The City
Valencia, meaning “strength and valour” , was named after the Roman practice of recognizing the valour of former Roman soldiers after a war. The charming, old city of Valencia is the capital of the Old Kingdom of Valencia province of Spain. The city’s metropolitan area has about 2 300 000 people and 1 560 000 in the urban areas, making it the most densely populated town in the region.
Tourism
Valencia, formerly known as an industrial city, has rapidly developed into a touristic city since mid-1990’s. This vibrant city is popular because of the old restored landmarks, monasteries, beaches and numerous convention centers and 5 star hotels.
Airport
The Valencia Airport, also known as Manises Airport, is situated about 9km from the city center. It is the 8th busiest airport in Spain and in 2010 about 4.9 million passed through the airport.
Airlines
The following airlines offer flights to Valencia from Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Durban or Cape Town:
- Air France (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein)
- BMI (Johannesburg)
- British Airways (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
- Egyptair (Johannesburg)
- Emirates (Cape Town, Durban
- Iberia (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
- KLM (Cape Town)
- Lufthansa (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
- SAA (Johannesburg, Durban, Bloemfontein)
- Swiss Air (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein)
- Turkish Airlines (Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein)
- Virgin Atlantic (Johannesburg, Cape Town)
What to see / do
- El Puerto y La Playa
- Jardin Botanico
- La Catedral
- Palau de les Arts
- Plaza del Mercado
- Torres de Serranos
Events
- Falles Festival
- Feast of Corpus Christi
- Tomatina de Bunol
- Valencia July Fair
General Info
Weather
The city experiences a Mediterranean climate with annual temperatures of about 17.8°C during the day and 13.3°C at night. Summers are hot and humid with temperatures averaging between 30 and 40 °C. Winters have mild temperatures, but too cold to tan at the beach.


