Overview
With its fertile rice paddies, charming orange groves and a postcard-perfect scenery under the sun-lit Mediterranean sky, Valencia embodies an ideal Mediterranean getaway.  The Autonomous Community of Valencia is Spain's third largest city as well as one of the most attractive arenas for international seminars and conferences.  Not only does Valencia harbor over 500 km-long of pristine beaches and boasts a luxuriance of diet from the sea as well as its own enticing cuisine, its historical properties from different ages the city has gone through are also rich and colorful.  Undoubtedly, this is a one-of-a-kind European destination that is bound to become many visitors' favorite.    

History
Starting from 138 B.C., Valencia has been a home to many cultures over its course of history.  The Moors were the first people to generate Valencia's economic and cultural prosperity since their rule was established in 709 A.D.  The subsequent Christian re-conquest had transferred Valencia to Jaime I of Aragon who founded the Kingdom of Valencia in 1238 A.D., and the city experienced the golden age during the 15th and 16th century.  However, a severe economic depression hit in the 1700s when the Moors and Jews were expelled and the peasants and the nobles were at each other's throats.  Well into the 1800s, Valencia started to recover due to the improvement in agricultural techniques, industries and transportation.  The burst of tourism in the 1950s has spurred the city's affluence and its enthusiasm to show off its multitude of cultural assets even further.    

Geography & Climate
Located in the middle of the country's east coast, Seville is composed of two distinct geographical features: the coast and the mountains.  Valencia has a typical Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild winters.  Spring and fall are the times when the region is showered with a rainy season.  Regions of higher altitude get some snow and can experience freezing temperatures, but most other regions have temperatures that are pleasant all year round, with an average that does not fall below 15º C.