Dating back to the Middle Ages, the Ciutat Vella or Barri del Carme (Barrio del Carmen) is a charming maze of streets and squares, with its core the Plaça de la Verge (Plaza de la Virgen), site of the 13th-century Gothic Santa Maria Cathedral. On the other side of the cathedral on the Plaça d'Ajuntament, with its mid-18th-century Ajuntament (city hall) a mix of styles ranging from original neoclassic to neo-baroque and neo-Renaissance era, and across from it the ornate, early-20th-century post office building. Anchored by a Tbeautiful circular fountain in its centre, the square is also the site of the mascletà, when tens of thousands of Valencians and visitors from all over the world gather to watch the spectacular Falles fireworks. On the old town's western edge, the Llotija de la Seda (Silk Exchange) is an extremely atmospheric Gothic building finished in the mid-16th century designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a reminder of the city's importance and economic power during that era.

Read more in Tripatini contributor David Lammer´s post 7 Essential Places to Visit on a School Trip to Valencia, Spain.

Felivet