Albereda de València, laan

The Albereda de València is a promenade stretching about one kilometer along the north bank of the Turia, running from the Jardines del Real to the Plaza de Zaragoza. The path is wide and lined with trees, featuring benches and open spaces used by walkers and cyclists throughout the day.

The Albereda was built in the late 1600s as the main route from the sea to the Royal Palace, later known as the Prat de València. In the early 1700s, trees were planted and the space was decorated with stone benches and statues, establishing its character as a green promenade.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the Albereda was the promenade where Valencia's nobles and bourgeoisie drove their carriages and berlinas along its two tree-lined carriageways, called salones. The name comes from the Valencian albereda, a poplar grove or tree-lined walk. The two Guardas towers, built in 1714, display the coats of arms of influential 18th-century families.

The historic tree-lined stretch runs about one kilometre from the Viveros municipal nursery to Plaça de Saragossa, crossed by five bridges: Pont del Real, Pont de l'Exposició, Pont de les Flors, Pont del Mar and Pont d'Aragó. The Alameda metro stop, on lines 3 and 5, sits beneath the Pont de l'Exposició, which was designed by Santiago Calatrava. The avenue continues east past Plaça de Saragossa as a road without trees, ending at the railway tracks by Carrer d'Eivissa.

The two Torretas de los Guardas, built in 1714 under intendant Rodrigo Caballero and dedicated to Saint Philip and Saint James, housed the tenants of the nearby orchards. Their pyramidal roofs are covered with blue glazed tiles, and the facades display the coats of arms of influential 18th-century families.