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West of Valencia are the wine towns of Requena and Utiel, modest little places which are worth a visit if you are interested in the local tipple. Buñol is the setting for La Tomatina, an ecstatic annual battle involving thousands of tons of squashed tomatoes and thousands of juice-drenched visitors.
Sights
Buñol
Frequent trains, E 2.10 single, 40 mins. Hourly bus services with Autocares Buñol, T 963 491 425, E 2.50 single, 1 hr.
Every year, thousands descend on Buñol for the world’s biggest food fight, La Tomatina. The other 364 days of the year it remains a tranquil little village, caught in a steep cleft in the hills, out of sight of the ugly, concrete factories that squat next to the highway. If it’s been raining, there’s a stunning waterfall at the nearby Cueva Turche, a popular local swimming and picnicking spot.
Requena and Utiel
About 4-5 trains a day to Requena, E 4.25, 1½ hrs. Frequent bus services with Autolineas Alsina, T 963 497 230, E 3.80 single, 1 hr. About 4-5 trains a day to Utiel, E 4.70 single, 1 hr 20 mins. Frequent bus services with Autolineas Alsina, T 963 497 230, E 4.20 single, 1¼ hrs.
This is the heart of Valencia's wine country, with vines snaking off as far as the eye can see. Requena’s Festa de la Vendimia, celebrated at the end of the grape harvest in late August/early September, is one of the oldest in Spain. The town itself is a prosperous little place, with plane-shaded avenues radiating out from a sinuous medieval core, the Barri de la Villa, with a smattering of 15th- and 16th-century palaces. Utiel, 13 km west, is less attractive, but you can visit some of the local bodegas for tours and tastings (information from the tourist office.
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