Valencia is one of the cities in Spain that is best renowned for its shops. This is for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it is Spain's third largest city, making it an important place to be located for major retailers as well as smaller independent ones. Valencia is also a city that has made lots of progress in recent years - it is a modern city that has been the site of lots of new developments - these include large shopping centres. It is also a city of tradition, where industries such as leather goods and ceramics have thrived for centuries - leaving a legacy of great gift shopping opportunities.