Buñol in Valencia Spain has been the home of the Tomatina Festival since 1944 or 1945; a tomato fight to keep it simple. No one is completely certain how this event originated; a local food fight, a juvenile class war, a volley of tomatoes from bystanders at a carnival parade, a practical joke on a bad musician, the anarchic aftermath of an accidental lorry spillage are some of the theories about its origin. One popular theory suggests the attacking of city councilmen with tomatoes by disgruntled townspeople during a town celebration. Irrespective of its origin the act was repeated every year with greater enthusiasm and participation, banned for a period under Francisco Franco only to return in the 1970s after his demise.

The festival is held on a Wednesday towards the end of August in the town of Buñol in the Valencia region in Spain where tens of thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in a harmless battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets. Weeklong festivities include music, parades, dancing, and fireworks. The night before the fight participants of the festival compete in a paella cooking contest.

At around 11 am on the day of the fight a piece of ham is placed upon a large, greased pole. People struggle up the pole to retrieve the ham and only after this victory does the actual tomato-throwing begin.

The center of town is filled with tomatoes and the signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of the cannon, and the chaos begins with the battle being generally every man for himself. The tomatoes must be squished before throwing and people are advised to wear safety goggles and gloves. Another canon fire after an hour or two marks the end of the fight which is followed by the cleaning up of the town and the participants.

Expedia, Argus, Europcar, Budget, Avis and Hertz offer car rental services in Valencia.

Playa las Arenas/Cabanyal is the start of the beach line in the Valencia city itself, the most accessible to the city and the official city beach for activities and events. Paseo Maritimo the beach front promenade is a great place for sunsets and socializing, besides being a market to buy clothes, accessories and souvenirs. This beach is more a backdrop for leisure activities and events, rather than the place for sunbathing crowds.

Playa de Malvarossa is the main beach of Valencia where the water is decent and the fine sand is great, a noisy, busy beach full of sunbathing, playing games, socializing, eating, drinking, and reading. Malvarossa comes deliciously alive in the summer nights, part of the nightlife of Valencia.

Playa de Patacona the northern part of the city beach line has a much wider sand strip, giving a sensation of more space and tranquility with smaller crowds and more space.

Playa de Pinedo the closest of the southern beaches, the first stop out of the city limits. This is not the best of beaches but it has a nudist section.

Playa de El Saler with White sand, dunes, blue warm water, clean strip, and gentle breeze is a blue flag beach of supreme quality. This beach is only half an hour bus trip from the centre of Valencia.

Playa de la Devesa is a favourite beach for many with blue flag, clean coastline, fine white sand, dunes, and pure blue waters, with one of the crowds. The beach is off the beaten track and totally undeveloped. This beach has a complete nudist section too.

Car hire companies in Valencia include National Atesa, Solmar, Europa Rentacar, and Buzz Car Hire.

Valencia lying in the middle of the Spanish Mediterranean coastline swanks an array of golden sandy beaches and a City where tradition and history is blended with modern and chic. Open air terraces in calm plazas for al fresco dining, monuments, towers and museums, large historic food market, outstanding artistic heritage, tours by horse and cart or open top bus, all add to the sophisticated style and attraction of the city. The original Latin name of the city was Valentiameaning “strength”, “valor”, the city being named for the Roman practice of recognizing the valor of former Roman soldiers after a war.

Climate

Average temperatures in February are around 16ºC / 61ºF, however by the end of March it is generally beach weather, being warm enough for shorts and T-shirts during the day, although night times can still be a little chilly. The summer weather and climate in Valencia is hot, with daytime temperatures between June to September averaging around 28ºC / 82ºF. Temperatures peak during July and August, reaching 30ºC / 86ºF or more. The Mediterranean Sea is especially warm at the height of summer, with water temperatures easily reaching 25ºC / 77ºF, making swimming and bathing extremely tempting. Temperatures in Valencia during September average around 25ºC / 77ºF, and by late October / early November, have dropped to 19ºC / 66ºF.

Places to visit

Cathedral de Valencia, Nova Tabarca, Turia, La Lonja are the famous places to look out for in Valencia. Gulliver Park, Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, Jardins del Reial and The Botanical Gardens of Valencia are the popular gardens there. This buzzing city has a magical Old Quarter with an exciting town center. There’s also a very trendy area called Barrio del Carmen where some of the best nightlife is. A very important bonus is that this city is situated next to the Mediterranean Sea with miles of lovely white sandy beaches, and if you like golf you won’t be disappointed as there are some stunning golf courses.

Airport

Valencia Airport in Manises is also known as Manises Airport. It is the 8th busiest Spanish airport in terms of passengers and second in the region after Alicante. Valencia Airport is located to the west of Valencia, in the municipalities of Manises and Quart de Poblet. National road N-220, which connects with the A-3 and the N-335, leads to the airport. The car hire companies at the airport are Avis, Centauro, Europa Rent a Car, Europcar and Hertz. There are four cafeterias and several restaurants, which specialize in grilled meat, and offer fine dining based on Valencian cuisine. There are several shops in the terminal, which sells perfume, make-up, clothes and accessories, tobacco, drinks, watches, jewellery, glass gift items, children’s gift items, travel accessories, fine foods, wines and pottery products. There is also a pharmacy.