Street Photography in Valencia

The Mercat Central is one of Europe's great market halls, a modernist building with tiled walls and a stained glass dome. Amateur Traveler notes that light through the stained glass is magical in the morning, and Camera Film Travel calls it brilliant for street photography, with vendors and locals going about their day. Fox of Snaps by Fox calls it full of great characters. Go mid-morning, when shoppers crowd the counters. Stand at a crossing of aisles and let the stalls pile up in layers. Ask before close portraits of traders, and buy something first. The market is generally closed on Sundays, so check hours before you go.

El Carmen is the oldest part of the old town, a maze of narrow lanes covered in street art. Amateur Traveler singles out Calle de Caballeros and Calle de Quart for murals and facade details, with light and shadow cutting through the alleys. Camera Film Travel says the lanes are full of life and good for candids any time of day. Fox found the old town best in the morning, with light flooding the long narrow streets. Use a mural as the background and wait for someone to walk into it. At night the barrio fills with bars, and the mood changes completely. Keep an eye on your bag in the busy lanes.

The Plaça de la Mare de Déu, or Plaza de la Virgen, is Valencia's most beautiful square. Camera Film Travel points out that the cathedral front and the basilica fit in one frame here, with the Micalet bell tower above. It is busy with visitors and locals crossing between the old town and the river gardens, and the big Turia fountain in the middle is a meeting point. Morning light is soft on the stone. Stand by the fountain and wait for a figure to cross in front of the basilica's curved wall. During Fallas, the square hosts the flower offering to the Virgin, when it is packed.

The Plaça de l'Ajuntament is the big square in front of the city hall. Most of the year it is a busy junction with flower stalls. In March it becomes the centre of Fallas: Visit Valencia says the mascletà, a roaring daytime firework show, fires here at 2pm sharp every day from 1 to 19 March. The crowd is the subject, with faces turned up and hands over ears. Arrive early and find a spot on the edge where you can see faces. Crowd scenes like this are the easiest to publish under Spanish law. Protect your ears and watch your bag in the crush.

Russafa, or Ruzafa, is the bohemian neighbourhood just south of the centre, a hub for artists and independent shops, according to Amateur Traveler. Calle Sueca and Calle de Denia mix contemporary murals with older buildings, and the Mercat de Russafa is full of bright produce and crowds. Morning is best for the market, and evening for cafe terraces and people out walking. It feels more local than the old town. Frame people at cafe tables against the murals, or work the market entrance as shoppers come and go. It is a good base if you live in Valencia and want a regular route.

The Turia Gardens fill the old bed of the river Turia, which was diverted after floods and turned into a long park that runs across the city. Fox recommends walking through it to the City of Arts and Sciences instead of the busy streets. It is where Valencia exercises and relaxes: runners and cyclists on weekdays, with families and ball games at weekends. The old stone bridges crossing overhead give you shade and frames. Shoot a runner passing through the shadow of an arch in late afternoon. Weekend mornings are busiest. It is a calm place to practise on moving subjects.

El Cabanyal is the old fishing quarter by the sea, with low houses decorated in colourful tiles. Fox describes old houses with plenty of colour and a rough-round-the-edges feel, and says it was the one area he was told to be careful in, though he found it fine. The beach and promenade next door give you walkers and swimmers, and Fox found misty mornings there great for photos. Amateur Traveler says early mornings and late afternoons are best on Malvarrosa beach. Walk the grid of streets for tiled facades and people on doorsteps, then the promenade at sunset. Keep a low profile here, and ask before photographing people at home.

The City of Arts and Sciences is Santiago Calatrava's complex of white futurist buildings over shallow pools at the end of the Turia Gardens. Fox calls it an insane piece of architecture where you can spend hours finding compositions, and Camera Film Travel points to the Hemisfèric's curves and reflections at golden hour. For street photography, the job is scale: a small figure against huge white curves, or a walker reflected in the water. Harsh sun makes the white glow, so expose for the highlights. It is busy with visitors on weekends. Come at golden hour or blue hour for the best light.