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Shopping in Valencia
There are fewer souvenir shops and tourist facilities in workaday Valencia than in any other Spanish city its size. Instead, you're likely to find everyday reality in the form of middlebrow department stores and food and wine emporiums. The best shopping streets include the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Calle Don Juan de Austria, Calle Colón, and the streets thereabouts. For a peek at what aging Valencian duennas are storing in their cellars and attics, head for the rastro (flea market) in the Avenida de Suecia near the soccer stadium, beginning around 8:30am every Sunday. The city's largest department store, El Corte Inglés, Calle Pintor Sorolla 26 (tel. 96-315-95-00), sells a wide array of anything you might need, including local handicrafts, crystal and porcelain, and other luxury items.
Valencia is home to some of Spain's best pottery. The region produces Lladró porcelain, Manises stoneware, and glassware. Local craftspeople take pride in their azulejos -- brightly colored ceramic tiles, first developed during the Muslim occupation of Andalusia.
One worthy detour is to Manises, 9km (5 1/2 miles) west of Valencia. It's known as a center for ceramics and for its azulejos. As a pottery center, Manises dates from the Middle Ages. Representatives from all the major kingdoms of Europe came here to purchase the wares, which are characterized by their distinctive blue-and-white patterns. The town is packed with ceramics factories and retail outlets. From the center of Valencia, several buses run frequently to Manises. The tourist office will give you a bus schedule.
Another good stop for the serious shopper is nearby Paterna, about 6.5km (4 miles) northwest of Valencia off C-234 (it's signposted all the way). It has dozens of pottery stores with prices far below those in the center of Valencia.
Continuing farther north to the province of Castellón, you'll find the towns of Alcora and Onda. They're justly celebrated for their pottery, much of which is reasonably priced because the "middleperson" is often eliminated. In addition to pottery, several shops in Onda sell some of the best-crafted azulejos in this part of Spain. Alcora is 19km (12 miles) northwest of Castellón de la Plana along the C-232; Onda, 15km (9 miles) west along the C-223.
In the city of Valencia itself, head for Lladró, Calle Poeta Querol 9 (tel. 96-351-16-25), where prices are consistent with those at other retail outlets. Or seek out the shop adjacent to the factory, Casa de Lladró, Carretera de Alborraya s/n, in the suburb of Tavernas Blanques (tel. 96-318-70-00), 5km (3 miles) north of the city center. The factory retail outlet sells slightly damaged or irregular pieces at lower prices. To visit the factory itself, call 1 month in advance (use the Casa de Lladró number, above).
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