Riding in the Rio

Valencia has an amazing park encircling the historic center (which includes Barrio Carmen), which most folks simply call "El Rio". On our tourist map, it's called "El Antiguo Cauce del Rio Turria", or The Old Course of the River Turria. It once carried the Turria around the outskirts of the city, but after severe flooding in the last century, the course of the river was changed to the new outskirts, and the original path became a park equal in popularity and variety to New York's Central Park. Cruising through The Rio on your bike, you'll find shady forests, playgrounds, sports fields including soccer, baseball, and miniature golf, fountains, and at the far ends, a waterpark and the Ciudad de Los Artes y Ciencias (which is an entire topic of its own).

Gracias al Rio, we can ride anywhere in the city in peace, below the level of the streets so the noise and exaust remain above us. When we get to the bridge near our destination, we ride or carry our bikes back up to street level.

Or if we want to catch the Tranvia (metro train that rides at street level) down to the beach, we can take our bikes on with us!