Spain’s third-largest city is a great location, content to let Madrid and Barcelona take the spotlight while it focuses on being a perfectly liveable city with strong cultural, dining, and nightlife scenes.

Valencia, never afraid to experiment, diverted its flood-prone river to the periphery and transformed the previous riverbed into a lovely green ribbon of park that winds straight through the city. The breathtakingly futuristic buildings of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, designed by local boy Santiago Calatrava, are visible on it.

Other excellent contemporary buildings adorn the city, which also includes a slew of fantastic Modernista structures, fantastic museums, a long stretch of beach, and a vast, characterful old district.

Valencia, surrounded by its huerta, a rich zone of market gardens, is famous for rice dishes such as paella, but its buzzy dining scene offers much more; it’s a fantastic place to eat.