4 Nights in Valencia & La Tomatina Festival. “The World’s Biggest Tomato Fight”

Upon arrival in Valencia we will take our private transfer to the Sol Playa Valencia which is a 2 minute walk from Playa De Las Arenas Beach and a few minutes from Malvarossa beach. Bus and tram stops are within a 5-minute walk making it easy to reach the city centre. You can walk to the City of Arts in 30 minutes. The hotel has wifi and there are a great selection of restaurants and bars within a few minutes walk. We will be sharing twin rooms with en-suite. A single room (with single bed) is available for a supplement of £120 for the 4 nights. Be sure to let us know if you would like a room to yourself when you RSVP as they are limited. The supplement is due at the same time as the balance.

After arrival at our hotel we will all check in and have free time to head to the beach or go exploring. This evening we will meet in the lobby to go for dinner at a nearby restaurant where we can meet the other members of the group and get to know each other.

This morning we will take a private transfer from the hotel and head into the city…..

We have a super guided walk in Valencia starting at the imposing ancient city gates and following a route through the oldest section of the city, your guide leads you on foot to key monuments such as the Valencian Parliament, Basilica of the Virgin, Ayuntamiento de Valencia (Valencia Town Hall) and the 15th-century Palacio de la Generalitat.

This afternoon is free, you may wish to visit the Valencia Cathedral for the sight of the true holy grail. The central market for the stunning architecture, it is one of the best in Europe or even a silk UNESCO world heritage site, or simply head back to the beach to catch some rays.

Dinner locally.

Today is a free day so get yourself down to the beach for some more sun. If you are feeling like you want to explore Valencia you can take the bus, tram or even walk into the city. There are always other members that fancy doing the same so no one is ever one of their own, unless they choose to be. 🙂

In the evening we unwind and relax on a sunset catamaran cruise on the Mediterranean Sea and toast our adventures in Valencia with an included glass of cava.

Its up early as we take our private transfer to the bus station in Valencia where we board a coach that will take us Bunol to take part in the “Worlds Greatest Tomato Fight”

At around 11am many trucks haul the bounty of tomatoes into the centre of the town, Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes come from Extremadura, where they are less expensive. Technically the festival does not begin until one brave soul has climbed to the top of a two-story high, greased-up wooden pole and reached the coveted ham at the top. In practice this process takes a long time and the festival starts despite no one reaching the meaty prize. The signal for the beginning of the fight is the firing of water cannons, and the chaos begins. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself.

After an hour the fighting ends. At this point, no more tomatoes can be thrown. The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman aqueduct. The authorities seem more concerned with cleaning the town than cleaning the visitors, so some people find water at the Bunol River to wash themselves, although some kind residents will hose passers-by down. Once the tomato pulp is flushed, the ground is clean due to the acidity of the tomato.

Top tips for the day.

• Wear old clothes or clothes that you do not intend on wearing again 🙂
• Wear shoes with a decent grip that can be thrown later but kept on your feet. Avoid using flip-flops; you can lose them in the tomato fight.
• Goggles are the key accessory. Your eyes can be sore because of the tomato acid.
• If you want to take pictures, (well of course we do)! use waterproof cameras or just use a protective case.
• Follow the security directions and keep a safe distance of the lorries.
• Do not miss the “palo-jabón’’. A soap-covered pole with a Spanish ham on the top. The person who climbs to the top and gets the ham…wins the ham!
• And last but not least, enjoy it to the max. It is a pleasure to release adrenaline by throwing tomatoes in all directions during an hour.

After the tomato fight and getting cleaned up we will stay for live music and enjoy a party before taking the transfer bus back to Valencia between 15.00 and 16.00. Please note that the bus will drop us back to the bus park in Valencia. We will then need to arrange a taxi or tram to the hotel. As the group may wish to come back at different times this part of the transport is not included.

Evening dinner locally

Free day to explore or relax on the beach. We will take our private transfer to the airport in the afternoon and board our flight to the UK.