Sunset photo spots in Valencia

Following on from my recent articles about some of the most interesting places in Valencia to catch great natural, street and city life shots, I wanted to follow up with where to find the best spots for sunsets. There are very few natural phenomena that can compete with a stunning sunset, and Valencia is lucky enough to have beautifully clear skies almost year-round, as well as a vast array of purples, oranges, and reds that fill the evening sky as the warm sun leaves for the day. From the offset, I want to point out that this article might be a little photographer-geek aimed, and so will definitely appeal to those who love to capture moments.

Arts and Sciences

The City of Arts and Sciences is one of the best-known tourist attractions in Valencia, and one of the several internationally loved locations to visit in Spain. Many people come here to see the sprawling architectural complex, created in the late 1990s, where an art museum, an opera hall and the beginning (or end) of the Turia park are all sat together. However, during my daily commuting, I have come to believe that the bridge that runs between the buildings and the large aquarium on the other side, is maybe the most beautiful photo spot in the city. And this is in a city absolutely packed with fantastic photo spots. For me, the combination of increasingly higher bridge spans, linear street lamps, and slow traffic on both sides means that the colours and combinations of images here create a breathtaking composition. Have a look at the photo above that was taken at around 18:00 in late November, and you'll be able to see what I mean. Obviously that photo was taken using a tripod, very slow shutter speed and some post-processing but hopefully, you will get the idea. To get really interesting and exciting compositions you'll have to have a good understanding of the exposure triangle and such.

The photo below is a more raw version of the colours and compositions you can find here with very few accessories or photo skills.

Beach sunsets

Obviously, if you look at a map you will see that Valencia and its beaches face to the east, and so you would think they might not make the best sunset spots. As the sun sets in the west usually the stunning watery sunsets that you can see come from westerly facing beaches. However Malvarrosa Beach faces east and this actually ends up giving quite a unique colour and perspective. I think there are two types of interesting photos you can take from the beach...

1. Looking up/down the beach

As you can see in the photo below, having interestingly coloured light coming in from the side of the photo creates a beautiful blend of highlight and shadow, aided by the water and great texture of the sand. 

2. From the beach into the city

I also think that you can get quite an interesting perspective with photos taken from the shore of the beach looking back up into the city. As the beach is often the lowest point of a city, you get a sort of sunken perspective where it feels like you are looking up at the city, and especially with the beach facing east, if you turn to the opposite direction, you get a faceful of sunset! The light ends up shooting up from behind the buildings and trees and creates some stunning framed sunset-beams, like in the photo below.

Valencia by day is all blues and golden-bright yellows, but the colours of this city mellow and soften as the sun gets lower, and the yellows turn to oranges and dark reds, while the blues turn to twenty different shades of purple. It is a city of colour whatever time you visit - come and check it out and see for yourself!