the difficulty in knowing what to promote first. Valencia can best be described as a mysterious blend of Madrid’s vibrancy, Barcelona’s friendly people and Seville’s laid back beach style, all mixed together and topped off with tasty paella, the Holy Grail and the legendary El Cid!
Valencia has a well constructed road and rail network and the infrastructure to support both. The train system in Valencia is operated by RENFE; the main station in Valencia is the Estacion del Nord located on Jativa, next to the bull ring and very central to old Valencia. You can go just about anywhere in Spain from this main train station; you can buy your tickets and pick up a schedule at the station.
The Valencia train station is a very interesting building dating back to 1917; an imposing structure of neo-gothic influence well worth a visit. The station houses a kaleidoscope of Valencian mosaics and ceramics centering on the Valencian countryside theme and providing visitors with a unique glimpse of the local culture. Even if you don’t plan on traveling through Spain by train, a visit to the Valencia Estacion should be on your list of must see places.
If you plan to drive to the station to take a train to another part of Spain, you will find parking for station visitors’ right at the site of the station. However, if you need to return your rental car, you need to be extra alert to spot the signs for rental car returns. If you fail to find what you are looking for, simply park at the main station parking lot and go into the station to ask for directions; the car rental drop off office is sure to help you.
The Valencia Estacion has a rather straightforward layout and finding your way around the place will not be a problem. You will come upon the ticketing windows first, ticket in hand you pass on into the waiting area. A big sign announces the arrivals and departures of the trains together with the platform number. If in doubt about what is being said, ask people for help; the Valencianos are a very helpful lot of people.
The Valencia Estacion is a very large edifice with the information office at the end of the ticketing booths on the right. To gain access to the stations higher numbered platforms you will have to wall down the right side from the main entrance of the station to the back and get to the outside of the station. In other words you walk all the way down to the end of the building and take a right.
