Valencia’s Town Hall Square, Plaza del Ayuntamiento (or alternatively Plaça de l’Ajuntament, in Valencian), is a hive of activity, a busy but never overwhelming place where you can take the city and its people in.

At first almost completely occupied by a monastery, the space slowly evolved with the passing of the years, becoming a public open space in the middle of the city. The strongest push for the introduction of urban reforms came with the relocation of the Town Hall’s administration to the Casa Consistorial (commonly referred to simply as Ayuntamiento). The square was then destined to become the new civic centre of the city.

With this came many renovations and alterations to the existing space, including the dismantling of some streets, as well as a fair amount of expropriations and demolishment of buildings.

Not all the changes were welcomed by the people of Valencia, so much that some reforms had to be undone just a few years after their completion. What we have today is a fairly open square, free of visual clutter. The main decoration comes from the surrounding architecture and the trees, as well as the round fountain.

In any case, the intentions of the Municipality for the Plaza de Ayuntamiento to become an urban centre were realised. This was in part thanks to the advantaged position of the square as a connection point between different areas of the city centre.

Plaza del Ayuntamiento is in the southernmost section of the Old Town, the Sant Francesc area, which is directly north of Estación del Norte, the main train station. As a matter of fact, it’s hard to avoid passing by the square when walking around Valencia’s city centre.

Many public and folkloric events are held here year-round. Even when there are none, the square is a lively yet relaxing place to be, always bustling with people, bicycles and skateboarders gathering from all over the city centre. As locals would agree, Plaza del Ayuntamiento is the perfect place to relax after a long day and people watch while having some drinks and food.