Things to do in Valencia
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Valencia
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring peak. Fallas fills March, then April and May bring 20 to 25C, orange blossom and terraces.
Beach season planned around heat and humidity, with locals leaving in August and nights starting late.
Locals' favourite, warm sea in September and thinning crowds, with DANA storm risk to watch.
Value and culture season, 16 to 20C days and the emptiest, cheapest old town outside festival spikes.
Best months overall are late April to May and mid September to mid October.
What's on
- Las Fallas 1-19 March
700 plus monuments burned on 19 March, daily mascletà at 2pm, flower offering 17-18 March. Hotels fill months ahead.
- Nit de Sant Joan 23 June
Bonfires and midnight swimming on Malvarrosa.
- Gran Fira de València July
A month of concerts and open air events, ending with the Batalla de Flores.
- Batalla de Flores last Sunday of July
The flower throwing parade that closes the Gran Fira.
- La Tomatina last Wednesday of August
The ticketed tomato fight in Buñol, 40km inland.
- Día de la Comunitat Valenciana 9 October
Processions and fireworks for the region's day.
- Valencia Half Marathon Usually a Sunday in late October
Late October half marathon that turns the Turia into a runners' city.
- Valencia Marathon 6 December in 2026
First Sunday of December, one of the world's fastest courses, filling hotels.
- Three Kings parade 5 January
The Christmas season parade in the city centre.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Valencia
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
Calatrava's white complex of pools and pavilions is the sight itself, best seen reflected at opening or dusk.
Oceanogràfic
Europe's largest aquarium, with pavilions from Arctic to tropics and a shark tunnel as the set piece.
Jardín del Turia
The old riverbed is now a 9km green ribbon locals use daily, and the pleasantest route across the city.
Mercat Central de València
A Modernista food hall of some 1,200 stalls that explains Valencian cooking at a glance.
La Lonja de la Seda
The UNESCO silk exchange is a soaring late Gothic hall of twisted columns from Valencia's richest era.
Valencia Cathedral
Layers of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque over a former mosque, with the Holy Chalice chapel inside.
El Miguelete
The cathedral tower climb of 207 steps gives the definitive view over the old town roofs.
San Nicolás de Bari
Baroque frescoes cover this Carmen church so completely it is marketed as Valencia's Sistine Chapel.
Where to stay in Valencia
Ruzafa
best overall base, food led trips
Valencia's restaurant, cafe and tardeo quarter, heavily local and 10 minutes from the old town.
Ciutat Vella - La Seu / La Xerea
first trip
Monuments at the door, flat and walkable to everything, with the city's best luxury boutiques.
Eixample / Colón
calm, shopping and grand hotels
Wide avenues, the Mercado de Colón and classic five stars, spacious and quiet.
El Carmen
nightlife and budget
Street art, bars and the cheapest central beds, chosen knowingly on a named street.
El Cabanyal / Malvarrosa
beach first or repeat trip
Tiled fishermen's streets, morning swims and local prices, 20 to 25 minutes from the old town.
Benimaclet
budget and local base
Village feel, cheap and cafe rich, tram connected and almost entirely untouristed.
Think twice about
- Natzaret
One of Valencia's most deprived districts, cut off by port and rail, with poor late connections and nothing a visitor needs.
- Orriols and Torrefiel
Higher deprivation districts on the far northern edge, a long way from every sight and the useful beach tram.
- Southern flood suburbs sold as Valencia
Paiporta, Sedaví, Alfafar and Catarroja outskirts are recovering residential towns hit by the 2024 floods, distant and car dependent, not tourist bases.
- Deepest El Cabanyal alleys behind the beach
A few southern edge streets are flagged locally for squats and street drug dealing. Book on Carrer de la Reina, Mediterrani or the market streets.
Best restaurants in Valencia
Casa Carmela
A century old beachfront house cooking rice over orange wood fire in view of the sea.
Bon Aire
The classic terrace over the Albufera water for traditional rices and all i pebre eel stew.
Arrocería Maribel
A great-value arrocería doing traditional and creative rices with more polish.
Ricard Camarena Restaurant
Two star, vegetable led tasting menus built on Camarena's own huerta produce and deep broths.
Flores Raras
Quique Dacosta's two star Valencia room rethinks Valencian dishes, rice included, as tasting menus.
La Salita
Begoña Rodrigo's one star in a Ruzafa mansion with a garden, strong on pickles, citrus and vegetables.
Fierro
Barely a dozen seats around a counter for an intimate, fire led one star tasting menu.
Casa Montaña
A barrel lined bodega from 1836 for esgarraet, clòtxinas, anchovies and wine by the glass.
Outdoor things to do in Valencia
Albufera Natural Park
A freshwater lagoon ringed by rice paddies, best by boat from El Palmar at sunset.
Jardín del Turia
Riding the Turia end to end to the sea is the best value active day in a flat, bike built city.
Parador de El Saler Golf
Arana's links style course runs between pine forest, dunes and the sea inside the Albufera park.
Club de Golf El Bosque
Trent Jones Sr.'s hilly, wooded championship course is cut by a deep ravine west of the city.
Club de Golf Escorpión
A flat, pretty, walkable course in old orange groves around a white hacienda clubhouse.
Foressos Golf
The modern, water heavy course with 14 lakes is the easiest big course booking near the city.
Fuente de los Baños de Montanejos
Thermal pools in a river gorge, with canyon walks and swimming about 90km inland.
Castillo de Sagunto
A kilometre long fortress hill with Iberian, Roman and medieval layers above the huerta.
Best hotels in Valencia
The Westin Valencia
A Modernista palace turned five star with a vast garden courtyard and rooms big by city standards.
Caro Hotel
Twenty six different rooms in a palace layered over Roman, Arabic and Gothic remains.
Las Arenas Balneario Resort
Valencia's only five star directly on the beach, with pools and gardens facing the promenade.
Hospes Palau de la Mar
A serene, design led palace on the Turia edge, the quiet luxury alternative to the grand hotels.
SH Inglés Boutique Hotel
A classic hotel in a palace facing Dos Aguas, the most central mid range address in the city.
Vincci Mercat
A modern boutique steps from the Central Market, made for market mornings and old town evenings.
Hotel Malcom and Barrett
A smart, good value four star near the Arts complex, handy for families, events and drivers.
The River Hostel
A well run Carmen hostel with dorms and private rooms minutes from the Torres de Quart.
Is Valencia expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €140 a person |
| Splurge | €300 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Oceanogràfic: a few days ahead
- Bioparc Valencia: a few days ahead
- Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía: weeks ahead
- Palau de la Música de València: weeks ahead
- Camp de Mestalla: weeks ahead
- Albufera Natural Park: a few days ahead
- Parador de El Saler Golf: weeks ahead
- Club de Golf El Bosque: weeks ahead
- Fallas week hotels need months ahead for 15 to 19 March, as do Marathon weekend in early December and the October half marathon.
- Book Oceanogràfic online ahead on weekends, holidays and summer dates.
- Casa Carmela, Bon Aire and Maribel paella lunches need days to weeks, most at weekend El Palmar lunches. You often order the rice when booking.
- Fine-dining rooms including Ricard Camarena, Flores Raras, Fierro and Kaido need weeks, sometimes months. Opera seats, Mestalla tickets and La Tomatina packages also go early.
Is Valencia safe?
- Pickpocketing is the main risk at Mercat Central, Fallas crowds, Nord station and with unattended bags and phones on Malvarrosa beach.
- Fallas mascletà crowds are dense and loud enough to be a hearing hazard for small children. Watch for petardos and keep dogs away.
- July and August humidity makes midday castle climbs and Turia runs a health decision. Shift activity to mornings and after 7pm.
- Take AEMET orange and red rain warnings seriously in September to November DANA season and never drive through flooded underpasses. Emergency number 112. Tap water is safe.
Valencia travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Paella at dinner, paella for one, and the Passeig de Neptú batch paella strip with picture menus and pans ready in five minutes.
- A paella cooking class as your only paella. Do the class if you enjoy classes and still book one real lunch.
- Paying for all three Arts complex venues by default. Most adults should do Oceanogràfic plus the free exterior.
- Sangria by the jug in the old town and terrace restaurants directly on Plaza del Ayuntamiento and Plaza de la Reina.
- The open top bus as transport, and unlicensed Fallas balcony rentals at huge markups. The mascletà is a free street event.
Getting around Valencia: public transport and more
- Walk the centre, Ruzafa and Eixample triangle and use the Turia park as the route east to the Arts complex and west to Bioparc.
- Metrovalencia lines 3, 5 and 9 serve the airport in about 25 minutes. Trams 4 and 6 run to Malvarrosa beach.
- EMT buses 24 and 25 go to El Palmar and the Albufera. Get a SUMA card or 10 journey bonometro instead of single paper tickets.
- Valenbisi is everywhere for short hops. Taxis and Cabify or Bolt are plentiful and cheap. Do not hire a car for the city.
Who Valencia suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Valencia your trip
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