Page 384 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

The Drive » Use N340 to veg farmland La Huerta,
rejoin the A7 and head north to is famous as the home of
Valencia. Just outside the city rice dishes such as pa-
when the A7 merges with the ella, but its buzzy dining
AP7, take the V31, Valencia’s scene offers plenty more
main southern access road besides. OSCAR SÁNCHEZ PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES ©
for the final 18km into the city
centre. 54 p387
The Drive » Leave Valencia on
TRIP HIGHLIGHT the V21 signposted Puçol. After
9 Valencia 23km you’ll rejoin your reliable
old friend, the AP7. Get your
Spain’s third-largest city toll money ready! The AP7 is
is a magnificent place, your route for the next 200km,
content for Madrid taking you into Catalonia. Take
and Barcelona to grab exit 38 and get on the A7 for
the headlines while it the final 35km of the route into
gets on with being a Tarragona.
wonderfully liveable city
with thriving cultural,
eating and nightlife a Tarragona
scenes. Never afraid to The eternally sunny
innovate, Valencia has port city of Tarragona
SPAIN 27 MEDITERRANEAN MEANDER
diverted its flood-prone is an improbable mix of
river to the outskirts Mediterranean beach
of town and converted life, Roman history and
the former riverbed medieval alleyways. As
into a wonderful green Spain’s second-most
ribbon of park winding important Roman site,
right through the city. Tarragona has a wealth
On it are the strikingly of ruins, including a
futuristic buildings of seaside amphitheatre
the Ciudad de las Artes where gladiators once
y las Ciencias (City of hacked away at each
Arts & Sciences; www.cac. other (or wild animals) to
es; combined ticket for Ocean- the death.
ogràfic, Hemisfèric & Museo The Unesco-listed Ro-
de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe man sites are scattered Spain, its maze of narrow
adult/child €36.25/27.55), around town. Entrance cobbled streets encir-
designed by local-boy- tickets can be acquired cled by steep walls and
made-good Santiago at the Museu d’Historia crowned with a splendid
Calatrava. Other brilliant de Tarragona (MHT; www. Catedral (www.catedralde-
contemporary buildings museutgn.com; adult/child tarragona.com; Plaça de la Seu;
grace the city, which also per site €3.30/free, all sites adult/child €5/3; h10am-
has a fistful of fabulous €11.05/free; hsites 9am- 7pm Mon-Sat mid-Mar–Oct,
Modernista architecture, 9pm Tue-Sat, 10am-3pm Sun 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm
great museums and a Easter-Sep, 10am-7pm Tue-Sat, Sat Nov–mid-Mar). A lively
large, characterful old 10am-3pm Sun Oct-Easter). eating and drinking
quarter. The town’s medieval scene makes for an entic-
Valencia, surrounded heart is one of the most ing stop.
by the fertile fruit-and- beautifully designed in

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