El Carmen, Valencia: the two city gates, the street art and the Plaza de la Virgen, from the Torres de Serranos to the Central Market, with what is free, what costs and what shuts

💡 The Short Version: El Carmen is the northwest of Valencia’s old town, and the stops below run from the Torres de Serranos to the Torres de Quart, then to the Plaza de la Virgen, the cathedral, the Lonja and the Central Market. The streets, the basilica and the Centre del Carme are free; the two towers are €2 each, the Lonja €2 and the cathedral €12. On Sundays the towers and the Lonja are free from 10:00 to 14:00, the cathedral opens at 14:00 and the Central Market is closed. The towers close in rain, fog or strong wind. L’Almoina, the Roman forum behind the cathedral, is closed to autumn 2027. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the old-town walk with entry to the cathedral, San Nicolás and the Lonjaad is from €49 and the morning food tour with a Central Market visitad from €59 (GetYourGuide).

What it costs and when it shuts

Tours worth paying for

The streets need no guide. These two add one, or a meal. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.

Old-town walk with entry to three sights

From €49 · 3 to 4 hours · 4.8 stars from 1,267 reviews · meets at the Torres de Serranos

Valencia: Cathedral, St Nicholas and Lonja de la Seda Tourad is run by Valencia & Go, in English, French, German, Italian and Polish among others, for up to 25 people. The ticket includes entry to the cathedral, San Nicolás and the Lonja, which cost €12, €16 and €2 if you buy them separately, so the guide costs about €19. On Mondays, when San Nicolás is closed to visitors, the City Hall is listed instead, and the City Hall’s visits are suspended: check before you book a Monday. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Morning food tour with the Central Market

From €59 · 3 hours · 4.9 stars from 267 reviews · meets at Plaza del Colegio del Patriarca

Valencia: Morning Food Tour with Central Market Visitad is run by Food Lover Tour, in English, French or Spanish, for up to 10 people. The listing describes five stops, among them the Central Market, a bar for the esmorzaret, the mid-morning sandwich, and a horchata to finish. It needs a day the market is open, so not Sunday. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Valencia walking tours compares the other guided walks.

What to see

Visit València calls Ciutat Vella the historic heart of the city, grown between ancient Arab and Christian walls, and El Carmen the part of it with the medieval maze and the street art. The stops below run from north to south. Allow three hours on foot, and more with the tower climbs and the paid sights. The old town walk takes the other direction, from the Central Market to the Torres de Serranos, in an order that fits the market’s 15:00 close and the cathedral’s Sunday hours.

A mural on a gable wall in El Carmen. Photo: Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Torres de Serranos. The northern city gate, built in 1392 according to Visit València, with a rooftop view over the Turia Gardens. €2, free on Sundays, 10:00 to 19:00 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 to 14:00 on Sundays; last access 30 minutes before closing.
2. Calle Moret and the Centre del Carme. Visit València names Calle Moret, the street of colours, as an open-air gallery of murals, and street art runs round IVAM. The Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània, in a former convent, holds exhibitions in Gothic and Renaissance cloisters, free from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 20:00. The Casa de los Gatos, a tiny house designed for cats with balconies and a fountain, is on Calle Museo.
3. Torres de Quart. The late Gothic gate of the 15th century on the western side, with cannonball scars from the Napoleonic siege. €2, free on Sundays, and closed in rain for safety.
4. Plaza de la Virgen and the basilica. The square between the cathedral, the basilica of the Virgen de los Desamparados and the Palau de la Generalitat. The basilica is free and open daily. The Water Court meets here every Thursday at 12:00 at the cathedral’s Apostles’ Door, on the Wednesday if the Thursday is a holiday, and watching is free. Visit València lists the sessions until 17 December 2026.
5. The cathedral and the Miguelete. €12, and Sundays only from 14:00. The Miguelete bell tower is a separate €3, with 207 steps: see the cathedral. L’Almoina, the Roman forum behind it, is closed for works to autumn 2027.
6. Plaza de la Reina and Santa Catalina. The pedestrian square at the cathedral’s foot leads to the Plaza Santa Catalina and its horchatería, open every day from 08:15 to 21:30: see best horchata in Valencia.
7. Plaza Redonda. A circular courtyard of craft and lace stalls, open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00 and Sunday 8:00 to 14:00, according to Visit València.
8. The Lonja and the Central Market. The Lonja de la Seda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, is €2 and free on Sundays: see the Lonja. The market across the square is free, 7:30 to 15:00, and shut on Sundays: see the Central Market.
9. San Nicolás. Known as the Sistine Chapel of Valencia, €16 online and €18 at the door, closed to visitors on Mondays and open from 13:00 on Sundays. The Hortensia Herrero Art Centre, €12 and closed on Mondays, and IVAM, €5 and free on Sundays, are in the same part of town.

Calle del Portal de Valldigna in El Carmen. Photo: Juan Emilio Prades Bel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

The order that works: start at the Torres de Serranos by 10:00, take the Centre del Carme and Calle Moret before the Quart gate, reach the cathedral by 12:00 on a weekday and finish with the Lonja and the market before 15:00. What to skip: the Roman forum at L’Almoina, closed to autumn 2027, and the City Museum, closed since 7 September 2026.

The Plaza del Tossal in El Carmen. Photo: Joanbanjo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Eating and drinking in the old town

• Horchatería Santa Catalina, Plaza Santa Catalina 6, open every day 08:15 to 21:30: horchata with fartons, or hot chocolate with churros.
• The Central Bar, inside the Central Market, is Ricard Camarena’s bar and serves the esmorzaret: see the Central Market.
• Flores Raras, on Calle Correos, holds two Michelin stars, and Lienzo, on Plaza de Tetuán, one: see where to eat in Valencia.

Practical information

• Getting there: the old town is on foot from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, and bus 95 follows the Turia past the Torres de Serranos. Valencia public transport has the fares.
• A Sunday version: the Lonja and the two towers are free until 14:00, the cathedral opens at 14:00 and the Centre del Carme is open. The Central Market is shut.
• Noise: Rough Guides calls the neighbourhood gritty and creative, and the bar streets are busy at night: see where to stay in Valencia for hotels in the old town.
• The one thing that ruins a visit: planning the cathedral for a Sunday morning, or the Central Market for a Sunday at all.

What to book in Valencia has the closed days for every sight. Free things to do in Valencia lists the Sunday-free monuments, Valencia museums has the prices for IVAM and the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre, and 3 days in Valencia puts the old town on the first day. The Turia Gardens walk starts at the Torres de Serranos and follows the old riverbed to the City of Arts and Sciences. Ruzafa is the evening neighbourhood south of it.