This article is in the pipes since … spring I would say! I talked several times with the girls of the Tourist Office of Valencia but the more I saw the time pass and the more I thought it would go perfectly in my series of articles before my departure, so welcome the second episode : City guide Valence!
How to get to Valence?
By car: From the A7 motorway, exit Valence Sud and Valence Nord. You know them necessarily if you live north of Valence and you go down south in the summer, that’s where it clogs all the time …
By train: two options Valence TGV and Valence Ville. The first option will leave you outside the city center but you can easily reach it with the buses of the city or the TER of the SNCF which will deposit you in Valence City. As you can see, Valence City is in the middle of … city center (hip hip hip hooray ^^). The Valence TGV station is even served by Ouigo the low-cost service of the SNCF.
By plane: soooooon if you believe the corridor noises, Chabeuil airport could receive flights from France and Europe. Stay tuned !
How to get around Valence?
By bus Citéa or in Libélo the bicycles in self-service of the city. The best still remains to use your legs you will see more and then Valencia is not so big.
Where to sleep in Valence?
As in all cities you will find AirBnb accommodation (for the first time use my referral link to get 25 € discount on your first booking), hotels, Couchsurfing addicts ready to welcome you.
Rather than recommending a type of accommodation I can advise you which districts to prefer in my opinion:
The old town: you will be close to everything, the setting is very nice, a good part of the area is pedestrian and the Pole bus is the central point of Valence buses.
Towards the Champ de Mars, especially if you find a lodging in height you will have a beautiful view on the Ardèche (finally if you saw in the West).
Avenue Victor Hugo, until 285 avenue Victor Hugo approximately, after that begins to go away. I lived 2 years towards 285 avenue Victor Hugo, super nice area. Parallel streets may well do the trick as well.
On the boulevards Bancel, General de Gaulle, Félix Faure or Maurice Clerc.
Looking for a somewhat special address for a particular event or just to please? The Pic Hotel of the famous chef Anne Sophie Pic or the House of La Prat in the old town both offer beautiful rooms.
Where to eat in Valence?
I have extensively developed this subject in my articles “Where to eat in Valence?”, I invite you to go on the interactive map that will allow you to locate the restaurants around your accommodation. I even shared my favorite places last week in this article.
What to do in Valence?
- Walking along the Canals of the city, I told you in my article “Where to run in Valence?” And well you can also simply take the same route and walk;) The map of the channels available here.
- Visit the Cathedral of Saint Apollinaire, which dominates the Place des Clercs.
- Picnic in Parc Jouvet under the big trees, you can even take a nap. A very nice park in the city center, the ideal place for a break.
- From Parc Jouvet you can follow the Rhône by taking the famous Viarhona.
- Thanks to the Viarhona you can reach the Parc de L’Epervière which was rehabilitated a few months ago, a few meters away you will find the Port of the Eperviere and a boat wreck that can make everyone’s imagination work; )
- The inevitable Saturday morning market Place des Clercs, a rendezvous full of sun, singing accents, spicy olives and goat cheese Ardéchois, you can do your shopping for the picnic named above ^^
- The museum of Valence has also undergone a facelift to welcome us in better conditions! The museum is very interesting but if there was one thing to remember would be the view of the 2 terraces! Go there you will understand.
- Visit Valence is also to discover Armenian culture by visiting the Armenian Heritage Center. And yes in Valence we have the biggest Armenian community in France! (If you follow me on social medias you know that I am a big fan of their cuisine, having an Armenian bestfriend helps it must be admitted).
- Admire the outside of the house heads and enjoy a tour of the Tourist Office to visit the interior. If you are curious we had shot a look inside for the show Midi in France on France 3 a few months ago.
- Take advantage of the visits proposed by the Tourist Office to find here. My recommendation: the courtyards of old Valence, I loved it! Be sure to check the dates of the visits there is little winter.
- The Théâtre de la Ville and the Comédie two high places of Valentine’s culture are also very pretty buildings to visit.
- To photograph the street art at the Fabrique or under the bridge of the Lônes (if you are in the park of the Epervière continue on the Viarhona in the direction of the south for 1 or 2km.)
- Come out of the world at Trinitaires Park feeling like you’re in the countryside.
- Eat a tip of Place des Clercs or drink a glass place Aristide Briand opposite the Peynet Kiosk.
- Take a picture under the Peynet Kiosk, what would a visit to Valence without a photo under the famous Kiosk of lovers?
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Valence vue du dessus. How long to stay in Valence?
It all depends on what you plan to do but 2-3 days for a first time is fine. Over a week or more you can also explore the surroundings of Valencia which are full of things to see. But this will be the subject of an upcoming article;)
To know in Valence:
- We make 3 kisses starting with the right.
- We talk about chocolate bread (notice to the #chocolatine team).
- We also talk about cake of the kings (advice bis to the team #couronne).
- Valence is the birthplace of the famous Anne Sophie Pic, you can even cross it sometimes.
- Here we speak of a pencil (not a gray pencil or wood).
- Here we say “ça pègue” to stick. It is said peuchère (means my poor). We speak of a “minot” for a young person. A “gâté” is a hug not a pastry. It is said “chaille” when it is far. To be ready for your stay do not hesitate to read this article ^^
So you pack your bags and wait for you?
You have already visited? You live there and with advice for tourists? We’re listening to you !
Next Monday we find ourselves with an example of my ideal weekend in Valence.
Belle soirée mes petits loups à frange.
All pictures are coming from my Instagram.
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