The 485 kilometers of coastline offer you clean, trasnparent waters and fine, golden sands. Impressive cliffs dominate the horizon. Water is warm during the summer and the fall. You have a choice of a wide variety of beaches: tranquil, family beaches to relax, like Penyíscola, or cosmopolitan beaches plenty of all kind of services for you to enjoy, such as bars, pubs, and discotheques open til the morn. Fine examples of these are Benidorm, Gandia, and Alicante.

They all share a common feature: clean water and well-equipped beaches with a huge range of services and facilities for the tourists.

Each year the European Union awards all coastal regions in Europe with blue flags for its clean beaches. The Land of Valencia has inunterruptely got the highest number of flags in all Europe since these awards were created more than 10 years ago.

For daily information on beach status, telephone toll-free 900 21 07 63 (only during the summer, and mornings only)

You can find in our land some of the most important remainings of Neolithic settlements, such as those of Valltorta, Bicorp, L'Alcudia, Alcoi, Alzira, and Gandía, which were declared Human Heritage by the UNESCO in 1998.

There are more than 200 museums in the Land of Valencia, providing an ample overview of regional culture and history. Tourist Info Offices provide information on opening times. No one should miss the IVAM (Contemporary Art Museum), and San Pio V museum, both in Valencia. Visit is also recommended to the Fine Arts Museum of Castellón and the Sempere Museum of Alicante.

Many cultural events take place throughout the year in the Land of Valencia, such as The International Comedy Cinema Festival in the city of Penyiscola each June, the International Music Bands Competition of Valencia and the Francisco Tárrega Guitar Competition in Benicàssim (both in July), and the Valencia film festival Mostra de Cinema del Mediterrani in October.

Valencians hace a very particular way of celebrating. For us, bright lights, roaring fires, gunpowder and theatricals are the key elements in any Valencian festivity.

Over 600 popular festivities are held in the Land of Valencia each year. All the fiestas take place in the streets, so any comers can enjoy them as well. Our most traidional festivities are:

• The fire fiestas: The spectacular Fallas of Valencia (12-19 of March), with fireworks and monumental sculptures that are burnt on the last night of the festivity, the Fogueres in Alicante (17-24 of June), and the Santantonadas in Forcall (17 of January)
  
• The Moors and Christians in Alcoi with mock battles between soldiers, also held in many other town of Alicante, Valencia, and Castellón.

• The Religious Festivals: Els Pelegrins de Les Useres (a pilgrimage held on the last Friday of April), The Mystery of Elx (14-15 of August), and the Holy Week and Corpus Christi processions.

• Plus others such as La Magdalena (third Sunday of Lent in Castellón), the Rosario Marinero de la Aurora (in Cullera on the second Sunday after Easter), the Requena Grape Harvest (24 August-4 September), the Tomatina (Tomato Battle) in Bunyol (last Wednesday in August), and the Xàtiva Fair of August.

The Land of Valencia also has 18 golf courses equiped with the finest services and facilities. Two of these golf courses are situated next to the Mediterranean, in El Saler and Oliva Nova, which makes them really attactive. Each of them offer, during some time of the year, very different climatic conditions which will make your golf matches a very pleasing experience.

• El Saler Golf Club
  Parador Nacional Luis Vives
  Ctra. Nazaret-Oliva, km, 19
  46012 El Saler (Valencia)
  Ph#: 96 161 11 86
  
  Length: 6,044 meters.
  Holes: 18
  
  Oliva Nova golf Course
  Urbanization Oliva Nova Golf
  46780 Oliva (Valencia)
  Ph#: 96 285 59 75
  
  Length: 5,832 meters.
  Holes: 18
  

Other offerings for young people like you are tennis and soccer: Almost each and every town in the Land of Valencia has tennis clubs where you can practice your skills against your friends or other people in the club. Most courts are clay-courts. Fares range from $10 to $15 per hour, depending on the club. Also, most appartement complexes and fine hotels have tennis courts (hard surface).

Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, and Spaniards are very passionate about it. During the summer many games are held on the beaches and public fields where many people gather together and organize matches. If you, as a good SEU student, like soccer, too, don't hesitate and ask to join a team. It is pretty common there to ask, and you will probably get a "yes" as an answer.

Souvenirs can be found in almost any shop at any tourist location. Textiles, crafts, postcards, and almost everything imaginable can be found in these shops, which are usually open everyday. However, most of the time, the most interesting objects and souvenirs can be found in street-seller markets. Almost every town in the Land of Valencia have these kind of markets once a week, usually during weekends. There you can find, as in a bazaar, the most incredible and unsefulness objects you could imagine.

There is a different kinf of street-seller markets, called rastros, which are held in larger cities almost everyday. These markets are specialized in used objects of any kind, such as antiquities, old books, used CD's and LP's, old appliances, etc. There you will not find many souvenirs, but it is also worth a look.

Most famous rastros are held in Valencia City. The most important takes place at Plaza redonda.