What to See in Valencia

Spain is a unique country where the cities are radically different... Valencia is a beautiful green city. After the "anthill" of Barcelona, you somehow breathe more freely in Valencia) Valencia has sights both in the city itself and beyond it! It is a city of parks and monumental sculptures! Although the city is better suited for everyday "living" than for travelling... And in Valencia you feel even more strongly that Spain is a country of the elderly! In cafés, restaurants and on the promenade you meet more older people than young ones... The old folk here drink beer / wine, smoke a cigarette and sweetly unwind through the long summer evenings) A sound and healthy old age is wonderful, but young people won't enjoy such company much... So, what to see in Valencia?

Sights of Valencia

The Old Town of Valencia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - beautiful architecture of past centuries!

It is a must to walk around here on foot. Allow about 2 hours. You can start from the massive Quart Towers gate. The heart of the Old Town is Valencia Cathedral / Catedral de Santa María de Valencia. You can leave through the Serranos Towers gate (Porta dels Serrans) or head towards the beautiful Plaça de l'Ajuntament. It is convenient to visit the Old Town together with the Valencia Botanical Garden.

Viewpoint in Valencia

El Miguelete (El Micalet) - a tower in the centre of the Old Town, part of the Cathedral of Valencia (La Seu de València)

The City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the pearl of Valencia

The modern City of Arts and Sciences includes Valencia's oceanographic park (the L’Oceanogràfic aquarium) and the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències museum. The City of Arts and Sciences is at the end of the Turia Gardens park. This stretch alone is worth 2 hours of strolling along the little avenues.

L’Oceanogràfic aquarium ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a huge number of fish

It is better to buy the aquarium ticket together with the "Bioparc Valencia" zoo on tiqets.com - it will be 10% cheaper. The price for an adult is about 40 euros. The aquarium has its own paid underground car park. If you show your entrance ticket, parking costs 7 euros a day. But don't rush to the car park... there is plenty of free parking all around! It is better to buy the aquarium ticket in advance - you get a discount and don't have to stand in the queue with everyone else... Before you go, check the layout of the aquarium on oceanografic.org. The schedule of all events is there too - there are dolphin shows several times a day. A visit to the whole aquarium takes 3-4 hours (including the dolphinarium). You are asked to arrive 30 minutes before the dolphin show starts, but it is better to come 40 minutes early - then you can calmly pick the best seats. In reality the dolphin show lasts 15 minutes!, and you have to sit and wait for it for 40 minutes... The show itself is chaos and poorly prepared... That is why it is included in the entrance ticket price - there is really nothing to watch.

The aquarium itself is considered the best in Europe and the world... But in fact those are just words, and it is not worth travelling here specially! You must not visit the aquarium in summer!!! Unless, of course, you like sweaty, smelly bodies in closed halls where the air conditioning doesn't work...

If you have been to Australia and the Maldives there is basically nothing to do here)

Below is a map of the aquarium, which you can ask for at the entrance. The entrance is marked with a red arrow.

Parks of Valencia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the most beautiful sights

\t
• Bioparc Valencia ⭐⭐⭐⭐
\t
• Cabecera Park ⭐⭐⭐⭐
\t
• Jardí Botànic, the botanical garden in Valencia ⭐⭐⭐⭐- a small but striking botanical garden with greenhouses
\t
• Jardins del Real / Vivers - a city park ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a park for strolling, with beautiful avenues and a fountain
\t
• Jardins del Túria - the "Turia Gardens" park ⭐⭐⭐⭐ along the drained riverbed. The park stretches along the old bed of the Turia river from the City of Arts and Sciences to the Bioparc, more than 8 km long but only a little over 150 m wide. Bridges span the park, and some of them are real works of art.
\t
• Jardín de Polífilo ⭐ - an ordinary park for the people who live nearby, nothing to see here
\t
• Jardins de Montfort  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a very small park, but so nicely "put together". It has lovely little paths and a pond with fish. The park is open until 20:00, then it closes. Entrance is free. Allow 15-20 minutes.
\t
• Pedestrian boulevards and streets ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - in Valencia it is not only the parks that are beautiful! The map below shows two pedestrian boulevards that start and end at the Turia Gardens park and meet near the bullring. Further below is a route from the Jardins del Real / Vivers park and the Jardins de Montfort park along a pedestrian street to Valencia's waterfront.

Jardí Botànic, the botanical garden in Valencia - a very beautiful park, even if a small one. Allow 30-40 minutes. The entrance ticket costs 3 euros per person. The park is entered from one side, through the administration building. It sits among residential buildings, so you will have to look for parking around it. There are paid and free spaces in the street parking. There is no underground car park.

The Jardins del Túria are essentially divided into two parts. From the Bioparc to the Old Town (the Porta dels Serrans gate) is the territory of a dozen stadiums, and there is basically nothing to do here. The park isn't cosy here. From the Old Town to the City of Arts and Sciences is the most beautiful stretch. This part of the Turia park holds a small amusement park and Gulliver Park (a huge statue / slide lying on the ground).

Lifehack: a 5-hour walking route around Valencia: Botanical Garden - Old Town (Catedral de Santa María de Valencia) - Turia park (Serranos Towers) - Jardins del Real / Vivers - Turia park - City of Arts and Sciences

Cabecera Park and the Bioparc Valencia can be seen in one visit, which takes 2-3 hours.

Bioparc Valencia is a zoo, but not an ordinary one... The whole territory is artificially built as rocks, caves and savannas! The zoo is quite small but very interesting, and all the animals are well cared for and kept in acceptable conditions. A particularly interesting area is the enclosed lemur zone, where you mingle with the animals! The lemurs simply run around at your feet and go about their business, paying you no attention at all) Also interesting are the tiny rodent-like creatures that live in complete darkness. You need to buy the entrance ticket together with the Oceanogràfic ticket - then you get a 10% discount - and you can do that on this website. You choose the date and time of the visit yourself, payment is online, and the tickets with a QR code are sent to your e-mail. The zoo costs about 30 euros, the aquarium about 40 euros. A visit to the zoo takes about 1-1.5 hours, and there is nothing more to see. But right afterwards you can visit the neighbouring free landscape park, Cabecera Park.

Cabecera Park  is a park along the water with well-kept paths. Next to both parks there is one car park at 7 euros a day. A visit to this park also takes about 1-1.5 hours at a slow pace, while watching the fish and the many turtles in the pond.

It's not worth going to Valencia specially for these parks, but if you are already here, you should definitely visit them! To get into the zoo you have to enter through the ticket office near the car park and cross the little bridge over Cabecera Park. To get into Cabecera Park, go back to the car park, go down to level -1 and follow the sign out to the park.

The Valencia promenade leaves much to be desired...

The promenade seems long and good for strolling, with cafés and corn stalls, but somehow it all feels not very cosy... The beach is that kind of beach - wide, long, but sad) That's on one side, and on the other side there is a cargo port... The arrow marks the promenade, and the rectangle outlines the main part for strolling.

Shopping centres and markets of Valencia

\t
• Mercat Central de València ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a beautiful work of art outside and inside. A wide assortment of fruit and vegetables. There are meat and dairy products, and plenty of fresh fish and eggs.
\t
• Mercat de Colon

What to see near Valencia

Castell de Xàtiva ⭐ - an ordinary fortress with views of the town)

Allow about 1 hour for the visit. It also takes 1 hour to get here from Valencia. But I can't really recommend this sight.

Next to the castle at the top there is a car park for 20 cars, but on holidays and Sundays nobody is allowed in! In that case you have to walk half an hour from the lower car park... Entry to the fortress grounds costs 6 euros per person. For what, it's unclear - we didn't go in. The whole view is already visible right next to it, the same one the panorama from the top tower would give you... and it's already clear there is nothing to see!

Alcalá del Júcar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - an old town in the rocks

Alcalá del Júcar has the best viewpoints: Mirador de Alcalá del Júcar, Vistas panorámicas de Alcalá del Júcar, and the one at the coordinates 39° 11' 55.72" N, 1° 25' 29.51" W. Entry to the Castillo de Alcalá del Júcar castle itself costs 2.5 euros, but there is nothing to do there and the view from the castle is nothing special. The main views open up from the more distant viewpoints. Below there is a large paid car park, from which it is a couple of minutes' walk to the beautiful Roman bridge, Puente Romano. If you like, you can first visit Castell de Xàtiva. From there it is a 1.5-hour drive to Alcalá del Júcar. By the Roman bridge you can already enjoy a lunch prepared in advance)

Allow about 1-1.5 hours for the viewpoints, the castle and the little bridge in Alcalá del Júcar.

On the map below, arrows of different colours mark the routes to the viewpoints and the castle. The town can be approached from two sides; you can't drive through the town itself from the castle to the bridge, you have to take a detour.

\t
• blue - the route by car, then on foot from the free car park to the castle
\t
• green - the route from the castle, via the viewpoint, to the Roman bridge
\t
• red - the route from the paid car park by the Roman bridge to the distant viewpoint

Gorge Pou Clar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - the most beautiful nature of Spain in the Valencia region

Pou Clar is a short walking trail with an ice-cold spring, just right for the summer heat) It is a 1-hour drive from Valencia. One catch is the parking here... Do not rely at all on the parking spots shown on the map! You will have to look somewhere along the road... wherever there is space and no sign forbids it. In summer there are more people here than necessary, and you can basically only walk here when it isn't hot) But the place is worth seeing, especially if you combine it with a visit to the old town of Bocairent (described below). The old town of Bocairent is a 10-15 minute drive from the gorge along a beautiful road through a mountain gorge.

Bocairent (Valencia region) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - an old town with a cave village

This little town is an hour's drive from Valencia and is convenient to visit together with the Pou Clar gorge. It is best to visit outside the summer period, otherwise you will get quite "roasted")

The main viewpoint is Mirador del cementeri, with the view from the Covetes dels Moros cave. However, the truly best view of the whole town opens up from its side. To get there you have to drive under the white circle sign (for residents) and enter almost private territory) Between private houses, at the coordinates 38° 46' 9.22" N, 0° 36' 18.47" W (the landmark is the La Morera hotel on Google Maps) there is a gorgeous view! It is worth visiting both viewpoints, walking around the old town and climbing on foot to the caves in the rock (there is no way to drive up to them). To visit the caves you must book tickets online at bocairent.org. But to be honest, it feels somehow uncosy here( even though it is beautiful...

Chulilla Castle ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a fortress and old town with gorgeous views

Mirador Cruz de la Muela is the perfect viewpoint, with a view over the whole town. You can drive right up to the very top! In this town you can drive up to the viewpoint, walk around the town, or set off on a short hike to the picturesque Charco Azul pier. The walk to the little bridge from the free car park (Parking el Barranquillo) at the coordinates 39° 39' 12.17" N, 0° 53' 31.06" W takes about 30 minutes one way. Beyond the bridge there used to be a road, but it is now destroyed. The views on the way are picturesque, in places there is water where you can dip your feet into ice-cold water that doesn't warm up even at +38 degrees! It takes about 1 hour to get here from Valencia. Allow at least 2-3 hours for the walk. The fortress itself, Chulilla Castle, is ruined and only remnants are left.

Albarracín ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - an old town / fortress and a place of power!

It is a 2-hour drive from Valencia to Albarracín. In fact it is no longer the Valencia region but the autonomous community of Aragon. On the way you should definitely stop at the Teruel canyon with its beautiful viewpoint, Cañon Rojo Teruel. There is nothing to do there, but the photos come out superb) We came to Albarracín for a couple of hours' walk, but really we wanted to stay even for a couple of nights... It is an atmospheric place, you could even call it a place of power!

What to see in Albarracín:

\t
1. Walls of Albarracin - the best viewpoint over the whole town, looking at both sides - the old and the new town.
\t
2. stroll around the old town via Plaza Mayor Albarracín, Catedral de Albarracín. Go down to the park Parque Infantil Municipal and Parque Fluvial
\t
3. admire the town from the viewpoint Mirador de la Catedral
\t
4. you can walk to the Mirador de Albarracín viewpoint
\t
5. Abrigo de la Cocinilla del Obispo, Pinares de Rodeno (Paisaje protegido de los Pinares de Rodeno) - you can go for a hike, but that's if you stay overnight here.

The map below shows a minimal 2-hour walking route. The red arrows start from the paid car park. Note: take a ticket for at least 2-3 hours. You can't fit Albarracín into 1 hour, and you can't extend the parking remotely. When we got back, a fine for overdue parking was waiting for us. Following the red arrows we climb to the fortress walls  (the Walls of Albarracin viewpoint) and admire the town; you can walk along the walls and see the view of the new town from the other side. Then, following the yellow arrows, we go down and stroll around the old town, go down to the park along the river, and by the little bridge we turned up towards the Cathedral; on the way there is a viewpoint with a beautiful view, Mirador de la Catedral, over the town and the fortress wall. Then we turned back towards the car park, since we had paid for only an hour... In fact you could keep wandering around the area for several more hours, eat in a café, stay overnight and the next day walk in the nature parks around... there are equipped trails, for example Abrigo de la Cocinilla del Obispo.

Coves de Sant Josep - caves with an underground river ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- a relaxing 40-minute walk

The photos and video below absolutely do not convey the atmosphere of the cave! You must come here!!! You come out of the caves at peace, even despite the crowd of people riding next to you. Especially annoying are the Chinese tourists, whose mouths never close, and whose children keep trying to rock the boat all the time...

It is a 40-minute drive from Valencia. What do you need to visit the Coves de Sant Josep caves?

\t
• An online booking is mandatory, at https://covesdesantjosep.sacatuentrada.es/es/entradas/visita-coves-de-sant-josep-2022
\t
• The boat ride costs 14 euros per person. It lasts 40 minutes, with a short 5-minute walk.
\t
• Arrive 10-15 minutes early.
\t
• Parking is free and right nearby.
\t
• Inside it is 20 degrees air and 18 water all year round. If you feel the cold easily, take a cardigan, but in the summer heat this cave is sheer delight!!!
\t
• When boarding / leaving the boat, and during the ride, you must strictly follow the rules given by your boat guide. Wrong behaviour can lead to the boat capsizing or you hitting your head on the cave walls.

Mirador de Garbí ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a viewpoint and a short hike through picturesque places

A 40-minute drive from Valencia is the beautiful Mirador de Garbí viewpoint. It is convenient to visit together with the Coves de Sant Josep caves. There is a small free car park, from which a circular route of 1.5 km sets off, taking 1 hour at a leisurely pace. The trail is well trodden and in places even waymarked. It is probably not worth coming here specially, only if you have been to the caves and are wondering what else there is to see near Valencia)

Castell de Morella ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - a beautiful old town and a relaxing atmosphere all around

Morella is a small old town with a castle of the same name on a hill. The map below shows a walking route around the town. Parking is paid until 18:00, then free. The yellow arrows go from the car park, through the gate into the town, along Morella's central street. All the cafés and little shops are on this street. Then the street turns into a path around the castle through a super relaxing pine grove. Then we go on a second loop along the red arrows and climb to the top, into the castle itself. The entrance ticket is 3.5 euros per person, entry until 19:00, exit until 20:00. Allow 1.5-2 hours for the whole town. It takes about 2 hours to get here from Valencia, but it is worth it...

Desert de les Palmes ⭐⭐⭐ - a beautiful nature park

The park has hiking trails. But for a quick look you can visit the Mirador Portería Alta viewpoint and have dinner on the terrace of the Restaurante Desierto de las Palmas. A booking by phone is mandatory for this restaurant, but they only speak Spanish. Translate the phrase "book a table at the edge of the terrace" in advance. Dinner is possible only from 20:00. We simply booked a table and sat near the entrance door... and the whole view was somewhere over there... Another thing - the whole clientele in this restaurant is 60+!!! So a romantic dinner is not on the cards here) The food is tasty and the dishes arrive quickly. It is a 1-hour drive from Valencia, and if your table is not at the edge of the terrace, it isn't worth coming here...