A VALENCIAN CHRISTMAS!

If you are lucky enough to be celebrating the festive season in Valencia this year, there are plenty of fun-filled Christmas activities to keep you occupied! From December right through to January, the city is transformed into a spectacle of twinkling lights, festive cheer and markets filled with seasonal items just begging to be gifted (or selfishly stowed away for your own safekeeping!)

Plaza Ayuntamiento

There is plenty to see in this bustling central square when it comes to Christmas. However, the main attraction is certainly the electric Christmas tree that stands 21 feet tall and is lit up with various colourful designs. However, the Christmas tree isn’t all that this square boasts. From the 4^th of December to the 10^th of January, you can show off your ice-skating skills (or lack thereof) in their very own open-air ice-skating rink. Of an evening, you can find people of all ages eagerly waiting for their turn on the ice or simply enjoying the sights and the festive tunes with a drink in hand. Whatever you decide to do this Christmas, make sure you don’t miss out on taking a stroll through Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Mercado Central

Always a must-see for anyone visiting Valencia, Central Market is even more atmospheric during the Christmas period. It is almost impossible to walk past without seeing someone getting a photo in front of the Christmas tree outside. Inside, the decorations continue with gold stars hanging from the ceiling and tinsel adorning the various stalls. Central Market is the perfect place to find unique Christmas gifts or spend the day perusing the different stalls and sampling various festive treats!

Mercado de Colón

Various Christmas stalls line Colón Market where you can purchase wooden figurines to make your very own nativity scene much like the life-sized one that greets you as you enter the market!

Plaza de la Reina

Head down to Plaza de la Reina during the Christmas period for the famous ‘Feria de Artesanía de Navidad de Valencia’. This is Valencia’s own Christmas craft fair where you can pick up anything from hand-crafted fridge magnets and porcelain earrings to leather purses and wooden toys for children. Between 10:30am-2:00pm or 4:30pm-9:00pm… around 30 stalls are open for enjoying all of the unique items they have to offer. Plaza de la Reina is also home to one of the most visited Nativity scenes with life-sized figures!

Plaza de la Virgen

Just off of Barrio del Carmen, you can enjoy the Christmas spirit with outdoor dining overlooking a beautiful Christmas tree that sits near the emblematic Turia Fountain.

Nuevo Centro

Nuevo Centro has fun for all the family with its year-round fun fair spruced up with Christmas décor and a towering snowman that oversees the whole festive affair. A Christmas market stocked full of items from the nearby ‘El Corte Inglés’ such as decorations, gifts, table settings, candles and much more can also be found outside the shopping centre.

Report by Shemaiah Rose

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

photo copyright Shemaiah Rose / ’24/7 Valencia’

‘Plaza Ayuntamiento’

Address: Plaça de l’Ajuntament, 46002 València, Valencia

‘Mercado Central’

Address: Plaça de la Ciutat de Bruges, s/n, 46001 València, Valencia

Hours: Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 3:00pm. Closed on Sundays.

‘Mercado Colón’

Address: Carrer de Jorge Juan, 19, 46004 València

Hours: Monday to Thursday from 07:30am to 2:00am
Friday and Saturday from 07:30am to 3:00am
Sunday from 07:30am to 2:00 am

‘Plaza de la Reina’