Valencia

thumbnail|Saló Columnari (Hall of Columns) in the Llotja de la Seda thumbnail|Jardí del Túria, the old Túria riverbed, with the Museum of Fine Arts in the background thumb|Museu de les Ciències Príncipe Felipe, in the City of Arts and Sciences, designed by Santiago Calatrava Valentia Edetanorum was established as a Roman colony in the second century BCE. In the early 8th century CE the Moors invaded, and Balansiyya became the capital of the Muslim Taifa of Valencia, thriving as a trading centre for paper, silk, ceramics, glass, and silver.

With a brief interlude of Christian control in the 11th century under El Cid, the city remained in Muslim hands until the Christian Reconquista led by King Jaume I of Aragon in 1238, and was incorporated as a kingdom under the Crown of Aragon. Valencia experienced its golden age in the 15th century, with a growing population and flowering of Valencian culture and the arts.

thumb|Valencia Airport * | url=http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Valencia/en/Page/1048790574453/ | email= | address= | lat=39.489444 | long=-0.481667 | directions=in the neighbouring town of Manises, 9 km from the city centre | phone=+34 961 598 500 | tollfree= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Valencia Airport | wikidata=Q20455825 | content=Major airlines serving Valencia from several domestic and European airports are Air Europa, easyJet, Iberia, Ryanair, Transavia, Vueling and Wizz Air amongst others. Wi-Fi is available throughout the terminal (free for the first 30 minutes), and there are a number of restaurants and duty-free shops after security.

Nearly all intercontinental visitors will need to connect through a major European hub to reach Valencia, unless they are in a position to take the seasonal direct Air Transat transatlantic flight from Montreal. }} Metro Valencia lines and go directly to the town centre and link the airport to the main train station, Estación del Norte (beside the Xàtiva metro stop), running every 8 minutes and taking about 21 minutes.

Streets in Valencia have two names, Valencian and Spanish, but most street signs are in Valencian only. Maps may list street names in Valencian or Spanish and rarely both, while addresses may be given in either language, which could create some confusion.

Addresses in this guide are generally listed in Valencian. The city has begun changing some Franco-era street names to those commemorating other figures, especially women.

Valencia is quite possibly among the safest cities in Spain and Europe. As with Madrid and Barcelona, streets are filled with people at all times, even deep into the night.

Valencia also has a decent police presence. The only neighborhoods that may warrant extra precaution are Ciutat Jardí, El Cabanyal, and Aiora, in the east of the city.