3 Days in Valencia, Spain: Things To Do, See & Eat
Valencia is growing rapidly as a popular destination. With endless sunny days, a historic city centre and a gorgeous beach area, it is easy to see why it is the perfect destination for a long weekend away.
You can definitely notice that there are more and more people coming to live here too: expats and also digital nomads. I’ve lived here now for several years and it’s really just such an easygoing and relaxed city.
Here’s my blog post on top things to do, see and eat in Valencia on a 3 day trip!
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Things To Do
In Valencia
Walk in the city center and El Carmen
Start in Plaza Ayuntamiento, which is the main square in Valencia. Walk your way up to Plaza de la Reina, where you can see the Cathedral. Then stroll to Plaza de la Virgen, which is just behind the cathedral. From there make your way to the neighbourhood of El Carmen, where you can walk in the picturesque narrow streets, and see landmarks such as this beautiful archway (Portal de Valldigna).
Visit the Central Market
The Mercado Central sits in the middle of the city and is the place to get your fresh fish, vegetables, bread.. well, literally everything. What I like about it is that it hasn’t been overrun by tourists: locals still shop here as well. It’s also located in an impressive building, so if you like architecture, the market is another must visit.
Visit the City of Arts and Sciences
The City of Arts and Sciences is perhaps the most iconic landmark of Valencia. The impressive and futuristic buildings, designed by Santiago Calatrava and Felix Candela, are definitely a sight to behold, and have even been in famous movies and series such as Tomorrowland, Westworld, and Star Wars. All of the buildings are beautiful to see. I would skip the museum, but the Oceanographic (aquarium) makes for a fun day trip.
Walk in the Turia Park
The Turia park is located in the old riverbed that goes around the city - so it’s pretty damn big! Many years ago, the city decided to drain the river because there were a lot of floodings, and then decided to create a beautiful park out of it. It is 9 kilometres long, so it’s a great park to go for a run or for a bike ride. It is actually the largest public park in Spain.
Visit the beach
Valencia has quite a nice beach for a city! The water is usually very calm and clear and the boulevard is really nice for a stroll along the beach. In the summer, there are also water sport activities, such as padel boarding. In the summer, the beach can get crowded, so try to pick a spot a bit more in the north, such as Patacona beach.
Walk around the Russafa area
Russafa is a neighbourhood located just in the north of the city center. It used to be quite a rough neighbourhood not that long ago but it has since evolved into a vibrant area with lots of boutique shops, specialty coffee places and restaurants. Also check out the Russafa market, where you’ll find both local and international food.
Take a Bike Tour
Valencia is pretty flat, and many sights are very close by so a bike tour is a perfect way to discover the city. Here are a few bike tours to join while visiting Valencia:
Visit the Botanic Garden
The Botanic gardens in Valencia are a little green oasis in the middle of the city. It’s a really lovely place to spend a few hours, and take in all the lush greenery. If you’re lucky, you may spot some of the cats that made this place their home.
Just outside of Valencia
Visit Albufera park & El Palmar
This nature park is located near Valencia and has a beautiful lake. It's a great place to escape the busy city and spot the many birds that make their home there. There is also a great paella place close to this park in a village called El Palmar, which is actually the birth place of Paella! The restaurant is called La Albufera.
Go on a Hike
A famous place for hiking close to Valencia is called Chulilla. There is a famous and popular 10 km hike called the “Route of the hanging bridges” which takes you across - as you may have guessed - a number of hanging bridges and alongside some beautiful river views. How to get there: You need to take the car to a town called Chulilla and access the hiking area from there. Check out this blog post for more info.
Things To Eat
Paella
Obviously, you can’t miss eating a Paella in the birthplace of Paella. However, you need to be careful where to have it because most places actually don’t make good paella at all. The traditional Valencia paella is made with rabbit, chicken, snails and bean. If you want to eat the traditional one, you usually need to order it in advance. Here are my recommendations for a good paella:
Casa Carmella, located near the beach, this restaurant has been making traditional Paella since 1922!
Alqueria del Pou, this restaurant is located close to the City of Arts and Sciences
Horchata
Horchata is a sweet drink made of tiger nuts. You may think: “What the hell are Tiger Nuts?”. Honestly, no idea, but I found this article about it.
In Valencia, they love to have Horchata together with something called Fartons, which are a sort of long sweet pastry.
Here are some spots to try this drink in Valencia:
Orxateria L'Obrador de Bou, located near Cabanyal, only opened in the summer though
Horchateria Subies, this one is located in the city center
Tapas
Tapas are quintessentially Spanish, so it’s hard to miss having some of that when visiting the third largest city in Spain.
Here are a few recommendations for great tapas spots in Valencia:
Spanish Fusion
Personally, I think where the food scene in Valencia really shines is with the Spanish fusion restaurants.
Here are a few on my list that I’ve tried and loved:
Also check out my Ultimate Valencia Food Guide for even more restaurants tips!
Where To Stay
For History buffs and City people: Center of Valencia
If you love historic buildings, strolling around an ancient city and visiting museums, you should probably stay more in the center of Valencia.
Cosmo Hotel Boutique, bang in the city center and right next to the famous Central Market
MYR Marques House, elegant hotel located in the city center
For Hipsters: Russafa
If you love hipster neighbourhoods, then Russafa is the place to be for you. The cute streets are lined with little boutique stores and cool specialty coffee cafes.
Here are some great and recommended hotels in Russafa:
YOURS Boutique Hotel, a beautifully designed boutique hotels that is located right in the center of the Russafa neighbourhood
Blanq Ruzafa, another elegant boutique hotel in the middle of Russafa
For Beach lovers: Cabanyal
If you like to be near the beach, then staying in the Cabanyal neighbourhood is probably the way to go for you. While it’s slightly further from the city center, there is a metro that can take you directly to the city, and biking or taking a taxi are other options too.
Las Arenas Balneario Resort, This Luxury hotel sits right in front of the beach, with easy access to it
Lindala, an upscale hotel that’s just 900 meters from the beach.
When To Go
Valencia has on average 300 days of sun a year. Which is a lot! So actually, there is high chance that it will be nice weather any time you go. Valencia, in my opinion, is best to visit from October - December and April - June. The summer months are unbearably hot and the city is inundated with tourists, while the locals shut their businesses for the whole month of August.
March is an interesting month to visit Valencia: this is when the Fallas festival takes place. Fallas is a event where beautiful statues are erected all over the city, called . However, this is also the time when you will hear fireworks literally everywhere, for basically the whole month. Depending where you are staying, it can get really loud and for some, getting a peaceful night of sleep is nearly impossible. Also, March is often the month when it rains the most in Valencia. However, if you love yourself a fiesta and you don’t mind the hustle and bustle of a lively event in the city, then visiting during Fallas season is something for you.
Getting Around
Valencia is a super walkable and bikeable city - you can literally walk and/or bike anywhere. It’s quite a small city - many people people agree that the city feels not too big nor too small, so it’s the perfect size! Additionally, there is a pretty decent metro and bus system, with several lines taking you from the airport to the beach area of Cabanyal. A metro ticket for 10 rides is only around 10 euros.
If you don’t feel like taking public transportation, then there are plenty of reliable taxis that are fairly priced.
If you are more of an active person, then renting a bike is super easy too! And, like I mentioned, Valencia is very flat, so no fighting any steep hills in this city. There are many bike rentals in and around the city, such as this one.
How To Get There
Valencia is very accessible from all the main airports in Europe. Check out Omio Flights, which is an easy-to-use platform to search flights and other transport options.
Also by train, from Madrid and Barcelona, it is quite easy to get to Valencia. You can check the trains here on Trainline. From Madrid, it only takes just under 2 hours to get to Valencia with the high speed train. From Barcelona around 2.5 hours.
The airport is very close to the city, and it takes just 15 minutes by taxi for just 20-25 euros. Alternatively, you can also take the metro that takes you straight to the city center in just 20 minutes.
Travel Insurance
Of course, any trip is not complete without getting travel insurance, even if it’s just for a few days. I personally always choose Safety Wing as my go to travel insurance. Check out Safety Wing here or read my overview on this travel insurance on my blog post here.
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