Things to do in Valencia

Two to three. Day one for the old town — Cathedral, Mercado Central, the silk exchange Lonja de la Seda. Day two for the City of Arts and Sciences and Turia gardens. A third day lets you take the metro to Albufera for paella at the source or hit Malvarrosa beach.

The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències — Calatrava's white space-age complex laid out along the dry Turia riverbed. Even from outside, the L'Hemisfèric eyeball-shaped IMAX and the Oceanogràfic's wave-roof are striking. Inside, the Príncipe Felipe science museum is the most family-friendly bit.

El Carmen for medieval lanes, street art and craft beer; Ruzafa (south of the train station) for the city's hippest cafés, brunch spots and the Mercado de Ruzafa; and the seafront promenade in El Cabanyal — old fishermen's tile-fronted houses being slowly gentrified.

Not in the city centre. Take the bus or metro to El Palmar in the Albufera lagoon — places like Casa Carmina or El Sequer cook authentic paella valenciana (rabbit, chicken, snails, green beans) over wood, served at lunchtime only. Never paella for dinner; never with chorizo.

The historic centre is walkable. To reach the City of Arts and the beach you'll want the bike paths along the Turia gardens — the dry riverbed turned into a 9 km green corridor running through the whole city. Valenbisi bike shares and the metro (line 5 to the beach) cover the rest.

Bioparc — an open-plan zoo on the western edge built around the Turia where animals are separated from visitors by hidden moats and vegetation rather than bars. It's cleverer than it sounds and one of the most humane city zoos in Europe.