The arcaded courtyard
Two storeys of arches on stone columns — complete quiet on a loud street.
Joanbanjo — Public domain · 19Tarrestnom65 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Francesc Fort — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Francesc Fort — CC BY-SA 4.0
The historic building of the University of Valencia in the city centre, working today as a cultural centre open to the public. The University of Valencia was founded at the end of the fifteenth century, and this building was its original seat. You are entering a place where medicine, law and theology have been taught for five centuries, and which is still part of the university. The heart of the building is an inner courtyard with two storeys of arcades on stone columns, a space of complete quiet even though the street outside is among Valencia's busiest. Entering the courtyard is free and needs nothing. Around it are exhibition halls, a historic library and a ceremonial hall, with a programme of temporary exhibitions, lectures and concerts, most free or nominally priced. This is the kind of place visitors walk past without knowing the door is open. Go in and look at the courtyard even if there is no exhibition — five minutes is enough and it changes how the street reads.
Two storeys of arches on stone columns — complete quiet on a loud street.
Where medicine and law have been taught since the late fifteenth century.
Exhibitions, lectures and concerts, mostly free or nominal.
Carrer de la Universitat, central Valencia
Museo del PatriarcaA museum inside the Colegio del Corpus Christi in central Valencia, a sixteenth-1 minute walk4.5
Palacio del Marqués de Dos AguasAn aristocratic palace in central Valencia holding the national museum of cerami3 minutes walk4.4
Hortensia Herrero Art CentreA contemporary art centre opened in 2023 in the Palacio Valeriola in old central3 minutes walk4.9
Plaza de la Puerta del MarA square in central Valencia at the southern end of the Turia gardens, holding a3 minutes walk4.6
Church of San Juan del HospitalThe oldest standing church in Valencia. Its ground was granted to the Knights Ho4 minutes walk4.8Yes — the courtyard is open during working hours and needs no ticket or registration. It is among the quietest places in central Valencia, and its benches suit sitting for a few minutes away from the street. Many visitors pass the door without realising it is open to the public.
You are in central Valencia between the university and the cathedral: the Plaza de la Reina and the Museo del Patriarca are minutes away, with the central market and the UNESCO-listed silk exchange to the west. The whole area is walked in half a day.