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Learn to make traditional paella at a farm in nearby L’Horta, an agricultural region on the outskirts of Valencia where most of the ingredients grow or can be found. Valencians often spend weekends in L’Horta to relax and enjoy a dinner of paella. The gathering is a ritual of sorts, in which families come together to socialize and dine on a dish that was first prepared in this area in the 15th or 16th century. The owner of the farm will show you around the grounds and point out some of the many garden items that will end up in your paella. You will then join a hands-on workshop and learn the basics of preparing this once-humble dish from scratch. While the dish is simmering in a large circular pan, you will toast the upcoming meal with a glass of sangria. When the paella is finished, you might taste it straight from the pan, another Valencian tradition.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Visit the farming region of L’Horta, where Valencians often spend weekends relaxing.
• Tour a farm where many of the ingredients for paella are grown.
• Learn to make traditional paella in a hands-on workshop on the farm.
• Dine on the freshly made paella, perhaps straight from the pan, which is a tradition.

Capture the moment by taking the perfect selfie photo in Valencia ! Instantly share your experience with family & friends on your favorite social media site as some of the stops might include wi-fi in real time. Your accompanying guide will help you how choosing the spot to take the best selfie photo including composition, posing, lighting etc. Capture the spirit of this incredible destination.

Your tour begins with a short drive from the ship to your first photo stop, City of Arts & Sciences. You will have designated selfie stops at: • City of Arts & Sciences
• Streets of the Old Quarter
• Calle Bolseria
• Plaza Lope de Vega
• Las Arenas Beach

End your picture-perfect day with a relaxing transfer back to the ship.

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at a citrus farm that grows fruit much like it did in the 19th century when the farm was established. Family-owned Huerto San Eusebio grows a variety of organic fruit, including famed Valencia oranges, grapefruits, kumquats, and lemons. While touring the farm with the owner, you will also likely see rarer fruits such as a multi-fingered citron known as Buddha’s hand and citrus caviar, a stout finger-shaped lime native to Australia. Most of the products are sold locally to maintain freshness and to minimize the environmental impact of transporting them over long distances. No chemicals or herbicides are used, and monoculture farming is avoided because it can deplete the soil’s natural nutrients and endanger the crops. You will learn some of the more fascinating specifics during a tasting of fruits and citrus jams. In contrast to this traditional experience, you will pause for photos at the modernistic City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia’s cultural hub.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Tour a family-owned farm that grows organic citrus using eco-friendly methods.
• Sample organic fruits and jams that taste far superior to produce grown conventionally.
• Snap photos of Valencia’s most modern attraction-- City of Arts and Sciences.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Bicycle through neighborhoods and areas known more to locals than visitors, an experience that will leave you with a genuine understanding of daily life in Valencia. Fishermen founded the residential district El Cabanyal in the 13th century, and it is an excellent place for bicycling, as the streets are relatively flat and easy to negotiate, freeing you to really enjoy the setting. While bicycling through the outskirts of Alboraya, you will likely pass farmhouses surrounded by fields of vegetables and chufa, a vitamin-rich superfood known more casually as tiger nuts. It is also well-known for producing horchata, a beloved chilled beverage made with the milky juice of chufa and sugar. Valencia is synonymous with orchata, and you will enjoy a tasting at an authentic, local establishment before bicycling toward Malvarrosa Beach. The fresh sea air and views of the lively promenade along the golden sand will make the final leg of your journey more memorable.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Bicycle through areas of Valencia unknown to most visitors for a true glimpse at daily life.
• Pass a beach, farmhouse and field where you will see the diversity of local crops.
• Sample authentic horchata, beloved chilled beverage made with the milky juice of chufa and sugar

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Come visit the Albufera Natural Park and learn about its importance and how specialists work on the conservation and the biodiversity of species in the area. Although you may have visited La Albufera on previous occasions, this time, we are going to discover La Gola de El Pujol, a very particular area inside the park and the most popular gully. The historical route of the Gola del Pujol is a short walk of about 40 minutes over 700 metres and 8 stops, which runs parallel to the Gola del Pujol, a gorge that joins the Albufera lake with the sea. The path, fitted out with non-slip wood, leads from the gates in front of the famous jetty - one of the most photographed spots in Valencia - to the Estany del Pujol, an artificial pond that has existed since 1970 and has now been converted into a protected spot for the birds that visit the area - it is of vital importance for many species - and bathing in this area is prohibited. You’ll walk under the shade of pinewoods and discover many endemic species of plants and insects. On the shore of the lagoon there is a jetty and a very interesting viewpoint, which provides a panoramic view of the Albufera.

The visit will be divided in two parts, the visit to La Gola del Pujol and later a visit to a Barraca (typical Valencian construction) and a boat trip in the Albufera. A leisurely cruise on the boat will provide you with a different perspective of the wetlands and the chance to observe the flourishing biodiversity. You may spot black-winged stilts, crested coots, little-ringed plovers, and countless migratory birds such as bee-eaters. Marsh harriers are also abundant. These raptors can be easily identified in the air by their long tails and wings, which they typically hold in a shallow “V.”

HIGHLIGHTS

• Follow a specialized guide through the national park in a discovery of biodiversity and conservation.
• Gain insight into how the land was transformed from rice fields into freshwater wetlands.
• Cruise through the reserve in a boat and observe the abundant water birds.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Stroll through a bustling market taking note of the ingredients and then join a chef who will show you how to prepare paella from scratch, an iconic dish that will be your lunch. The items at the Central Market are locally sourced, so they truly represent the ingredients found in the regional cuisine. After meandering through the stalls, interacting with the vendors and sampling some of the delicacies, you will walk to a nearby restaurant for a paella workshop. The chef will show you step by step how to prepare authentic paella Alicante-style. You will have seen many of the ingredients in the market, which will make the preparation all the more relevant. Although the city of Valencia just to the north is known as the birthplace of paella, the version made in Alicante is much the same. Feel free to ask questions as the chef prepares the meal, which you will dine on afterwards.

Enjoy the charms of the streets, squares and hidden corners of Valencia. Sample its signature dish and the symbol of Spanish cuisine around the world - Paella. You'll also learn how and where Paella originated during this visit to Albufera. Explore the city of Valencia, with sights of the City of Arts and Sciences, a panoramic drive and a stroll through the old quarter to visit some of the most important historic buildings. Few cities like Valencia are able to blend so many architectural styles including Medieval, Art Nouveau, Baroque and Gothic along with ancient ruins and the most modern avant-garde buildings this well. See the New Valencia, where The City of Arts & Sciences is a leisure center designed for the diffusion of science and culture. Its unique buildings will impress you.

Walk to la Plaza de la Reina in the historical center and discover its more relevant monuments and buildings. Admire the Cathedral with the Miguelete Tower and its many different architectural styles and works of art - La Lonja declared Heritage of Mankind by UNESCO and the Central Market’s modernist building. Visit the Fallero Museum, where you will learn everything about the tradition of the Fallas festival. Enjoy a traditional Paella lunch and a glass of wine while taking in the views of the beach as the locals do. Learn about another surprising area of Valencia, the Albufera Nature Park. It features the largest lake in Spain and one of the most important wetland areas in the Iberian Peninsula. The lake is home to rare species of wading birds and a variety of wildlife. Its waters have been worked by fishermen and rice growers supplying ingredients and inspiration for the region’s delicious cuisine.

OVERVIEW

Dine on the quintessential Spanish dish paella in fabulous Villa Astrida, the vacation house of Belgium’s former King Baudouin and Queen Fabiola. You will be greeted with a welcome drink and a brief presentation of the residence where the royal family spent summers starting in 1967. As you will discover, it is an extraordinary setting on the sun-drenched Costa Tropical. After a reflective moment or two at the serene memorial to the monarch, you will tour the beautiful Villa Astrida and the surrounding royal gardens, which were designed as a place of contemplation for the deeply spiritual king. Afterwards, you will be served appetizers that were favorites of the royal family, including gazpacho and Serrano ham. The main course will be paella, a dish that originated in the rice-producing area around Valencia and has become synonymous with Spanish cuisine. Paella recipes vary from region to region, but they still reflect the freshest local ingredients.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Visit Villa Astrida, the summer home of the former king and queen of Belgium.
• Pause at a memorial to the deeply spiritual king and meander through the royal gardens.
• Dine in the villa on dishes including paella that were favorites of the royal family.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Watch an authentic flamenco performance while dining at a restaurant in Valencia that has been presenting these mesmerizing shows for more than a decade. As an introduction to the local culture, you will first stop for a glass of chilled horchata, a milky beverage made with a vitamin-rich superfood known as chufa. "El Coso" will offer an even more in-depth immersion into the Valencian lifestyle through its cuisine and flamenco show. As you dine on traditional foods such as Iberian ham, a Spanish omelet and foie gras croquettes, you will be treated to a passionate flamenco performance. UNESCO added this centuries-old art form to its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list because it is so artistically expressive. Through dance, song and guitar music, the seductive gypsy art of flamenco will tell stories with themes ranging from love to oppression. You can’t help but be caught up in the highly emotional performance.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Watch a highly expressive flamenco performance that fuses dancing, singing and music.
• Dine on traditional cuisine made with ingredients locally sourced in Valencia.
• Pause for a glass of horchata, a milky drink synonymous with the area.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Cruise across a freshwater lake in Albufera Natural Park and dine on traditional paella in a centuries-old farmhouse nearby. As you cruise across this largest lake in Spain, you will see an abundance of water birds and seemingly endless fields of rice, one of the key ingredients in paella. A once-humble dish, paella originated in the area in the 15th or 16th century and has become synonymous with Valencia. Traditional versions are made with rabbit, chicken, snails and a variety of vegetables such as butter beans and artichokes. Smoked paprika and saffron are commonly used as spices. One of the favorite parts is the socarrat, which is the caramelized crust that forms at the bottom of the paella pan as the rice simmers undisturbed in the broth. The version of paella that you will be served at the restaurant La Genuina – which appropriately means “The Genuine” – will be as authentic as it gets.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Dine on authentic paella, a once-humble dish that is synonymous with Valencia.
• Enjoy the ambiance of the 200-year-old farmhouse that is now La Genuina restaurant.
• See the area where paella originated as you cruise across a lake in Albufera Natural Park.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Dine on a selection of tapas and thoughtfully paired wines at two restaurants following an enlightening drive through downtown. The Romans founded Valencia more than 2,000 years ago, and today the city boasts a wonderful mix of historical and modern attractions. They range from the medieval Valencia cathedral to the City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia’s cultural hub. You will dine at two traditional restaurants that source their ingredients in La Horta, a flourishing agricultural region with thousands of farmland plots and Spain’s largest lake, Albufera, which supplies abundant seafood. Although the tapas ingredients will be determined the day of the excursion based on the season, they often include rock mussels, Valencia-style calamari and anchovies. Dessert may be sponge cake topped with caramelized pastry cream. Red and white wines will also be served to complement the tapas.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Savor a variety of tapas with locally sourced ingredients at two restaurants in Valencia.
• Enjoy a selection of red and white wine that perfectly pairs with the tapas.
• Drive through Valencia and see landmarks that reflect the city’s culture and history.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Overview:

Discover the medieval charm of Bocairent, a hilltop village built almost entirely of stone, including a bullring that was carved from solid rock in the 19th century. It took the villagers years to complete the excavation, but the bullring is still used today. Because almost every building is constructed from rock or carved into rock, Bocairent has an engaging medieval ambiance. The historic quarter is particularly atmospheric, as it was laid out in an Arabic style that reflects a Moorish influence. The streets twist and turn, rise and fall and often end in charming squares and cul-de-sacs. While sometimes challenging to negotiate, Bocairent’s old quarter is visually breathtaking, especially from areas that offer panoramic views of the countryside. To enhance your appreciation of the local culture, you will visit an local artisan shop that makes regional liquors such as anise-flavored herbero from mountain flora. While tasting his concoctions.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Explore Bocairent, a village built almost entirely of stone, giving it a medieval ambiance.
• Marvel at the bullring that was pickaxed and chiseled out of the solid-rock hillside.
• Meander the winding, hilly streets of Bocairent’s atmospheric Old Town.
• Sample a glass of local anise-flavored herbero made with mountain flora.