Let an artist loose on a boutique hotel and you get Casa Clarita. Madrid-born illustrator and ceramicist Jaime Hayon has transformed this old glassmaker's townhouse on a sweet street in Valencia with his eclectic style. Bedrooms are painted eggshell blue or butter yellow, original hydraulic tiles are rearranged into flower motifs, and playful murals cover the stairways. For breakfast, cross the road to La Bodeguita, where the tortilla is one of the best in the city. 

When Casa Fran opened in 2022 as a hole-in-the-wall hangout, it was exactly the kind of laid-back, quality-driven coffee spot the city had been waiting for. Fast forward and the flat whites and homemade sea-salt cookies have moved to a bigger, more comfortable and design-focused site in the city centre. Just outside sits the towering Gothic fortress, Torres de Quart, one of the original doorways to the city. Climb to the top for just €2 to catch the brilliant views.

Raw brick walls and crumbling plaster offer a lovely juxtaposition to the delicate, twinkling necklaces of Rocío Jewels. Inside, founder Rocío Vicén is often found polishing gold signet rings at her battered wooden workbench, while her husband Ferran attends to folks drawn in from the street. They're both local (Ferran's dad and grandad were both born and raised on the next street, in fact), and each piece is a celebration of the perfectly imperfect forms of nature. Try on necklaces linked by silver curls like snail shells and gold stud earrings that look like sea-battered pebbles.  

Get a hands-on history lesson by joining a fridge magnet workshop in Plou Estudi, a compact but colourful studio on a quiet street behind Institut Valencià d'Art Modern. Inside, Elena López does a brilliant job of coaxing the best work out of her students, sprinkling a little of her Joan Miró-esque colour palette over everything. She will glaze and fire creations ready to be collected; the handmade lemon and flower magnets make cute souvenirs.