Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, has so many nicknames and claims to fame, it’s hard to highlight just one aspect of this remarkable city.
City of Oranges…
Designer city… (World Capital of Design in 2022)
Most innovative city in Europe… (third place in 2022)
Green capital of the future… (2024 winner)
Gastronomic mecca… (host city for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards gala in June 2023)
Pleasant place to live as a foreigner… (1st out of 50 cities in InterNations’ Expat City Ranking 2022)
During the rule of the Muslim kingdoms, it was called Medina bu-Tarab, the City of Joy…
Has been historically known as La Ciudad del Turia, for the Turia River that passes through the city…
Also Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences) and Ciudad del Intelecto (City of Intellect), because of its rich cultural and scientific history, its collection of architectural and scientific wonders, and for its large population of students and academics…
Locals like to call it La Loca, The Crazy, for its vibrant nightlife and quirky culture…
Thanks to its history of economic prosperity, it’s been called La Pigdan, The Piggy Bank…
For its many monumental religious buildings, it’s also been called La Ciudad de los Mil Templos, City of a Thousand Temples…
Not to mention, it’s also a beach destination…
And the countryside—an agricultural landscape as far as the eye can see—is just minutes inland of the coast…
Learn more about Valencia, the #1 Retirement Haven for 2025, in this week’s video…
