La Lonja de la Seda
La Lonja de la Seda is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Valencia audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Valencia Valencia guide
About La Lonja de la Seda
A UNESCO World Heritage Gothic masterpiece completed in 1498, Valencia's Silk Exchange, one of the finest secular Gothic buildings in Europe, where the merchants of Renaissance Valencia conducted the silk trade that made the city prosperous.
La Lonja de la Seda, the Silk Exchange, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the outstanding examples of secular Gothic architecture in Europe. Built between 1482 and 1548 under the direction of architect Pere Compte, the building served as the commercial exchange and trading hall for the merchants of Valencia during the city's period of greatest prosperity in the 15th and 16th centuries, when Valencia was one of the most important trading cities in the western Mediterranean. The main trading hall, the Sala de Contratación, is a magnificent space with spiralling columns rising to Gothic vaulted ceilings that create an effect of extraordinary lightness and height. The adjacent tower and orange grove complete one of the finest Gothic ensembles in Spain.
Did you know? La Lonja de la Seda was built during Valencia's 'Golden Age' of the 15th century, when the city was the most important port in the western Mediterranean and its population of around 75,000 made it one of the largest cities in Iberia, larger at the time than Madrid or Barcelona.
How long should you spend at La Lonja de la Seda?
Plan about ~45 min at La Lonja de la Seda. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is La Lonja de la Seda worth visiting?
La Lonja de la Seda is one of the 23 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Valencia, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Valencia
Hear the story of La Lonja de la Seda
Preview the Valencia tour free in the Gingerguide app.