Valencia worth a visit

We just left Valencia to come to Malaga. The train from Valencia to Cordoba(where a train change was required) was a bit over 3 hours. Then just an hour to Malaga. You might consider Cordoba to Malaga instead if time is an issue. We spent ten nights in Valencia as we spend winter in Spain and wanted to check it out with a long stay in mind. We were so impressed with the architecture and the many interesting sights to see. An internet search will give you an idea. They turned their dry river bed into a park that's over five miles long with the Arts and Science Center at the one end. They have a number of green spaces and many bikers. While it's a large city the city center is very walkable with great signage and street signs on every corner. It is a beautiful city! The down side is that the beach is quite far from the city center. I think we took the metro plus a short walk to get there. Even if you don't get there this trip it is definitely worth a visit at some point! Malaga's beach is close to city center if a beach is what you're wanting. Also busses are great in Spain so don't hesitate to use them.

From Córdoba I’d head to Sevilla simply because it is closer than Valencia. While Valencia isn’t my favorite city in Spain, it is worth a day. There are no wow sights like in other cities and the historic center is fairly small. Eight hours should be enough to get a good feel for it.

We love Valencia.

Susan has explained Valencia well. We've been fortunate enough to stay in Valencia numerous times. As mentioned it's such a walkable city, with stunning arcitecture and street art. The history behind Turia Park which was a river is well worth reading up on.

The beach is a little far from the city, however the number 19 bus runs frequently, or taxis are very cheap. If you decide on Valencia I suggest staying in old town.

The train from Madrid to Valencia is an easy journey.

Whichever destination you decide on 3 nights isn't ideally enough time in Seville.

There is definitely enough to do in Seville for 3 nights. If it’s a choice between Seville and Valencia most people would say Seville. Valencia is a great city but Seville has more iconic sights.

You can’t really go wrong with either. I liked that the things I saw in Valencia weren’t busy at all even in the summer. Historic buildings and museums can be very interesting even if they’re not internationally famous.

Valencia fits well with a future trip to Barcelona.

I think Seville is a 4-night kind of place, so you certainly won't run out of things to do with only 3 nights there. Cordoba is great, but Seville is a lot larger, with more widely-scattered sights.

The one negative for Seville is that it could still be quite hot in the second half of September.

I for one love Valencia and think it's definitely worth a trip. I'd be hard pressed to declare my favorite Spanish city, but Valencia is definitely up there. For the reasons others have said, plus, it's the only place in Spain you will get a truly authentic paella!

PS..absolutely love Sevilla as well. But I honestly think Valencia is underrated.

Thanks so much for all the great advice.
So many places to see and so little time, but all of your comments will help us decide.
Ciao !
BT

I'll add another vote for Valencia. It's without question my favorite Spanish city, though I also love Malaga.