El Micalet

The church is a stunning, all encompassing audio guided tour with some amazing interactive stations. The history is dense and the tour takes at least an hour as you wander through this stunning church. Seeing the holy grail was pretty amazing and also getting to see the foundations at the bottom level was very cool and eerie. Highly recommend getting the 7-day tourist card for free entrance (and entrance to other landmarks too). It’s certainly the best attraction in the city. Also, you can climb the bell tower for 3 euros. If you’re afraid of heights like I am, it’s definitely pretty scary walking up hundreds of steps for about 5 minutes. The top view is okay in my opinion so your mileage may vary. Overall, the church tour is absolutely amazing.

This place is mostly known for the Holy Grail. “The cathedral was consecrated in 1238 by the first bishop of Valencia after the Reconquista, Pere d'Albalat, Archbishop of Tarragona, and was dedicated to Saint Mary by order of James I the Conqueror. It was built over the site of the former Visigothic cathedral, which under the Moors had been turned into a mosque. Valencian Gothic is the predominant architectural style of the cathedral, although it also contains Romanesque, French Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical elements.” “The “Bell Tower of the Cathedral” is also known as “La Torre del Micalet”, because in its upper part is the famous bell “El Micalet”, dedicated to San Miguel, to protect the entire city from storms and other evils.”

It’s a great place to visit right in the heart of Valencia. Tickets are very affordable - only 2 euros for adult entry - and the view from the top is amazing. However, you do need to wait a bit, as entry is organized in groups rather than allowing walk-ins.

El Micalet, it is a unique place in Valencia where you can see everywhere around and feel the original valencian place. It is the tower of the main Catedral. More than 200 steps to get on the top. There the bell rings every hour 🔔 The ascent is made via a spiral staircase

3 euro entrance to the cathedral tower. Quite crowded the rooftop and there are plenty of stairs to climb, beautiful view on the city and a good coordination with traffic lights for climbing and descending. I got scared when the bell started to bang, cool to see it functioning, though.

Take note of the operating hours. We didn’t get to visit this tower since we spent a little too much time in the Cathedral. But from the outside, it really look beautiful

Iconic building is a must visit if you are in Valencia. The entry fee was quite reasonable just 9 EUR for me. With this you get access to the church and museum, however tower requires a separate ticket which can only be paid by cash. The included audio guide is quite comprehensive and covers not just history of the building but many of religious backgrounds for each area that will be explored during this fine. The highlight for me was the cup that Jesus himself drank from, a one of a kind relic!

The tower of the Valencia Cathedral is visited separately and for the ticket you need cash. The entrance is 2.5€. Also opens earlier than the cathedral. We visited at 8 AM. If you are not used with effort will be a real challenge - 207 steps. The last part of the climbing is tighter and steps are smaller. You have a traffic light at the top so you won’t go down while others go up on that portion. The view is amazing.

The Miguelete Tower is the bell tower of the Valencia Cathedral in Valencia, Spain. This Valencian Gothic-style bell tower was built between 1381 and 1424 and access to the tower is from inside the Cathedral by means of a spiral staircase. Entrance is €2 per person. It is 207(ish?) steps to the top in a fairly winding, narrow stair case. Your legs will burn - no, not you Crossfit exercise folk but us always eating our way through our travels sort of folks. You may feel a little nauseated. But the experience is worth it. Pace yourself if you don't work out much. There were lots of people panting and having issues. The view from the top is pretty great, and there's plenty of space to sit to let your legs rest after the hike up. ALSO yes - you have to walk back down said spiral stair case, but it's much easier going down. Just make sure you don't go too fast and lose your step as it's a long way to roll. Note: There is a traffic light system on either end. At the top of the tower, you'll see a red/green light. Red means don't come down as people are coming up and there's really no room (particularly close to the top of the tower) for someone to squish past. There are cameras watching you (operator at the base is the guy you pay your €2 to. And there's a speaker, as he'll tell you how many minutes when you stare and wave at the camera impatiently.

You're in Valencia, visiting the Cathedral, so why not climb the steps? Phenomenal view, get your history on, and make an afternoon out of it. The Micalet is one of 12 bell towers, goes back to 1539, and packs over 24,000 lbs of heft. Not to shabby! Be sure to grab a drink or two at the bars around the area. You've earned it!