Paterna Valencia

A Bike Trip to Paterna, on the Trail of Almodóvar

A bike trip from Valencia to Paterna – We’ve mentioned several times how incredible the city of Valencia is for those enjoy biking. The city and its surrounding areas are nearly flat, with over 100 kilometers of dedicated paths, as well as the Turia Riverbed Park which spans Valencia from east to west. Today, we’ll be taking you inland along the Turia, to the small town of Paterna, where you can find cave houses that featured in Pedro Almodóvar’s fantastic 2019 film, Pain and Glory.

Paterna bike trip from Valencia

Almost any bike trip from Valencia begins in the Turia — the park is like a highway for bikes. You can pedal for kilometers, uninterrupted by traffic or lights, and take whichever “exit” up into the city you like. Today, we would be following the park all the way to the BioParc: Valencia’s amazing zoo, which we highly recommend. The trail continues on through the Cabecera Park, where the scenery changes as the city gives way to agriculture. At this point, biking through shrubs and fields of crops, we found it hard to believe we were still basically in the middle of an urban population center. Far in the distance, we could see the Fira València, a convention center that looks like a UFO, which just added to the bizarre, dissonant vibes.

Upon arriving in Paterna, we parked our bikes and began walking around. At first, it didn’t look any different from other Spanish towns, with its twisting alleyways, ancient churches, and small four-story apartment buildings. But there was something different about Paterna, even if it was difficult to put our finger on just what that was. We made our way to the tower, which is the highest spot in town, and taking in the scene around us, realized what it is that makes this city unique. The plaza surrounding the tower is full of white, mini-towers… and it only took a moment of reflection to realize that these were actually chimneys. Below our very feet were the cave houses of Paternal. We were standing on their roofs.

Paterna casa de cuevas

The cave-houses blend so seamlessly into the panorama of Paterna, that it would be easy to tour the city and not even stumble upon their existence. They started appearing around the 19th century, as enterprising Valencians realized they could save money on materials by making use of the land. At one point up to 40% of the town’s population lived in cave-houses, although they’ve progressively been replaced by more modern accommodations. Paterna has protected the few remaining houses, which surround the tower, as a cultural space.

It’s such a fascinating bit of architectural history, that Pedro Almodóvar decided to bring Penelope Cruz here to film the flashback scenes of Pain and Glory. The movie is worth watching in any case, but especially if you’re planning on visiting Paterna, you’ll want to check it out!

More photos from our bike trip from Valencia to Paterna:

  • 03 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00928
  • 04 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00932
  • 05 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00933
  • 06 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00934
  • 07 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00942
  • 08 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00948
  • 09 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00953
  • 10 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00964
  • 11 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00965
  • 12 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00966
  • 13 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00967
  • 14 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00971
  • 15 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00972
  • 16 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00977
  • 17 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00982
  • 18 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC00996
  • 19 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01001
  • 20 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01004
  • 21 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01007
  • 22 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01011
  • 23 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01015
  • 24 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01018
  • 25 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01019
  • 26 Paterna Valencia Bike Tour DSC01024

Sign up for our free Newsletter

Get our latest articles delivered directly to your inbox! And be one of the first to find out where we’re going next.

More from our Blog:

Futuristic Asian City

Bangkok – First Visit To Thailand

Bangkok is a massive city. That’s obviously well-known, but I hadn’t realized its scale until actually arriving. Unfortunately, I didn’t have tons of time to explore, as this was more of a business trip.
Read More

Leave a Comment!

2 responses to “A Bike Trip to Paterna, on the Trail of Almodóvar”

  1. Lorena Russell Avatar
    Lorena Russell

    What a great post! We hope to return to Valencia some day.

  2. Juergen Avatar
    Juergen

    Glad you liked it! And Valencia is ready for you when you’re 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *