Milan Malpensa → Valencia

Don't miss

• 🥘Eat paella at La Pepica on the Malvarrosa beachfront — order the arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish stock, served with aioli). Go for Sunday lunch, when Valencians themselves eat here. Avoid anywhere near the cathedral that has photos on the menu.
• 🏛️Visit the Mercado Central right when it opens at 8am — vendors are friendliest then, the produce is freshest, and you can grab a coffee and a farton pastry at the bar inside before the tourist rush hits at 10am.
• 🌊Cycle the Turia park (it's free) from the Torres de Serranos medieval gate all the way to the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias — rent a Valenbisi city bike for €1/day with a transit card. The park is completely car-free and locals use it like a highway.
• 🍊Take the tram (line 4) from Pont de Fusta to El Palmar village in the Albufera nature reserve — the lagoon where paella was actually born. Rent a flat-bottomed boat for €10 and watch the rice fields at sunset. Skip the tourist buses.