La Lonja de la Seda
Llotja de la Seda
A masterpiece of late 15th-century Gothic commercial architecture. Its trading hall, supported by spiral stone columns, is known as the “stone palm grove.”
La Lonja de la Seda was built between 1482 and 1548. It symbolises Valencia’s peak as a trading centre in the Mediterranean. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, it is regarded as a masterpiece of secular Gothic architecture in Europe. The main Trading Hall (Sala de Contratación) is about 17 metres tall. Eight spiral stone columns rise through it and spread into ribbed vaults at the top, like a grove of palm trees. Latin inscriptions on the walls urge merchants to trade honestly, and those who cheat are barred from entry. Other features include a crenellated tower (once a prison for indebted merchants), the Consulate of the Sea hall with its finely carved wooden ceiling, and an orange-tree courtyard. The exterior gargoyles are whimsical, and some are rather risqué. A visit takes about 45 minutes. Tickets cost about €2. Entry is free on Sundays. Monday to Saturday it is open about 10:00–19:00, and on Sundays until 14:00. The Central Market is opposite, and the nearby Church of San Juan is also worth seeing, so you can visit both together. Getting there: take metro lines 1, 3, 5 or 9 to Àngel Guimerà or Xàtiva, a walk of about 10 minutes. From City Hall Square, it is about a five-minute walk.
Opening hours
Mon–Sat approx. 10:00–19:00; Sun 10:00–14:00
Nearby sights
- Church of the Santos Juanes
- Mercado Central
- Church of San Nicolás de Bari and San Pedro Mártir
- Valencia Cathedral & Micalet
- Plaza de la Virgen & Basilica of the Virgin
- Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas (National Ceramics Museum)
- Plaza del Ayuntamiento
- L'Almoina Archaeological Centre