Valencia gazes out to sea on Spain’s eastern side, with the Balearic Islands beckoning offshore. But there’s plenty onshore to distract you, all waiting for you to explore in your hire car. If you’re planning a Spanish road trip, you’re in the perfect starting point, with the likes of Barcelona and Tarragona all hugging the same stretch of coast. Drive south and you’ll soon arrive at popular tourist resorts such as Alicante and Benidorm.

The AP7 acts as a ring road around Valencia itself, a major road that transforms into the E15 once you leave the city. That’s the road that will lead you either north and south all along the east coast. Various spokes lead from the A7 into the heart of Valencia, including the V30, V31 and CV36.

As in many major cities, rush hours can be busy, so plan ahead to get across the city as quickly as possible. Opt for car parks if you’re planning to park up – there isn’t a great deal of street parking in the city. There are also some purely pedestrianised areas right in the historic centre of town.

Many of the driving rules will be familiar from home, with one main exception – you’ll need to drive on the right and overtake on the left. Speed limits and distances are in km/h and kilometres, with a top limit of 120 km/h (74mph) on motorways. Where you see a sign saying ‘peaje’ on a motorway, it means that you’ll have to pay a toll to use it.

Once in Valencia itself, and other urban areas, the top limit is 50 km/h (31mph). It’s important to note that children under 12 can’t sit in the front passenger seat in Spain, unless all the back seats are already occupied by children. If you have any specific questions about driving in Valencia or Spain, don’t forget our 24-hour helpline.

Valencia’s mix of modern and old is part of what gives it its unique appeal. A morning can be spend wandering the old town, marvelling at the way the city has preserved its architectural legacy. Then an afternoon can embrace the new, with space-age buildings dominating the skyline of a place that likes to keep moving forward.

Embrace the future

Much of modern-day Valencia is built upon a former river bed, diverted so that the city could thrive. Here, where the Turia once flowed, sits the City of Art and Sciences, known locally as the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencia. It’s a multi-faceted site, designed by Santiago Calatrava and incorporating not just a science museum but also a world-class opera house, cinema and excellent aquarium called the Oceanografico. There’s something for all the family here, while the nearby Turia Gardens are a wonderful place to explore on foot.

Pining for paella

There’s amazing food to be tasted throughout Valencia, whether you’re on a trail of tapas or looking for something more formal. El Poblet is much talked about, a Michelin star restaurant with truly inventive food. However, Valencia’s main contribution to gastronomy is the legendary rice dish paella, something you have to try while in the city. There’s no better place to sample it authentically with various recipes and variations available. Casa Carmela is a popular choice with locals here, dishing it up since 1922.

A whistle-stop tour

There’s so much more to see here that you’ll either need an itinerary or you’ll have to come back again. But make time for the Catedral de Valencia, one of the ancient highlights here. The building tells an old story, with a Roman temple making way for a Moorish mosque and then, in the 13^th century, today’s Gothic church. Some biblical scholars claim this is the home of the Holy Grail. It’s also home to stunning art by Francisco de Goya, and this is one of the best places to see it.

Two more great sites to tick off are the Central Market (Mercato Centrale) and La Lonja, the city’s 15^th century silk exchange. At the former, you can fill your bags – and your face – with fresh local produce inside a perfect specimen of Spanish modernism. You can pause to eat here too at one of the tapas spots – great for people-watching. At La Lonja, you can discover the history of the city’s financial prosperity in a Gothic masterpiece. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and, despite the large number of visitors, still a place of serenity with a lovely orangery and a sense of space and peace.

Choose car hire in Valencia and everything this truly special city holds is at your fingertips, whether it’s the palaces of the past or the modern city that captures your attention.