You've just arrived in València for a holiday or a weekend break. You can expect to enjoy the good weather and try an authentic Valencian paella or other local dishes. You also plan to climb the famous Miguelete tower or visit the City of Arts and Sciences, with those spectacular buildings you've seen in so many photos. You may have all that and more planned... but València also has some surprises in store for you.
Strolling through the streets of València, or even while visiting some of its most emblematic buildings, you may come across the most unexpected things, which will bring a smile to your face and leave an everlasting memory. Here we reveal some of these hidden surprises in the city. Are you up for organising your own "treasure hunt" to discover them all?
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A crocodile in the church: No doubt, when you go into a church you don't normally expect to find an alligator lurking there... even if it is a stuffed one! That is precisely what you will see in the Royal Seminary College of Corpus Christi, or Patriarch's College (Calle Nave, 1). The so-called "dragon of the Patriarch" has its own legend, once told by the Valencian author Blasco Ibáñez, who says that it will attack those who speak at mass, so... keep quiet during your visit, just in case!
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Cheeky gargoyles: La Lonja de la Seda is one of the most beautiful buildings in Valencia, with its majestic columned hall, the elegant, coffered ceiling of the Consulado del Mar... But it also houses some of the most obscene sculptures. Look up at its gargoyles, or even some of the decorations on the façade, and notice their explicit sexual or scatological connotations. Do they have a secret message, a criticism of the vices of the time... or was it a joke by the sculptors? It is up to you to decide.
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The narrowest house: If you aren’t careful, you will walk by without noticing this one. With a façade that is only 107 centimetres wide, number 6 of Plaza Lope de Vega has good reason to be called La Estrecha. It is said to be the narrowest house in Spain, and even in Europe, although in reality, the interior is now an extension of the adjoining bar. Whether or not it is the narrowest house, it's worth stopping for a photo and, while you’re there why not have some tapas!
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A mansion...for cats: In the Barrio del Carmen, kitties have an address of their own. At number 9 Calle Museo you'll find the Casa de los Gatos – which is actually a miniature of a typical Valencian mansion painted on the wall, hiding a real cat house. You'll have to bend down a bit to appreciate its details: the fountain, the "fire insured" panel, and even its heraldic coat of arms. Valencian cats don't deprive themselves of anything!
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The Holy Grail: One of the most coveted treasures in the world, a chimaera that has unleashed passions over the centuries and is to be found in València. At least for believers, the chalice on display in a chapel of the Cathedral of Valencia is the authentic Holy Chalice used by Christ at the Last Supper, something officially corroborated by the Vatican. Take a guided tour and discover it for yourself - the search ends here!
Of course, there are many other hidden delights, and every visitor can find their own favourite "jewel" or secret nook in the city. So come to València and discover all that it has to offer.
València is full of surprises!
