View over the rooftops of Valencia from the top of the Miguelete tower
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Valencia in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 5.4 km on foot
  • 17 stops
  • Audio guide

With three days Valencia stops being a list of monuments and becomes a city you live in: time for lingering lunches, getting lost in El Cabanyal and slipping away to the Albufera. The plan puts the three routes in three mornings and saves the afternoons and the last day for what makes Valencia special, between the river, the sea and the lagoon.

Day 1The heart of the city

Start with “The best of Valencia”: North Station, Town Hall Square, Central Market and Plaza Redonda, up to the climb of the Miguelete. Have a relaxed paella and keep the afternoon for the Valencia of the future: go down to the garden of the old Turia riverbed and let it carry you to the City of Arts and Sciences. It is a long but varied day, and the walk along the Turia is flat and easy. End with a light dinner in the centre.

  1. Morning

    The best of Valencia: from the orange station to the Geperudeta

    Mixed · 1.7 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. North Station (Estación del Norte)A railway station decorated with oranges and orange blossom that has been welcoming people to Valencia since 1917.
    2. Town Hall SquareThe square of the mascletàs stands on the site of a medieval convent and packs a century of architecture into a small space.
    3. Central MarketA modernista cathedral of iron, glass and ceramics devoted to food, crowned by a parrot and a swordfish.
    4. Plaza RedondaA perfect circle from 1840 hidden among narrow streets, on the site of the city's old slaughterhouse.
    5. The MigueleteThe cathedral's octagonal tower is as tall as its perimeter is long, and owes its name to a seven-tonne bell.
    6. Plaza de la Virgen and the Basilica of Our Lady of the ForsakenValencia's loveliest square revolves around the Geperudeta, the slightly stooping Virgin who protected the insane and orphans.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Paella valenciana at La Pepica. Passeig de Neptú, 6

  3. Afternoon

    Turia Gardens

    After the 1957 flood the river was diverted and its dry bed became a very long park around the centre. You can walk or cycle it between bridges and orange trees, and it is the most pleasant way to reach the City of Arts and Sciences.

    Directions

    City of Arts and Sciences

    Santiago Calatrava's futuristic complex, with the Hemisfèric, the Science Museum and the Palau de les Arts, floats on sheets of water. Just strolling around the outside is worth it; if you go in, the Oceanogràfic or the museum each take half a day, so pick one.

    Directions

Day 2Stone, sea and tiles

In the morning, “Walls, silk and water”: from the Serranos Towers to the Quart Towers, with L'Almoina and the Silk Exchange on the way. For lunch, horchata with fartons on Plaza de Santa Catalina, a light meal you can top up with a few tapas if you are hungry. In the afternoon, a change of scene: El Cabanyal and its tiled façades, then Malvarrosa beach to watch the light fall on the Mediterranean. Head back to the centre by metro or tram.

  1. Morning

    Walls, silk and water: two thousand years of Valencia

    History · 1.8 km · 1 h 40 min

    1. Serranos TowersValencia's great medieval gate has been a triumphal arch, a prison for knights and a refuge for the Prado's paintings.
    2. Palau de la GeneralitatA house bought in 1422 became the palace of the Valencian government, with two towers built almost four centuries apart.
    3. Apostles' Door and the Water TribunalIn front of this Gothic doorway, eight farmers dispense justice every Thursday without a single sheet of paper.
    4. L'Almoina, Roman ValenciaBeneath a sheet of water and glass lie the foundations of Valentia, the city founded in 138 BC.
    5. Silk Exchange (La Lonja)The temple of trade of fifteenth-century Valencia, with a hall of columns that looks like a forest of stone palm trees.
    6. Quart TowersThe western gate of the city walls still bears in its stone the wounds of the French artillery of 1808.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Horchata with fartons at Horchatería El Siglo. Plaza de Santa Catalina, 11

  3. Afternoon

    El Cabanyal

    A former fishing quarter by the port, with straight streets of low houses and façades covered in coloured tiles. It mixes long-established taverns like Casa Montaña, murals and real neighbourhood life. Wander without a plan, then drift down to the beach.

    Directions

    Malvarrosa Beach

    Valencia's city beach, wide and fine-sanded, with a promenade along the whole shoreline. Places such as La Pepica and Casa Carmela have been serving rice there for over a century. A good way to end the day with your feet in the sand.

    Directions

Day 3Lagoon, legends and farewell

Set off early for the Albufera, the freshwater lagoon ringed by rice fields, to see the village of El Palmar and take a boat ride. Back in the city, have an aperitif at the Mercado de Colón and eat clóchinas at La Pilareta if they are in season. At dusk “Secret Valencia” closes the trip with cats, grails and the Patriarca's dragon. For dinner, esgarraet and tavern tapas, for example at Casa Montaña in El Cabanyal.

  1. Morning

    The Albufera and El Palmar

    A natural park a few kilometres to the south: a freshwater lagoon ringed by rice fields, separated from the sea by a strip of pine woods and dunes. At El Palmar you can take a traditional boat and eat rice. Check transport and book the boat.

    Directions

    Mercado de Colón

    A former market in the Modernista style, built of brick, iron and ceramics by the architect Francisco Mora and now home to cafés and restaurants. An easy stop in the Eixample, perfect for an aperitif on the way back from the countryside.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Clóchinas at La Pilareta (Bar Pilar). Carrer del Moro Zeid, 13

  3. Early evening

    Secret Valencia: cats, grails and a dragon

    Mysteries & legends · 1.9 km · 1 h 35 min

    1. The Cats' HouseA miniature house at ground level, a plaque bearing the year 1094 and a legend that accuses El Cid of hating cats.
    2. The Cathedral and the Holy ChaliceInside this cathedral is kept a two-thousand-year-old stone cup that tradition identifies with the Holy Grail.
    3. The Patriarca and its dragonFor four centuries a stuffed caiman, which Valencians call “the dragon”, has hung at the entrance to this church.
    4. Palace of the Marqués de Dos AguasValencia's most extravagant doorway fuelled the legend that only a madman could have designed it.
    5. The Silk Exchange gargoylesTwenty-eight fifteenth-century gargoyles keep watch over the Silk Exchange, and many of them are anything but pious.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Dinner

    Try Esgarraet and tavern tapas at Bodega Casa Montaña. Carrer de Josep Benlliure, 69

The map

Valencia in 3 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Valencia in 3 days

  • For the Albufera bring a hat, sun cream and mosquito repellent, especially from summer to autumn. Set off early: it is the excursion that takes the most time and works best with the whole morning ahead of you.
  • A transport card saves money and time between the centre, the Turia, El Cabanyal and the Albufera. The walking routes don't need one; the rest does.
  • If the weather turns, swap the afternoons: the City of Arts and Sciences and the beach are for clear skies, while the Mercado de Colón or the inside of the cathedral cope well with rain.

Questions

Valencia in 3 days: your questions

What should you see in Valencia in 3 days?

The old town with our three routes, the City of Arts and Sciences, El Cabanyal with Malvarrosa beach and a day trip to the Albufera. It is a good balance of city, sea and nature, without rushing.

Is the Albufera worth visiting?

Yes, if you have three days. The lagoon, the rice fields and El Palmar are the other side of Valencia and go well with a rice lunch. Go in good weather and in the morning, so you are back in time for the afternoon route.

How far do you walk in 3 days in Valencia?

The three routes add up to about 5.4 km over three days, so the pace is relaxed. Add the Turia gardens, El Cabanyal and El Palmar; you will use public transport to reach the beach and the Albufera.

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