In the northwest of Valencia, you will find the Campanar neighbourhood (belonging to the district with the same name Campanar). This quarter was independent until the end of the 19th century, but then merged with the city Valencia. Campanar is often seen as the business district, but has a lot more to offer than most people think. Nowadays it is a popular neighbourhood to live in because of the new, luxury apartments and the location nearby the Turia Park and the city centre. Next to that, you can find a lot of sights, things to do and nice restaurants and bars.
Sights
Palacio de Congresos de Valencia
Palacio de Congresos is the congress building of Valencia. It is designed by Norman Foster, a British designer that is well known for the Millennium Bridge in London, the renovation of Camp Nou in Barcelona and a metro station in Bilbao. The architecture of the congress building is very impressive with all its pillars, a leaf shaped roof and a lot of glass. The ponds and fountains that surround the building make it worth to visit the place and walk around the outside area. Did you know Palacio de Congresos won the award for the best congress building of the world in 2010? Besides congresses – that mostly are of technical, medical and biochemical nature – exhibitions, concerts and operas are also organized in Palacio de Congresos.
Location
Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 60
46015 Valencia
Website
Dama de Elche
When you are visiting Campanar, this remarkable 18 meters high, cobalt blue coloured sculpture is hard to miss. It is placed in Valencia in 2007, cost over 2.4 million euros and was designed by the Valencian artist Manolo Valdés. He is internationally well known for designs like ‘Lady on the horse’ which stood in New York and ‘Butterflies’ which was part of an exhibition in the United Kingdom. Valdés received several awards for his designs in countries like Japan, Portugal, Iraq and Spain.
The name Dama de Elche means lady of Elche: this is a city nearby Alicante where the sculpture is found. The sculpture you can find in Campanar is actually a replica of the original Dama de Elche, which dates between the fourth and fifth century before Christ. The original can be found in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. She was an Iberian woman, dressed in typical Iberian clothes. The big round forms on both sides of her face almost look like big wheels, but are accessories like Iberian women used to wear.
To do
Zoo
The Bioparc of Valencia is located in Campanar and is different than you might expect! Instead of entering a regular zoo, you are entering the natural habitat of the animals. Bioparc created ecosystems where species live together, just like animals in the wild. You can see mixed groups with giraffes, antelopes and zebras like you will find them mixed in Africa too. Did you know you can even walk through the habitat of the monkeys? Take a look at our Bioparc page for more information, opening hours and prices.
Shopping
The place to shop in Campanar is the shopping mall ‘Nuevo Centro’. This mall has two floors with clothing stores, the well known warehouse El Corte Inglés, a supermarket, shoe stores sport clothing stores and much more. Are your feet tired of walking around all day? Even for a pedicure, you are at the right spot! Check our shopping page to find out more about the shopping possibilities.
Relaxing in the park
When you like to spend your free time both in the city and nature, Campanar might be the perfect neighbourhood for you. It is adjacent to the Cabecera Park and the Turia Park. The Turia Park is over 9 kilometres long and offers a lot of opportunities to do a work out, enjoy a picnic or just relax and read a book. The Cabacera Park is very green and filled with flowers. It has a little park inside called Jardín de Polifilo where you will mainly find the locals.
More fun inside!
Although Valencia has over 300 sunny days per year, you might be interested in exploring the inside possibilities during the night or a cloudy day.
Yelmo Cines is a cinema in Campanar where you can watch the latest movies in their original language. Perfect for the ones that don’t speak Spanish! Tip: make sure ‘VOSE’ is added to the title of the movie, this means it is shown in the original language with Spanish subtitles. Another advantage is that the tickets are not as expensive as you are probably used to: the tickets at Yelmo Cines cost between the €5 and €7.
Besides the cinema, you can have a lot of entertainment in the bowling centre La Bolera. Go here with your friends or on a date night with your partner! Next to bowling, they offer activities like air hockey, table football, billiards and table tennis.
Not ready to go to bed yet? Find out how lucky you are at the casino! From poker to fruit machines and blackjack, the Casino Cirsa Valencia has something to offer for everyone. Read more about this casino, the location and the opening hours on our page Casino Cirsa Valencia.
Good food and drinks
Come&Calla
Come&Calle is a trendy restaurant situated in Campanar. Here you can find all kinds of food, from the typical Spanish tapas to sandwiches and dishes from all over the world like Tuna Tataki or Peking Duck. We recommend to try their delicious tapas menu for €20, which offers various tapas, but also the small version of international dishes and a dessert. Nice to know: they have a terrace outside!
Location
Calle Poeta Antonino Chacomeli 1
46015 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday to Saturday: 14.00-16.00 hour and 20.45-23.00 hour
Sunday: 14.00-16.00 hour
Marshall&Co
Looking for a relaxed café after a day of exploring the neighbourhood? Marshall&Co offers a wide range of coffees, cakes, cocktails, beers and bites. If you really liked their coffee, you can buy a package of the coffee beans they’re selling! Nice as an original souvenir or just for yourself to look back at your holiday in Valencia filled with cool spots you have visited.
Location
Avenida Cortes Valencianas 26
46015 Valencia
Website
Opening hours
Monday: closed
Tuesday: 16.00-22.00 hour
Wednesday: 16.00-0.00 hour
Thursday: 16.00-02.30 hour
Friday: 16.00-2.30 hour
Saturday: 16.00-2.30 hour
Sunday: 16.00-01.00 hour
Don’t forget to take some sleep
If you don’t mind to stay a bit outside of the historic city centre, Campanar is the perfect place to book your hotel. It offers a lot of nice things to do, is adjacent to beautiful parks, offers business related locations and has a lot of nice cafés and restaurants. When you don’t like to walk to all the sights and attractions, you can easily take a cab, bus, metro or rent a bike!
NH Valencia Center ****
– From €61,19 per night
– Free late check out on Sunday possible
This hotel from the well-known NH-chain is situated in Campanar and is the perfect hotel for people who like to relax. The hotel features a sauna, a swimming pool on the rooftop terrace and a solarium for sunbathing. The breakfast is served until 12:00 in weekends and on Sunday you can even get a free late check out. For more information about their facilities and prices, check the hotel NH Valencia Center.
Hotel Kramer ***
– From €51,65 per night
– Modern and trendy
This modern and trendy hotel is situated in the centre of Campanar, nearby the shopping centre Nuevo Centro. It offers simple, but well maintained and comfortable rooms and a nice restaurant where you can enjoy a delicious breakfast. Next to the hotel you can find the metro station if you don’t like walking to the centre or if you want to go to the beach on a sunny day. For more information about their facilities and prices, check Hotel Kramer.
How to get to Campanar
You can get to Campanar in various ways. Take metro line 1 to Túria or Beniferri or bus line 2, 39, 60, 62, 63, 64, 73 and 90, which also cross the neighbourhood. Prefer to take a taxi? They are not that expensive in Valencia and can take you anywhere you would like in a small amount of time.
Tips
– Did you know the bus station of Valencia is located in Campanar? From here on you can go in any direction! The ‘Estación de Autobuses’ is situated next to the shopping mall Nuevo Centro, on Avenida Menéndez Pidal 13.
– When your hotel is situated in a particular area, often you will stay in that area and the city centre. But Valencia has a lot more to offer! The Cánovas and Ruzafa neighbourhoods are definitely worth visiting because of their beautiful buildings, cool markets and good restaurants and bars. We designed a walking route through these neighbourhoods.
