Valencia. Capital city of the autonomous community; Valencia. Third largest city in Spain.
We were travelling around most of Europe with Busabout; a hop on hop off network that takes you from one destination to the next, allowing you the freedom to choose your own accommodation and duration of your stay. It’s a great way to meet like minded travellers and also a way to bump into old friends as we travelled on the same bus with Kirsty, a girl we had met travelling in Italy the year before.
We had two nights in Valencia and were introduced to the city by a local walking tour – Founded by Romans in 138 B.C, The Roman ruins lie under Plaza de la Almoina. Muslims established control of the city which lasted until 1238. You can visit the ruins below to see the remains of different cultures that existed in Valencia. We went to Torres De Serranos; one of the twelve gates that were found along the old medieval walls before meeting the mayor of Valencia and posing for a photo! Our hostel room was a score, a private room on the top floor with the only access to a rooftop terrace! We met Chelsea & Zane who were staying next door and headed to the local markets to buy some food for an afternoon on the terrace. We hired bikes the next day, riding around L’Oceanogràfic before enjoying more chicken & rabbit paella, sangria and kalimotxo (red wine and coke).
* Sadly, it was in Valencia that our external hard drive failed and potentially lost all of our photos aside from some iPhone photos from Alaska to Ireland
Busabout pass: Flexi Pass 8 stops
Price: $719
Hostel: Purple Nest Hostel (pick up location)
Room type: Private Twin, Share Bathroom
Price: €20 per night
D E S T I N A T I O N
Madrid. Capital and largest city of Spain.
We only had a short stay in Madrid and decided to choose the easiest route of transport by booking another hop on hop off bus to see the sites around the city. With only one free day in the capital, we were able to see Madrid in the quickest way. The hostel was really great with beautiful views over Madrid and in close proximity to local bars and tapas destinations. This was the pickup point for our tour with busabout, the Iberian Adventure
Hostel: U Hostel
Room type: Twin private ensuite | 4 bed mixed ensuite
Price: €30 per night | €24 per night
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 