Best Things to Do in Valencia, Spain: Beyond the Tourist Trail
Valencia is a city for those who enjoy a fun, relaxed style of life. The city is full of tourist attractions that are worth visiting, but the city’s real personality is in its parks and neighbourhoods. We live in Valencia as digital nomads and here are our favourite locations to visit as locals, as well as places to show when our friends come for a visit.
The Big Sights (That Are Actually Worth It)
City of Arts and Sciences (Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias)
This beautiful and futuristic complex, which has now become the symbol of Valencia, designed by local architect Santiago Calatrava, is one of the most stunning pieces of modern architecture in Europe. Even if you don’t go inside any of the venues (the Oceanogràfic aquarium, the science museum, or the opera house), the exterior is an architectural masterpiece and completely free to walk around. You can enjoy a nice stroll in Turia park and then reach the city of arts and Sciences on foot. If you do want to go inside, the Oceanogràfic is the most popular, but tickets for individual venues and combos vary significantly. The city of arts and sciences also hosts multiple displays and exhibitions throughout the year so there is always something new to see. The location is also very popular with locals during the spring and autumn months when the weather is pleasant enough to enjoy a picnic in the surrounding area and Turia park. The venue also hosts fireworks throughout the year for special occasions and is a great spot for instagram and youtube shoots.
Mercat Central
This is one of the largest fresh produce markets in Europe based in a beautiful, spacious building. Go in the morning when it’s busiest and most atmospheric with fresh produce on display. It’s free to enter, and the produce stalls and food counters make for excellent wandering (Just remember the produce is more expensive than the local supermarkets like Mercadona or Consum). Keep your visit for sightseeing and photos only.. Make sure you don’t plan a visit on Sunday, it’s closed.
Valencia Cathedral and the Micalet Tower
The Cathedral is at the heart of the old city and worth a visit both for the architecture and its claimed possession of the Holy Grail. Climbing the Micalet Tower is worth it for panoramic views over the old town, the city is flat, so the tower genuinely gives you perspective. Entry fees are modest but have increased in recent years. The cathedral is also walking distance from the main placa de ayuntamento.
Placa de l’Ayuntament
Plaça de l’Ajuntament is one of the most iconic squares in Valencia. Its grand architecture, and the sheer openness of the plaza make it one of the most visited site by tourists. Time your visit for March and you’ll catch it transformed into the beating heart of Falles, with the earth-shaking mascletà exploding overhead every day at 2pm. It should be experienced by everyone atleast once if they get a chance. Besides Fallas, it’s worth visiting for its charming little Christmas market glowing with fairy lights in December and well as the giant christmas tree and ice skating ring. An insider tip is to steer clear of the terraces lining the square itself, since they’re built for tourists and priced accordingly; you should walk two minutes toward Carrer de Sant Vicent Màrtir instead, where the tapas and the prices are for the locals. The real magic is simply sitting on a bench with a coffee for twenty minutes and watching the city move around you, it’s the closest you’ll get to feeling like a local instead of a tourist.
Mercat de Colón
Mercat Colón is our favorite mercat in Valencia. Not only is it more elegant than the Mercat Central, it’s also a modernist market that now functions as a food hall and café space. It’s one of our favorite places to show our friends visiting Valencia, thanks to its beautiful building and great spots for coffee or a light lunch. The neighbourhood around it, L’Eixample, is a gem and worth a stroll for the artisan shops and beautiful architecture.
Turia Park: The City’s Best Kept Non-Secret
Turia Park is a 9km stretch of green space built into what was once the city’s river, rerouted after devastating floods in 1957. Today it’s one of the longest urban parks in Spain, and both Valencians and tourists use it constantly as an open-air gym and picnic spot. Any time of the day, you can find people running, cycling, playing football, taking kids to the playground, lounging on the grass, and just enjoying life. Entry is free, it’s always open, and it’s genuinely one of our favourite things about the city. You can walk or bike a significant stretch of it in the morning and evening. Don’t miss out on the famous giant Gulliver playground at the eastern end, which is a hit with children.
Neighbourhoods Worth Exploring
El Carmen
The old town’s most atmospheric quarter and famous neighborhood in Valencia is filled with medieval streets, street art, and tapas. This is where you want to be for evening out with friends, enjoying a nice meal, and just wandering around getting lost in the streets. It gets lively but doesn’t feel as overwhelmingly touristy as some old towns in other Spanish cities. Carmen is also within walking distance to major sights in the city center and a great base for exploring on foot.
Ruzafa (Russafa)
Ruzafa is Valencia’s trendiest neighbourhood, full of specialty coffee shops, and a young, creative crowd. The brunch spots are amazing, and you can spot boutique stores throughout the neighborhood. It’s a bit expensive relative to the rest of the city, but you can easily visit in the afternoon. If you want the full Ruzafa experience, come during Fallas. The whole neighborhood turns into one big art museum with larger-than-life Fallas sculptures at every roundabout. If you are visiting outside of Fallas dates, then be sure to come on a weekend morning when the terraces fill up and enjoy your slow morning people-watching. Russafa is also a good area to stay if you want a local feel with easy access to the centre.
El Cabanyal and Malvarosa
A former fishing district near the beach, now also getting popular with expats who want to live in colourful tiled houses with close access to the beach. It has a more local character and good seafood restaurants, famous for Paella. You can walk from Malvarrosa Beach and get a very different, relaxed side of Valencia.
Food and Drink Experiences
Try Horchata and Fartons Combo (Even If You’re Not Sure You’ll Like It)
Horchata is made from tiger nuts (chufas) grown locally, and fartons are the long, sweet pastry you dip into it. We’ll be honest: it’s an acquired taste, and we weren’t totally converted. But it’s so specific to Valencia that you should try it at least once. Look for dedicated horchaterías rather than tourist café versions. Make sure sure you dont buy pre-packaged horchata at the grocery stores, which is overloaded with sugar.
The best place to try horchata is the oldest and most authentic shop – Santa Catalina, famous for selling both horchata and the accompaying fatons. It is located in the old town in the city center and can have quite a waiting line in the summer season. Because we are such foodies, we tried both the horchata and the fartons as well as the churros with hot chocolate. Our honest take is that we liked the churros with chocolate more, but like we said earlier, horchata is an acquired taste, so don’t be afraid to try it at least once.
Seek Out Paella Outside the City Centre
Paella was invented in Valencia, specifically in the rice fields of Albufera, just south of the city. The versions of paella you’ll find at restaurants in the historic centre are rarely the best. For an authentic experience, head to El Palmar village in Albufera Natural Park, where rice-based dishes are taken seriously and the setting (flat lagoon, rice fields, local atmosphere) is far more memorable. Paella now comes with alot variety like seafood, chicken, black rice, but the origianal Valencian Paella is a mixture of chicken and rabbit.
Coffee Shops We’d Return To
Panaria, Santa Gloria, and Manlo Bakes are our three picks for genuinely good coffee and café culture. For a meal that feels upscale but isn’t, try the café and restaurant at El Corte Inglés, which has a rooftop terrace with good views and better-than-expected food at reasonable prices. Panaria, Santa Glori and Cortes Ingles are also great options for digital nomads who want to work on their laptops sipping delicious coffee. All three are spread across the city, so you can easily get find a cafe and sit down for people watching and relaxing with your friends, or take out your laptop and get some work done.
Also note that both Santa Gloria and Manlo Bakes have loyalty cards, so you collect points every time you make a purchase. You also get a free coffee when you sign up for their loyalty card (which is free to sign up)
Free and Low-Cost Things to Do
| Activity | Cost | Notes |
| Walk around City of Arts and Sciences exterior | Free | One of the best in Europe |
| Turia Park | Free | 9km — bring a bike or just walk a section |
| Mercat Central | Free to enter | Closed Sundays |
| Malvarrosa Beach | Free | Take the tram or bus from centre |
| El Carmen neighbourhood wander | Free | Best in evenings |
| Mascleta (gunpowder display) | Free to watch | Bring earplugs — it’s very loud |
| Valencia Cathedral exterior | Free | Interior/tower has entry fee |
Transport Tips
Valencia’s public transport is excellent and cheap. We’d strongly recommend getting an EMT transport card rather than paying per trip with a contactless bank card. The EMT card offers significantly better rates, especially if you’re staying several days. Different card options are available depending on your length of stay; check the EMT Valencia website for current tariffs as these change. The metro also connects the airport to the city centre in around 20 minutes and is a much cheaper and faster way to get to the airport vs local taxis or uber.
Valencia is also one of the flattest in Spain, making cycling very viable. Bike rental is widely available, and dedicated cycling paths mean you can cover large areas safely. All roads and parks, especially Turia, have tracks dedicated for cyclists.
