Christmas, the time of year where we get to enjoy all of it’s events and the Valencia Christmas market is in a couple of weeks, with New Year’s Eve lurking around the corner! If you are in Valencia during these festive days you will most likely miss out on having that white Christmas, though the city offers plenty of other things to make it a memorable Christmas.
Christmas
Like every other city in Spain, Valencia tries it’s best and transforms the city into a completely different one, as you will find the Christmas atmosphere everywhere, especially on plaza Ayunamiento. This plaza has a big Christmas tree with many colorful and jolly lights. Actually, not just in the plaza, through the whole city you’ll be able to find beautiful lightning and the popular Valencia Christmas market. The classic and well-known snack for this period is the roasted chestnuts, and we highly recommend it being worth trying! Don´t worry about having to travel far through the city to get a chance at these delicacies, you will find a chestnut stand on every corner through the city. Another thing that you will find a lot in Valencia during these days are Belénes, Christmas scenes.
You might think, what does a typical holiday in Spain look like during Christmas? On Christmas night it is for the Spaniards tradition to eat with family at home. For the people that are here on a trip/vacation, no need to worry as there are many restaurants open with special menu´s during these days.
New Year´s Eve
In several bars/disco´s, such as L’Umbracle/Mya and Rumbo144, big parties are organized. Keep in mind that in many disco´s the party doesn’t start until after midnight. Don´t forget to be on time to check where the parties are and (if needed) get yourself some tickets!
A tradition here is at New Years Eve at 00:00 to eat a grape at every stroke (12 strokes). Apparently this will bring you luck, but don´t underestimate it, it can be hard! 😉
There are also several restaurants that will offer a special menu called ´Nochevieja´. It is smart to make a reservation beforehand if you’d like to enjoy the dishes served.
If you’ve come to Valencia for the fireworks you might be left a bit disappointed. The Valencians love firework, and show it throughout the whole year, except on New Year´s Eve. You’d be lucky to see a few here and there, but it won’t be anything special. If you wanna see one of Valencia’s most spectacular firework shows, you might want to revisit during Las Fallas.
If you are here during these festive days, we hope that you will have a great time! As last of course we already wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
The River hostel