6 Days Wine and Paella Cooking Holidays in Valencia, Spain

Facilities

You will be accommodated at the One Shot Palacio Reina Victoria Hotel. It is set in a classical style building built in 1910 by the Valencian architect Luis Ferreres Soler. This historic building was the first hotel in the city of Valencia.

Celebrities like Ernest Hemingway, Jacinto Benavente, Federico Garcia Lorca, and Robert Capa stayed at this hotel and they found inspiration for their novels and projects within its walls. The unbeatable location and its unique communication have always made the Reina Victoria the reference hotel in Valencia.

It is just 50 meters from Plaza del Ayuntamiento (town hall square), and a few steps from Norte railway station, Valencia bullring arena, the Cathedral, and the main streets and shopping areas of the city.

The interior refurbishment has been developed by Alfaro-Manrique study with natural materials (wood, iron, or ceramic). They have managed to reinterpret its historic character of an elegant and modern way without compromising the historic atmosphere.

London Paella School's cooking vacations are relaxed, fun, and loaded with hands-on cooking classes, emblematic sights, winery tours, and iconic restaurants. The course is open to beginners and accomplished cooks and during the cooking classes, everyone works in a group with the chef. As there will only be small groups, everyone can really get involved!

Both the local chefs team and London Paella School are very passionate about cooking and sharing an authentic experience and their local knowledge with the guests. The amazing recipes and professional tricks will be at your disposal. You will learn new cooking techniques and skills, while creating traditional dishes made of fresh seasonal ingredients! You will also meet new people, a perfect activity if you are single, too!

Itinerary

​Day 1: Saturday - Transfer from Valencia Airport (VLC)

The driver will meet you at Valencia Airport (VLC) and take you to the hotel accommodation. Lunch will be on your own. At evening, there will be a welcome reception with a cocktail at the hotel terrace followed by a flamenco show dinner at La Bulería.

Day 2: Sunday - Explore the town and your first paella cooking class

​Following breakfast, you will spend the morning exploring the stunning old town and visit to City of Arts and Sciences. The day will include a fantastic lunch at an iconic restaurant. After a hotel break time, you will have your first seafood paella cooking class.

​Day 3: Monday - Visit to Mercat Central food market and your second paella cooking class at La Albufera

​After breakfast, there will be a visit to Mercat Central to purchase fresh ingredients for the Paella Valenciana cooking class including breakfast at popular Central Bar from chef Ricard Camarena.

Then, you will be transferred to La Albufera lake, the birthplace of paella for the second hands-on Paella Valenciana cooking class with wood-fire, followed by a lunch with the paella cooked during class, an afternoon boat trip, and then you will return to the hotel. In the evening, the dinner will be at popular tapas bar, Colmado La Lola, close to Valencia Cathedral Tower.

​Day 4: Tuesday - Explore winery, PDO Utiel-Requena Bobal, the grape territory

Following breakfast, you will visit an old olive oil almazara with oil and wine pairing tasting. Then, you will have a winery Sebiran tour which includes a fantastic wine pairing lunch. Then, you will return to the hotel and after break time, have dinner at Crudo's bar terrace.

Day 5: Wednesday - Your third paella cooking class and explore iconic tapas bar tour at El Cabanyal town

After breakfast, visit the central market to purchase ingredients for the black paella rice cooking class. Then, your cooking class will be at Food and Fun cookery school with London Paella School's chefs followed by a shared lunch with the food pairing with a wine.

You will return to the hotel on foot and then enjoy free time. In the evening, you will transfer to El Cabanyal for the tapas tour ending at El Cabanyal restaurant. After that, you will transfer back to the hotel.

Day 6: Thursday - Transfer to Valencia Airport (VLC)

After breakfast and some time to relax, the driver will collect you and take you back to Valencia Airport (VLC) for your flight home.

• Go to Requena for an old olive oil almazara mill and winery visit with wine pairing lunch
• Excursion with boat trip to La Albufera lake, birthplace of paella
• Old town tour with licensed guide
• Tapas and wine tour at El Cabanyal town restaurants
• Visit to City of Arts and Sciences

The retreat will be held in Valencia, Spain. The Valencia region is the birthplace of paella, the most popular and international dish of Spanish gastronomy. This 2000 year old city, one of Spain’s oldest, was founded by retiring Roman soldiers given land by Caesar as a reward for their bravery. With the best weather in Spain, and less crowds than you’ll find in Barcelona to the north or Alicante to the south, it still rewards visitors today.

There’s a reason why those canny old soldiers opted to retire here, the Florida of its day. Valencia has arguably the best weather in Spain, with 300 days of sunshine a year and temperatures that range from an average of 25 degrees in its hottest month, August, to a manageable average of nine degrees in January.

Valencian people take their food culture heritage seriously and their social lives revolve around food with magnificent produce available from the wonderfully fertile surrounding lands. Sample them all under one roof at the magnificent Central Market, a cathedral to paella ingredients and food just off Plaza de Virgen. Under its elegant dome, you’ll find 400 market stalls selling the freshest of ingredients, as well as opportunities to sample local specialties.

Nearby places

• City of Arts and Sciences, 2.7 kilometers
• Plaza del Ayuntamiento, 50 meters
• The Cathedral of Valencia, 600 meters
• The Silk Exchange, 550 meters

Map Data

Map data ©2018 Google, Inst. Geogr. Nacional

Map DataMap data ©2018 Google, Inst. Geogr. Nacional

Map data ©2018 Google, Inst. Geogr. Nacional

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The price of the package includes daily breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast is served from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the hotel restaurant. Some lunch and dinner will be the paella and tapas you will cook during cooking classes and this includes the main course, tapas to share, half a bottle of wine per person, and dessert. You will visit four iconic restaurants for dinner and lunch. The price does not include the first day lunch and last day lunch.

• 1 boat trip at La Albufera lake
• 1 flamenco show dinner
• 1 food market tour
• 1 museum visit​
• 1 old town tour with licensed guide
• 1 olive oil almazara visit
• 1 tapas tour
• 1 winery tour​
• 2 wine pairing tastings
• 3 hands-on paella and tapas cooking lessons followed by meal with wine, water, and dessert
• 4 dinner with wine at iconic Valencia restaurants
• 5 nights accommodation
• All airport and train station transfers
• All taxes and service
• Daily breakfast
• Recipe booklet and a gift
• Welcome drinks

• First and last lunch
• Flights

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Valencia Airport (VLC). Transfer from and to the airport is included. London Paella School will pick you up from the airport.

Arrival by train

Please book your train to arrive at Valencia-Joaquín Sorolla railway station. Transfer from and to the station is included. London Paella School will pick you up from the station.

• A reservation requires a deposit of 33% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.