Barrio Del Carmen
Jul 22
The Botanic Garden in Valencia
icon1 valenciablogger | icon2 Valencia | icon4 07 22nd, 2011| icon31 Comment »

The Botanic Garden is one of the best kept secrets in Valencia, a city that hides hundreds of them.

The Botanic Garden of the University of Valencia was founded in 1567, but it’s current location dates from 1802. It’s located to the south of the old riverbed of the Túria river and it almost links with it, next to emblematic buildings of the city like IVAM, or the Casa de la Beneficiencia, both also a must see. A few meters away are the Torres de Quart, one of the entry gates to the Barrio del Carmen, the old town part of the city.

jardin botanico valencia

Accessing inside it is entering a nice, cultured and refined world and, on many occasions, exuberant also due to the whims of nature. Its collection holds over 4500 species of the plant kingdom, exhibited in their best part on a grill of streets ordered in a geometrical way. But it’s in its tropical greenhouse, a 19th century building of steel and glass, and in the shade house, originally of the same time but reconstructed to the end of the last century because of a fire, where the species that require a special environment for their development and conservation.

It also holds a vegetable garden, a nice and simple contrast to the other imposing exhibits.

Palm trees and lettuces, orchids, carnivorous plants and aromas of fennel, thyme, sage and lavender. Aquatic plants in the main pond.

The Botanic Garden houses a small society of cats, who wander around here and there, fat and happy. If the visitor asks for it, they can sponsor one of them and contribute to their maintenance.

If this wasn’t enough, inside there’s a wide cultural agenda, form photography exhibitions and concerts to cooking contests, languages, different botanical aspects or night strolls accompanied by music and poetry.

The Botanic Garden, a discreet but proud place which is justified because of its beauty, finds the balance between the shadows, the silence and the rays of light that filter through the leaves, and the visitor just has to enjoy it. It’s, without doubt, one of the most civilized sites in Valencia, alienated from the big crowds.

The best time to visit is during midday, when the unique Valencian light illuminates it, rotundly and fully envolving. Or benefit from one of the nocturnal activities to enjoy it at night, saturated with vegetal fragrances.

The website: http://www.jardibotanic.org/

 

Estelastar Only-apartments AuthorEstelastar

A refreshing walk through the Botanic Garden will be the cherry on the cake of your stay in Valencia. Don’t forget to rent apartments in Valencia

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aleixgwilliam Only-apartments TranslatorTranslated by: aleixgwilliam
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May 6

Valencia is an amazing city, though not as big as its “cousins” Barcelona or Madrid. It has many things to offer: the America’s Cup, the City of Arts and Sciences, incredible beaches and one of the most important festivals in Spain, Las Fallas. The most attractive area to have a walk is, without a doubt, the labyrinthine barrio del Carmen neighbourhood with its artistic and bohemian atmosphere. It extends from the north of the Central Market to the River Turia and it is full of historic buildings and modern cafés located next to run down houses.

el barrio del Carmen neighbourhood

This is a thousand-year-old neighbourhood that forms part of the historical centre of Valencia. It has grown wrapped between two walls, a Muslim one (Eleventh century), and a Christian one (Fourteenth century). This way, it is limited by the east and by the west, respectively. Later a third wall was built to cover the suburbs. Therefore, a system of portals was created to solve the problems of communication that having so many walls presented.

You can not say that you know the essence of Valencia until you have visit this neighbourhood, the purest and most original of the city. The Central Square is the heart of the area and it is full of bars, restaurants and shops.

The neighbourhood takes its name from the Carmen de Calzado Church/Convent, as the population settled around it started to expand. The pedestrianized Plaza del Carmen was the first place with the same name as the church, and after some years, the whole neighbourhood took its name.

The Round Square (an interior circular square), the Valldigna Portal, the Beneficencia Cultural Centre, the Serrano’s Towers, the Quart’s Towers and the famous Carmen’s Church are mandatory stops on your visit here.

El barrio del Carmen neighbourhood is one of the best choices to go out at night. You can start the night having dinner at one of the fine restaurants in the district. Then you can have a drink at one of its bohemian bars. Calle Alta Street and the Virgin Square are both much appreciated areas in the quarter.

But Valencia is much more than the el barrio del Carmen neighbourhood. Discover it! Rent the best apartments in Valencia and enjoy your stay in the city.