¡Una cálida bienvenida a Valencia!
A warm welcome to Valencia!

Located on the Mediterranean coast, Valencia offers unique cultural identity. Valencia is not just another Spanish city. It has always considered itself a state within a state, it has held on to its own unique traditions and they are still very much alive in the 21st century. Valencia has a totally stunning and compact old town center, packed with gorgeous buildings, historic sights, squares, gardens, museums and charming little streets. It is a total delight to get lost in it while soaking up the atmosphere. The Historic Center (Old Town) bears the marks of 2000 years in a spectacular mix of Roman, Muslim and Christian civilizations. But it doesn't end there - walking through Valencia you will see ultra-modern, breath-taking, futuristic architecture contrasting with the gothic, baroque and classical. Valencia is also a beach city. While you have many sights and culture to fill your leisure time to the limit, you can always just drop down to the beach and relax under the sun.

The Companion Program provides a daily selection of guided excursions to places of interest both within and outside of the city. All tours will depart from and return to the Companion Program Meeting Area in the Convention Center. This meeting area will be available as a lounge for all registered companions to gather during the conference. Information about the Valencia area will also be available for individuals and families to plan trips and excursions other than those offered in the Companion Program. This is an exciting program and we look forward to seeing you in Valencia. Please contact either of us for more information.

	Kathy Gullberg Companion Program Co-Chair E-mail:  Kathy.gullberg@gmail.com
	Carolyn Hoffman Companion Program Co-Chair E-mail: Carolyn.Hoffman@verizon.net
	Antonio Gonzalez Companion Program Co-Chair E-mail: agonzalez@oncovision.es

General Terms & Conditions:

• All tours are limited to a minimum number of  participants on a first come, first served basis.
• Individual tours are subject to cancellation & refund of tour fees if an insufficient pre-registration is achieved prior to October 5th, 2011.
• After receiving automatically a written confirmation from VALENCIATUREVENTS, the booking will be binding (for payment details see registration)
• Onsite payments will be permitted upon request (with the increased on-site price). This however will not guarantee a place on the tour. Onsite registrations & payments will depend on wether or not the sufficient number of tour participants has been reached at that time
• All changes or cancellations must be submitted in writing (email or FAX) to VALENCIATUREVENTS. Cancellations will be possible until October 5th, 2011. All refunds will be made within 6 weeks after the conference.  From this date onwards cancellations received (after October 5th 2011), are non refundable. However, substitutes will be accepted at any time with a written authorization letter from the original participant informing of the change of name.
• Tour programs and hours may be modified due to last minute logistics issues. 

Please note:

• The fees in the table above are set for early registration. There may be limited late or on-site registration for an additional fee.
• Lunch is only included in the FULL DAY tours as noted in the tour descriptions.
• Please notify us of participants with special needs or dietary requirements.
• Each tour will have an experienced tour guide.
   

Descriptions of the Tours

Tour # 1:

The Caves of San Jose in Vall d’Uixo/Sagunto-Roman City

Sunday, October 23 – 9:00 to 13:30
And
Thursday, October 27 – 14:30 to 18:30

Cost: 55 euros

This half day excursion will take us 45 km north of Valencia near the town of Vall d’Uixó where we will visit the caves of San José, a spectacular natural cave that can be visited by boat along one of the longest underground river courses in Europe.

We will then travel a little to the south to the modern fertile district of Camp De Moveredre to the ancient city of Sagunto. Historically known as Saguntum or later Morvedre, Sagunto was an ally of Rome when it was besieged and captured by the Carthaginians under Hannibal and later captured by Rome in 214 BC and made a Municipium. An important prosperous city, Sagunto was later ruled by Visigoths, and in the eighth century became part of the Caliphate of Cordoba where it remained under the Muslim Arab rule for over five hundred years when James I of Aragon conquered it in 1238.

 This half day tour is rated as a moderate activity and good walking shoes are recommended. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and boat and museum tickets.  Lunch is not included.

TOUR #2:

  VALENCIAN PORT SPORTS CITY AND CATAMARAN BOAT TRIP ON THE MEDITERRANEAN

Sunday, October 23 – 14:30 to 18:30

Cost: 50 euros

  This half day excursion will take us around the port of Valencia and the Malvarrosa beaches and culminate with a one hour catamaran boat trip sailing the Port waters of the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. The tour will allow us to discover a modern port, which has undergone a massive change in the last few years, primarily due to the fact that since 2007, Valencia has hosted two of the world’s biggest sporting events: the America’s Cup and the Formula 1 (F1) motorcar race.

Valencia hosted the F1 competition in 2009 and 2010 on the Valencia Street Circuit is framed by the Grao area which passes through the inner docks of the port, the port and the old bed of the Turia River.

 Valencia is blessed with special natural characteristics and with the local climatology making the Gulfst1:PlaceType> of Valencia an excellent course for regattas. Thanks to these conditions, the city became the first European city to host the America’s Cup in the event’s 150+ year history. The America’s Cup is an international sailing competition, a challenge between two boats in which there is only one winner. We will enjoy the panoramic views from the Veles e Vents balcony, a modern building designed for the 2007 America’s Cup and conclude the tour with a one hour 'catamaran' boat trip, sailing the Port waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The tour is rated as an easy activity. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and catamaran tickets.  Lunch is not included.

TOUR #3:

VALENCIAN PORT PANORAMIC /LLADRÓ TOUR

Monday, October 24 – 9:00 to 13:30

Cost: 35 euros

 This half day excursion tour will begin with a tour to the “City of Porcelain” where the famous Lladró porcelain pieces are made. Thousands of people worldwide collect Lladró, and it would be difficult to walk along the streets of any Spanish town without seeing a few pieces for sale. This beautiful and painted Spanish porcelain with its delicate colors is truly one of Spain’s great success stories. Our guided tour will allow us to visit a production line at the factory as well as an opportunity to visit the Museum Boutique, one of the largest Lladró Boutiques in the world.

After the Lladrò tour, we will visit the Valencia Port. A panoramic tour will show us the modern port, which has undergone a massive change in the last few years, primarily due to the fact that since 2007, Valencia has hosted two of the world’s biggest sporting events: the America’s Cup and the Formula 1 motorcar race.

Valencia is blessed with special natural characteristics and with the local climatology making the Gulf of Valencia an excellent course for regattas. Thanks to these conditions, the city became the first European city to host the America’s Cup in the event’s 150+ year history. The America’s Cup is an international sailing competition, a challenge between two boats in which there is only one winner. Today, after 159 years of history, the continued success of the event is based on three key factors: teamwork, strategy and technology. We will enjoy the panoramic views from the Veles e Vents balcony, a modern building designed for the 2007 America’s Cup. The tour guide will provide general information regarding the sports events. The F1 competition was held in 2009 and 2010 on theValencia Street Circuit framed by the Grao area which passes through the inner docks of the port, the port and the old bed of the Turia River.

 The tour is rated as an easy activity. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and tour at the Lladrò factory.  Lunch is not included.

TOUR #4:

THE CITY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES WITH ADMISSION TO THE OCEANOGRAPHIC (HALF DAY )

Monday, October 24 – 1414:30 to 18:30

Cost: 60 euros

This half day tour will give us insight into the most important modern tourist destination in the city of Valencia. The City of Arts and Sciences is an entertainment-based cultural and architectural complex in the city situated at the end of the old riverbed Turia. A bypass of the Turia river began after the great flood of Valencia in 1957 and the Turia riverbed became a park and garden in 1980.

Designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela, the City of Arts and Sciences was inaugurated April 16, 1998 with the opening of L'Hemisfèric. Today the complex includes the Hemisferic, the Sciences Museum, the Umbracle gardens, the Opera house and the Oceanographic, the largest aquarium in Europe.  We will take a stroll among these amazing structures and learn more about the building of this stunning architecture.  We will then visit the Oceanographic with its 45,000 living creatures from 500 different species represented in the planet’s main marine ecosystems.  Our guide will lead us through the different buildings housing examples of ecosystems from the Mediterranean, Wetlands, Temperate and Tropical, Antarctic, Arctic and Delfinarium.

 The tour is rated as an easy activity. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and Oceanographic tickets.  Lunch is not included.

TOUR #5:

OLD TOWN VALENCIA

Tuesday, October 25 – 9:00 to 13:30
and
Thursday, October 27 – 9:00 to 13:30

Cost: 40 euros

 Valencia has been the home of many cultures.  Founded by the Romans, the Visigoths, Moors and the Aragonese have all made the city an important cultural and historical center. Valencian architecture is very rich and combines gothic, modernism and baroque styles.

 Our half day walking tour will begin at the Serrano Towers, main doorway of the medieval walls that once protected the city. Torres de Serrano, one of the doors of the city built in the 14th century by Pere Balaguer, was also used as a prison for 300 years.

We will learn about the origins of Valencia and see some of the most representative monuments in the historical city center:

• The Cathedral of Valencia, whose origins date back to the 13^th century. It has various architectural styles from the romanesque to the baroque. Inside, we will discover the fresco paintings above the main altar, the magnificient dome and the Holy Grail Chapel that contains an agate cup which is said to be the chalice used by Jesus during the last supper.

• The Generalitat Palace constitutes a fabulous example of the gothic architecture in Valencia.

• The Basilica of the Holy Mary of the Forsaken dedicated to the patron saint of Valencia was built in the 17^th century by Diego Martínez Ponce de Urrana in the Baroque style.

• The Lonja (the Silk Exchange), an exemplary building of the city and one of the most famous civil gothic monuments in Europe. Built in 1493, it was declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in December 1996.

•  The Central Market, one of the largest food markets in Europe. This great building was designed in 1914. The ceramic and the colorful glasswork made the building an excellent example of the modernist architecture of the time.

The visit will end at one of the most photographed places in the city, the spectacular facade of the Marqués de Dos Aguas Palace in the baroque style.

The tour is rated as an easy activity but good walking shoes are recommended. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and museum tickets.  Lunch is not included. 

TOUR #6:

VALENCIAN PALACES

Tuesday, October 25 – 14:30 to 18:30
And
Friday, October 28 – 14:30 to 18:30

Cost:40 euros

This half day walking tour will take us across the old city grounds of Valencia discovering some of the former palaces that allow us to imagine the old lifestyle in Valencia. We will pass many Gothic-style buildings and palaces of the Historic Center of Valencia during the tour.

 The Palacio de Benicarló was built in the late fifteenth century as the residence of the family of the Borgia, Duke of Gandia, on the site of a previous building which was a Grammar and Art School (1408). Since then, there have been many renovations of the palace, though retains its Gothic portal. Nowadays it is the headquarters of the Valencian Parliament. The construction of the Palacio de la Generalitat dates back to 1421 as the seat of the Generalitat Valenciana and Provincial General. The central body of the building is in late Gothic style. Today, its three floors serve as private palaces of the city. The Palacio de los Boil, owned by the Marquis of Scala, assimilates and repeats the patterns of the typical gothic mansion, with a few later additions in the renaissance style. The building is made up of two distinct constructions with two main entrances and two courtyards which are joined by a stairway that runs below an oval-shaped dome. We will visit the old Gothic building of the Palacio del Marques de dos Aguas, constructed  by the family of Perellós Rabassa and now a historical-artistic monument. Today, it is the National Museum of pottery. Finally, we will visit the façade of the Gothic medieval “Palace del Almirante,” the most important private architecture in the Gothic style that remains in Valencia.

This half day walking tour is rated as an easy activity.  Good walking shoes are recommended.  The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide and IEEE host, and museum tickets.  Lunch is not included. 

TOUR #7:

 PEÑISCOLA-A LEGENDARY TOWN

Wednesday, October 26 – 8:30 to 18:30
And
Saturday, October 29 – 8:30 to 18:30

Cost: 60 euros

 This full day excursion will take us back in time to the Renaissance Middle Ages. We will travel 145 km (approx. 90 miles) north of Valencia to visit the small fishing village of Peñíscola, a jewel in the crown of the beautiful coast of eastern Spain.  Peñíscola consists of a mix of old and new with the fortified old quarters rising out of the sea to form almost an island of incredible beauty. On the highest part of the outcrop of rock stands the castle: a watchtower and impregnable fortress surrounded by the city walls that were built over different periods to protect the old city. The medieval fortifications of the south and east faces were built between the 13^th and 15^th centuries. Just up from Saint Peter’s Gate is the Fountain’s Wall (Muralla de la Fuente), which comes to an end at Saint Anne’s battery (Batería de Santa Ana). The Renaissance fortification was planned by J.B. Antonelli and built in the 16^th century. It was an ambitious project that took in the Artillery Store and Saint Peter’s Gate, but it could not be finished. An ornamental cordon runs the length of the masonry walls, and watchtowers at each corner make Peñíscola an impregnable crag of rock, which is unique and has an unusual beauty.

 The Renaissance style is widespread throughout the city. We will visit the Dark Gate (Portal Fosc), the main entrance to the city until the 18 ^th century and The Artillery Store, and the third gate to the city, Saint Mary’s Gate, which was built in 1754 by order of Ferdinand VI to improve access to the city. Inside the gate is Les Escaseres Square, next to the Saint Anne's chapel. A visit to this less known chapel (which dates back to 1827 and is of great historical interest) is a must when strolling through the narrow streets of the old city.

 This full day tour is rated a strenuous activity and good walking shoes are a must.  The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, museum tickets and a box lunch. 

TOUR #8:

MUSEUMS: IVAM (CONTEMPORARY VALENCIAN ART INSTITUTE) AND SAN PIO V (MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS)

Wednesday, October 26 – 14:30 to 18:30

Cost: 40 euros

This half day excursion will include visits to two important art museums in Valancia. The IVAM (Contemporary Valencian Art Institute) is a new building with galleries designed for permanent and temporary exhibitions. The exhibitions are mainly focused on the evolutionary process of Art, from the classical vanguard crisis right up to the seventies. The Julio González and Pinazo collections are on permanent display.

There is also a display that includes parts of the medieval Valencian city wall that was destroyed over 100 years ago.

We will also visit the Museum of Fine Arts San Pio V, the second most important art collection in Spain. This huge museum is filled with works from 14th century to the 20th century. The museum is largely dominated by 13^th-15^th century iconography and the golden age of 17^th century Baroque, but there are also works from the Rennaissance and the 18^th-19^th century movements. You will find, among others, Ribaltas, El Greco, van Dyck, Bosch, Velazquez and Goya. The museum also shows some Sorollas master pieces, the most representative Valencian painter of the late 19^th Century. There are also many archeological items on display.

The historical building that houses the museum was originally the San Pío Seminary College, founded in 1683 by Brother Juan Tomás de Rocabertí, the Archbishop of Valencia. The building has been used for several different purposes: A Military Cadet Academy, a Charity Centre, an army supplies storehouse and a Military Hospital until 1946 when it was chosen to be used for the Museum of Fine Arts.

The tour is rated as an easy activity. The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, and museum tickets.  Lunch is not included.

TOUR #9:

LLADRÓ MUSEUM/ALBUFERA NATURE RESERVE WITH PAELLA TASTING

 Friday, October 28 – 9:00 to 18:00

Cost: 75 euros

 We will then travel to the fishing village of El Palmar where we will enjoy a Valencian paella for lunch.  El Palmar is located in the Albufera Nature Reserve, an important stopover point for migratory birds and a nesting area for resident birds.  After lunch we will sail the main lake in a typical fisherman boat to observe the manner in which the local people follow fishing traditions established some 750 years ago and the unique configuration of rice fields and agricultural plots divided by canals and linked by small, narrow bridges.

This full day tour is rated as an easy activity.  The tour includes shuttle service, tourist guide, museum/excursion tickets and the paella lunch.