The Furs
The laws of the Kingdom of Valencia from the thirteenth century, kept here.
Ebiebi2 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · 掬茶 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rafa Esteve — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Anonymous photographer for P. P. Pavlov print shop — Public domain
A small museum inside Valencia's city hall, keeping the documents and symbols that represent the city's history as a governing institution. Its most important holdings are symbolic rather than artistic: here are kept the Furs — the body of law that governed the Kingdom of Valencia from the thirteenth century — along with the city's historic banner and a sword attributed to King James I, who brought Valencia into the Crown of Aragon. These are not ordinary museum exhibits but symbols of identity still alive in the region's consciousness, and the banner in particular is still carried at the city's occasions today. The hall itself is part of the grand early twentieth-century civic building, with decorated ceilings and a ceremonial room worth looking at. Entry is free and the visit is short — half an hour is enough — and it sits in the heart of the city on the square where the Fallas festival takes place. Hours are limited and tied to the council's working times, so check before going.
The laws of the Kingdom of Valencia from the thirteenth century, kept here.
An identity symbol still carried at Valencia's occasions today.
Decorated ceilings and an early twentieth-century ceremonial hall.
Inside Valencia's city hall, Plaza del Ayuntamiento
Plaza de la Puerta del MarA square in central Valencia at the southern end of the Turia gardens, holding a3 minutes walk4.6
Silk MuseumA museum in the hall of Valencia's silk weavers' guild, a fifteenth-century buil4 minutes walk4.1
Palacio del Marqués de Dos AguasAn aristocratic palace in central Valencia holding the national museum of cerami5 minutes walk4.4
Central MarketValencia's Central Market is near-inarguably Europe's most beautiful food market6 minutes walk4.8
La Nau Cultural CentreThe historic building of the University of Valencia in the city centre, working 6 minutes walk4.7As a short free stop yes, particularly since you are on the town hall square anyway. But be realistic: the value here is local and symbolic, and the documents and banner mean more to Valencians than to a passing visitor. Half an hour, no more.
Valencia's biggest festival, in March, when huge sculptures are built in the streets and burned in a single night, with fireworks and daytime pyrotechnics on this very square. If you visit in March the city transforms entirely, and booking must be made very far ahead.