Best Things to Do in Valencia (2026 Guide)

The best things to do in Valencia begin at the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences). The complex — designed by Santiago Calatrava and built along the former Turia River bed — includes the Hemisfèric (IMAX cinema and planetarium with a curved glass eye), the Museu de les Ciències Príncep Felipe (interactive science museum), the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (opera house, 1,400 seats), and the Oceanogràfic (Europe’s largest aquarium, with 500 species). The Mercado Central — a 1928 Art Nouveau market hall covering 8,000 square metres under a tiled dome — is the best food market in Spain and among the finest in Europe. The original paella valenciana (chicken, rabbit, and flat green beans, cooked over orange-wood fire in the L’Albufera rice-growing district south of the city) is the definitive Spanish rice dish.

Best time to visit

March is the month of Las Fallas: ninots (enormous papier-mâché satirical figures up to 25m tall) fill every neighbourhood, nightly fireworks (the mascletà — a purely percussive daytime firework display at midday daily, felt physically in the chest) fill the Plaça de l’Ajuntament, and on the night of March 19 (the Cremà), all the figures are simultaneously burned. Las Fallas 2026 runs March 15-19. April-June is ideal for beach and cultural visits: comfortable temperatures (18-25°C) and manageable crowds. September-October is the other sweet spot: warm sea, harvest season in L’Albufera, and the Valencia CF football season in full swing at Mestalla. July-August is hot (32-36°C) and busy with Spanish summer holidays.

Getting around

Valencia’s Metro (6 lines) and EMT bus network cover the city comprehensively. The city centre, Mercado Central, Cathedral, and Ciudad de las Ciencias are all connected. L’Albufera Natural Park is reached by bus 25 from the city centre (40 minutes). The beach (La Malvarrosa and El Cabanyal) is served by Metro Line 5 and tram. Valencia is extremely cycle-friendly: Valenbisi bike-share has 250 stations across the city, and the old Turia riverbed (10km of traffic-free park) is the best urban cycling route in Spain. Valencia Airport is 8km from the city and connected by Metro Line 3 (25 minutes).

What to eat and drink

Valencia’s food culture is the foundation of all Spanish rice cooking. The authentic paella valenciana — the only paella with a Protected Designation of Origin (Denominació d’Origen) — contains chicken, rabbit, garrofón (large butter beans), ferraura (green beans), tomato, saffron, and paprika. It is eaten at lunch, never dinner, and cooked outdoors over orange or carob wood. Restaurants El Palmar in L’Albufera and La Pepica on La Malvarrosa are the most famous. Orxata (horchata) — a cold, milky drink made from tigernuts (chufa) grown in the Valencia region — is drunk locally with fartons (sugar-glazed pastry fingers for dipping). Valencia orange juice (Valencia produces 65% of Spain’s oranges), Agua de Valencia (cava, orange juice, and vodka cocktail), and Cava wine from nearby Requena are the drinks. The Mercado Central’s seafood and vegetable stalls open daily (except Sunday) and represent the best of the Valencia produce market.

Neighborhoods to explore

El Carmen (Barrio del Carmen) — The medieval Moorish quarter within Valencia’s old city walls: Romanesque and Gothic churches (Torres de Serranos gate towers), street art murals, and the best nightlife strip in the city.

Ruzafa — Valencia’s creative neighbourhood: independent cafés, concept stores, the Ruzafa Market (Saturday morning), and the most concentrated restaurant scene in the city. The city’s answer to Barcelona’s Gràcia.

El Cabanyal — The historic fishermen’s neighbourhood east of the city: Art Nouveau-tile façades, local tapas bars, La Malvarrosa beach (3km of Mediterranean sand), and the Cabanyal Intim festival (October).

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias — The Calatrava complex occupying the former Turia riverbed south of the old town: Hemisfèric, Science Museum, Oceanogràfic, and Palau de les Arts. Best in the evening light.

Turia Garden (Jardí del Túria) — The 9km city park created in the former riverbed after the 1957 flood diversion. Cycling, football, and the best sunset picnic spot in Valencia.