Café de las Horas

Café de las Horas is one of the most distinctive places to sit down in Valencia. Open since 1994, it occupies the former stables of a 19th-century building, dated to 1850, on a corner just behind the Plaza de la Virgen. Inside, the décor is a deliberate excess of neo-Baroque style: a starry ceiling and burgundy curtains, with classical music and jazz in the background. Part of an old wall linked to the former hermitage of San Jaime survives inside.

The owners describe it as a café for conversation that combines a Parisian café and cabaret, an English tea room and an American cocktail bar, with a sense of fun about its own kitsch. The name refers to the medieval Books of Hours and to the passing of time. It is open every day from 10:00 until 01:30, so its character shifts through the day, from a quiet breakfast spot to a lively evening bar.

In the morning, breakfast is served until noon, with toast, cereals and juices. Through the day there is a long list of coffees, teas and herbal infusions, including coffee cocktails, plus tapas and sharing boards of cured meats, cheeses and anchovies, with vegan options. The house speciality is Agua de Valencia, the city's famous cocktail of orange juice, cava and spirits, served in jugs of different sizes or to take away. There are also classic cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, gin and tonics, vermouth, wine and sangría, and the café makes its own liqueur.

Reservations are not accepted, so arrive early in the evening if you want a table, especially at weekends. Mornings and early afternoons are the calmest time for coffee or tea, while the evening crowd is younger and noisier. It suits couples, friends and anyone who enjoys a theatrical setting, and it is a good place to try Agua de Valencia for the first time in the old town. Souvenirs such as mugs, postcards and bottles of the house liqueur are on sale.

The café is a minute's walk from the Plaza de la Virgen and the cathedral, and on the edge of the Barrio del Carmen. The Torres de Serranos and the Turia garden are about five minutes away to the north. Many buses stop around the Plaza de la Reina.