Train station, Estación del Norte van Valencia
In this video I would like to show you the train station, Estación del Norte of Valencia. The Estación del Norte has a beautiful inside and outside! This station dates back to 1917 and it is still in use today. It is very centrally located right next to the Plaza de Torros, the main shopping street Calle Colon metro Xativa and the town hall square. The Estación del Norte is largely built in a Modernist style, characterized by the decorations of orange juice, trencadis (broken ceramic tiles) and the authentic wooden counters. Everywhere you see signs in different languages with golden letters written ‘Have a save trip’. The old waiting room is also beautifully decorated with mosaics on which you can see the Albufera with the traditional Barraca houses, the Miguelette and traditionally dressed women. If you want to admire more of this Valencian Art Nouveau / modernism style, be sure to visit the Mercado Colon, the Mercado Central and the Eixample district. We also visit all these buildings during the 4 markets tour.
Conveniently, you can store your suitcase in the station and go to the toilet. If you have to wait for your train, dive into the Ale-hop or kind shop for all kinds of snifferries. On the outside of the station there is also a horchata cart during the day where you can buy delicious refreshing horchata. Depending on the time of year, you can also buy Churros and Buñuelos at a Churreria stall outside the station or you will find a carousel there for children.
Joachim Sorolla train station
We now have two train stations in Valencia, so be careful and check your train ticket to know where the train is leaving. It could be Estacion del Norte, that’s this beautiful train station in this video or it could be the newer Joachim Sorolla train station. Mostly the regional trains depart from Estacion del Norte, “cercanias”, but there is also a train to Barcelona that leaves from both stations depending on the departure time. The high-speed train ¨AVE¨, which connects Madrid to Valencia within 2 hours, leaves from the newer Joachim Sorolla train station and most long-distance trains leave there. You can take a shuttle bus from the Estacion del Norte or you can walk (approx. 10 minutes). If you go directly by metro, take line 1 or 5 to metro station Joaquin Sorolla – Jesús. From the Russafa district you can also easily get to the Joachim Sorolla station via the tunnel. Joachim Sorolla after whom this station is named was a Valencian painter (1863-1923) who specialized in painting portraits, landscapes and works with social themes. Personally I think this is very beautiful and interesting to see 19th century Valencia through his paintings. A number of paintings can be found in the ¨Museo de Bellas Artes¨ Museum of fine arts. You don’t have to expect much from the train station in terms of architecture! In addition to some shops, you will find a cafe and a Macdonalds ATMs and safes.
Buy train ticket in advance
If you want to buy train tickets online, you can do so on this website: http://www.renfe.com/ You can quickly buy train tickets for the cercanias (short distances) at one of the machines in the train station or at the beautiful old ticket offices.
Tip: buy your ticket for the long distances as early as possible, you will often get cheaper offers. It works just like with airline tickets that prices can vary per day and time.
By train from Valencia to Madrid
Are you going to combine your visit to Valencia with other Spanish cities? Valencia is easily accessible by train. The AVE high-speed train takes you to Madrid within 2 hours, so you can even go back and forth on the same day if you want. Although I would not recommend that, because there is also so much to see in Madrid! Make sure to go out with my fellow guide from the World City Guides Marijn. Marijn van Hemels Madrid invites you to experience the contemporary life of the city together with the wide range of cultural heritage that the capital of Spain and its inhabitants have to offer.
By train from Valencia to Barcelona
Even though Barcelona is about the same distance as Madrid from Valencia in terms of distance, it takes longer by train. The fastest train takes 2 hours and 40 minutes, but beware there are also trains that take 5 and a half hours! I don’t think I need to tell you that Barcelona is a beautiful city, but if you can see this with Robb van Robbcn, it is really an experience! I also did a tour of the Sagrada Familia with Robb myself and I was really impressed. Robb is also part of the Wereldstadsgidsen and he is the only licensed Dutch-speaking guide to Barcelona, which means that he can also tour the buildings such as the Sagrada Familia.
