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Photo: Joanbanjo, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Established by the Moors, then rebuilt by Christians, this building served as the royal Valencian residence until its demolition in 1810. It was forgotten and then rediscovered in 1986. The partially-excavated site is now surrounded by a fence with informative panels in Valencian, Spanish, and English.
The now demolished Del Real Palace or Royal Palace was the former residence of the kings of Valencia in the «Cap i Casal» of the kingdom, as the city of Valencia was then called. It was on the left bank of the Turia River, where nowadays Jardines del Real are. It was also known as «300 keys palace» in reference to the number of rooms it had at its height.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Museo de Ciencias Naturales / Museum of Natural Sciences
The museum is divided into several segments, covering Valencian contributions to the sciences, the ecology of the Valencian region, and of course paleontology with the requisite dinosaur skeletons.
Jardines del Real / Royal Gardens
Established by the Moors in the 13th century as gardens for the royal palace (no longer standing), this pleasant and popular park is the second-largest park in Valencia, after the Turia gardens. The park includes a rose garden, sculpture garden, bicycle track, and aviary. During the summer various festivals are held here.
Jardín de Monforte / Monforte Garden
This formal Neoclassical garden was designed in the mid-19th century by Valencian architect Don Monleón for the aristocrat Marqués de San Juan. It was declared a 'National Artistic Garden' and is now maintained by the city of Valencia, which opened it to the public in 1973.
Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia / Museum of Fine Arts of Valencia
This 17th-century former palace houses over 2,000 pieces of art, with a primary focus on art of the 14th to 17th centuries. Highlights include an excellent collection of medieval altarpieces, a collection of engravings by the Italian artist Piranesi, and a handful of minor works by Velázquez, El Greco, and Goya. Photography permitted, no flash.
Battala de las Flores / Battle of the Flowers
The highlight of the July festival, the 'Battle of the Flowers' was first held in 1891. This unusual event begins with a parade of horse-drawn floats, on which are perched falleras in traditional dress. The floats circle around a closed off section of the avenue four times, and prizes are awarded for the most beautiful float. Then the fun begins: mountains of softball-sized marigolds have been distributed around the ring, and seated audience members proceed to pelt the falleras with the flowers, who defend themselves with tennis rackets and hurl flowers back into the audience. After the parade, the general audience is allowed into the ring, and a general melee begins.
Puente De La Trinidad / Trinitat Bridge
The oldest bridge in the city, with the current structure dating to the early 16th century. The two 17th-century sculptures of Valencian saints used to be on another nearby medieval bridge, and were relocated to this bridge in the mid-20th century.