Valencia · Spain
Valencia Cathedral and the Miguelete
A practical guide to Valencia Cathedral and the Miguelete: how much time to give it, how tickets work, what to see of the Holy Chalice and the Goyas, the 207-step climb and what to avoid around it.
Yes, it's worth it: for about €13 you get the Holy Chalice, two Goyas, frescoes that were hidden for 330 years and the best view of Valencia. Climb the Miguelete first.
Valencia Cathedral stands where the city has always prayed: first there was a Roman temple, then a Visigothic basilica and then the great mosque of Balansiya. It’s Gothic at its core, it holds the cup with the strongest case for being the Holy Grail, and it has the Miguelete attached, the tower with the best view of Valencia.
Our experience
We visited on Monday, May 25, in the middle of the afternoon, the same day we arrived from Madrid, after a rice dish in El Carmen and a walk through Plaza de la Virgen. The original plan was written as if that day were a Sunday, when the cultural visit only opens from 14:00 to 17:30 and last entry is at 16:30. Since it was a Monday, with hours from 10:30 to 18:30, there was no need to rush.
We followed the order we’d decided on at home: the tower first, while our legs were fresh, and then the interior, with priority for the Holy Chalice, the Goyas and the frescoes above the high altar. We skipped the cathedral museum, apart from the Goyas; in our research it came up as small and skippable.
A bit of history
Jaume I took Valencia in 1238 and dedicated the mosque to the Virgin almost right away, but the new cathedral was started around 1262 and took about 220 years to complete. The Miguelete went up between 1381 and 1429, and it owes its name to the bell Miguel that crowns it.
The Holy Chalice arrived in 1437: King Alfonso V left it as collateral for a loan from the cathedral and never got it back. In 1960 the archaeologist Antonio Beltrán dated the agate cup to between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD. John Paul II celebrated Mass with it in 1982 and Benedict XVI in 2006.
The most surprising story is on the ceiling above the high altar. In 1472 Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja, the future Pope Alexander VI, commissioned frescoes from two Italian painters. In the 17th century a Baroque vault covered them and they stayed hidden for 330 years, until in 2004 a restorer spotted one of the angels through a gap.
How it fits into your day
The cathedral is five minutes from La Lonja and the Central Market, and one minute from Plaza de la Virgen. See our arrival day in Valencia for how we combined it with the rest of the afternoon.
What to see, in order
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The Miguelete
The 51-meter octagonal Gothic tower (1381–1429). You stop in the bell room, where the Micalet bell of more than seven tons hangs, and keep going to the terrace: the historic center, the green strip of the Turia, the City of Arts and Sciences to the southeast and the sea in the distance.
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The Chapel of the Holy Chalice
In the old chapter house. The agate cup sits in a dimly lit display case. It's small, about 7 cm of stone, and what impresses you is its story more than the spectacle.
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The Goyas in the chapel of Saint Francis Borgia
Two canvases from 1788. In the one of the unrepentant dying man, demons appear beside the bed, thirty years before the Black Paintings. A lot of people walk past without seeing them.
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The frescoes above the high altar
Ten musician angels painted between 1472 and 1481 by Paolo de San Leocadio and Francesco Pagano. A Baroque vault covered them in the 17th century and they reappeared in 2004.
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The cimborrio
Stand under the crossing and look up: the octagonal lantern with pointed-arch windows is the most characteristic thing about Valencian Gothic.
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Puerta de los Apóstoles
The Gothic portal facing Plaza de la Virgen, with the apostles in their niches. On Thursdays at 12:00 the Water Tribunal meets here.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- Shoulders and knees covered. It's hot in May, so bring a scarf or a light layer.
- The tower lets 50 people up at a time. At peak hours there can be a short wait to start the climb.
- Photos without flash and without a tripod; the Holy Chalice chapel has restrictions posted at the door.
- If you're there on a Thursday at noon, stay for the Water Tribunal in front of the Puerta de los Apóstoles: it lasts about 30 minutes, it's free and it's in Valencian.
Do
- Climb the Miguelete first, with fresh legs, and then go through the cathedral.
- Use the included audio guide: the Holy Chalice section is well told.
- Afterward, walk 100 meters to Horchatería Santa Catalina.
Don’t
- Don't pay for the "Holy Grail tours" offered in Plaza de la Reina for €25–35: they include the same €10 ticket you can buy yourself.
- Don't let the photographers in Plaza de la Virgen take your picture: they charge you €10–15 afterward.
- Don't eat at the Plaza de la Reina terraces with multilingual menus and photos; walk five minutes to El Carmen.
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need to visit Valencia Cathedral?
Between 60 and 90 minutes for the cathedral, the Miguelete climb, the Holy Chalice, the Goyas and the frescoes. In 30 minutes you only see the interior.
Does the cathedral ticket include the Miguelete?
No. The cathedral costs €10 with audio guide and the tower €3 more, with its own entrance to the right of the facade.
Is it the real Holy Grail?
The Church doesn't rule on relics. What has been studied is that the agate cup is a vessel from the eastern Mediterranean dated between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD, and that it has been in the cathedral since 1437. John Paul II and Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with it.
Is there a dress code?
Yes: shoulders and knees covered, for men and women.
Can you get in for free?
Only during Mass, and then there's no cultural visit: you can't go near the Holy Chalice chapel or climb the tower.