Valencia

More than 15,000 athletes from all over the world will flock to the Spanish Mediterranean metropolis in spring. Their goal is the community’s largest international sporting event. But they’re also coming for the city itself — because Valencia offers plenty of highlights away from the sports field.

The Gay Games take the “for all” seriously: whether you’re 18 or 80, a pro or a hobby athlete, gay, lesbian, trans, straight or somewhere in between, you’re part of it here. More than 40 sports are on offer: from classics such as beach volleyball, football and cycling to table tennis, bowling and dance.

What’s special about 2026? Valencia brings its own sports into play. Pilota, for example – a fast-paced ball game played with bare hands. Or colpbol, a team sport that mixes pilota and football. Tradition meets rainbow. And the whole city joins in.

A city that impresses

Valencia can absolutely hold its own against Barcelona and Madrid. For years, the country’s third-largest city has been giving itself a modern image: around the turn of the millennium, it invested millions in the futuristic buildings of star architect Santiago Calatrava. For the America’s Cup, the city expanded the port and built a Formula 1 circuit. The historic centre also received a painstaking restoration. If you want to unwind, relax on the seven-kilometre-long white city beach. Along its promenade, cafés and restaurants line up one after the other.

Between competitions and parties, it’s worth grabbing a bike and discovering the highlights. The best way is on a bike tour with Angelo from Do You Bike Valencia. It starts at the legendary Mercado Central, one of the most beautiful fresh-food markets in Europe. Then on through the old town with the beautiful old Silk Exchange, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cathedral and the Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències. You can escape the heat at L’Oceanogràfic.

The Jardín del Turia park is great fun. A real green lung, more than nine kilometres long, ideal for relaxing and for sport. Many of the Gay Games championships will take place here, too. Next stop: the Barrio Ruzafa, the city’s alternative, multicultural and eclectic centre. Besides the legendary Picca Club Valencia, there are many LGBT+-owned cafés and bars here. In the evening, the locals sit outside and toast each other with cerveza. Typically Spanish.

For a vermouth nightcap, head to Café de las Horas before midnight. A baroque cabinet of curiosities in the middle of the old town, where chandeliers hang from the ceiling, velvet adorns the walls and the drinks are as opulent as the interior.

And then there’s the paella. The real one. The one from Valencia. Not the seafood version, but with chicken, rabbit and green beans. Cooked the truly traditional way over a wood fire. It belongs to Valencia like the gold medal belongs to the Gay Games.