Vacation photographer in Valencia

Visitors to Valencia tend to split their days between the old town and the beach, and a vacation photographer can follow the first on foot. The Torres de Serranos, the medieval gate on the edge of the old town, stand right above the Turia, so a session can start under the towers, drop down the steps into the riverbed for shade and trees, and climb back into the lanes of El Carmen, the old quarter behind the gate, where the walls are painted and the streets narrow. Those three places are within a few minutes of each other, which suits a family with children or grandparents who should not be marched anywhere. The order is set by the light: the gate first while the sun is low, the riverbed whenever it gets high. Early is better in any month. By late morning El Carmen fills with visitors and the café terraces spread across the lanes.

When to book in Valencia

The first two hours of daylight are the ones to book. In summer that means starting before eight, when the old town is still quiet and the light comes in low over the rooftops; in winter, nearer nine. By eleven the lanes of El Carmen are full and the riverbed is busy with bikes. Spring and autumn are the easy seasons, and February is often clear and mild. July and August still work at dawn, though the heat builds fast, so the session moves through the shaded part of the route last. Book early in your trip rather than on the last morning, so that if the weather turns there is still time to move it.