On the outskirts of town sits this surreal architectural wonder, designed by Santiago Calatrava — a Valencia-born architect (and the same person who designed the Oculus in NYC). In addition to walking around the massive fountains and raised garden walkways, you can visit a science museum, a 3D IMAX theater and an aquarium. We highly recommend the aquarium — it's Europe's largest, winding through indoor and outdoor areas with so much to see. The place looks so unique that it shows up all the time in science fiction TV and movies. It was featured in HBO's Westworld and more recently in Star Wars: Andor.

Valencia's main urban beach is Malvarrosa — easy to get to from center city, and lined with cafes, paella restaurants and chiringuitos (beach bars). We went there for paella at Casa Carmela (see the food and drink section). Just to the south, it merges into Las Arenas, slightly more upscale and home to many of the famous beachfront paella spots. For something more low-key, head north to Patacona (a little more local) or south to El Perelló — a quiet coastal town past the Albufera where Joey's host family has an apartment. Joey spent summers there as a teenager, even spearfishing for octopus (don't worry, they didn't let him use the spear gun).

Just south of Valencia, surrounded by the rice fields that supply the paella, sits a massive lagoon called the Albufera. It has the best sunset in Valencia, and you can book a sunset boat tour to enjoy it. We wanted to do a wine tasting and boat tour, and Joey's family (well, a friend of the family) recommended this tour guide - but the timing didn't work out. We ended up booking a private boat tour through this site, and it was great.

South of Old Town is a historic neighborhood called Ruzafa. It's super cute, filled with hip cafes, bars and shopping — a great place to see how local Valencians actually live. You can go grab amazing sandwiches for an early lunch (Almuerzo) at La Cantina de Ruzafa.

Every March for Saint Joseph's Day, Valencia (the city and the entire province) celebrates with a weeklong festival called Fallas. It's one of the most spectacular things you could ever see. Throughout the city, they build massive, multi-story papier-mâché sculptures that depict all sorts of stories and people, often with political commentary. There are fireworks every night, and on the last night they burn down every one of the sculptures. We didn't make it to this museum, but it's right near the City of Arts and Sciences and could be a fun way to learn more about this super special event.

Often ranked one of the best zoos in Europe. The whole place is designed without visible barriers — rock formations, water and plants stand in for cages, so animals appear to be roaming free in re-created African habitats. A big draw for families and anyone tired of traditional zoos. It's a short tram ride from the city center.

Valencia's defining green space. After a devastating flood in 1957, the city famously diverted the Turia river around the city and turned the old riverbed into a 9km linear park that wraps right through the heart of town. You can walk it, run it, or grab a Valenbisi bike and ride end to end. There's a giant Gulliver-shaped playground halfway through, a beautiful flower bridge (Pont de les Flors) near the Old Town, and the City of Arts and Sciences anchors the southeastern end. Genuinely one of the best urban parks in Europe.