Valencia is a beautiful city with lots of things to do in it, but also around it! If you are looking to escape Valencia either to soak in nature or to explore other cities, I got you covered! You can find below 10 easy and stunning day trips from Valencia that are reachable by public transport, some of them even by bike.
Port Saplaya or Little Venice of Spain
This is one of my favorite day trips from Valencia! This idyllic spot in Valencia is nicknamed Little Venice of Spain for a good reason. It has beautiful canals surrounded by colorful buildings and beautiful boats. It’s a pleasure to wander around, after which you can enjoy a little bit of sunshine on the beach!
Tip: I suggest also going a little bit south to check out a gorgeous white church by the beach named Ermita del Miracle dels Peixets. There is a little green space around it and a river flowing into the sea. The scenery is amazing. You can walk from Port Saplaya to the church for 20 minutes or bike for 6.
How to get to Port Saplaya
Unfortunately, there isn’t a really straightforward way to get there as a direct city bus. There is one metropolitan bus, L112A, but with this type of bus, I find that the stops are not always very clearly marked and the schedule is hard to find or not accurate.
I highly recommend biking there as it’s only 30 minutes by bike from the city. You can combine it with the Alboraya day trip below for an epic day trip from Valencia!
Another alternative would be taking a taxi or a FreeNow or Cabify (apps that work like Uber, as Uber is not that common here). The distance is very reasonable for that, around 8 km from Plaza de Ayuntamiento.
Albufera
Albufera is a National Park with a beautiful lake in the south of the city. It is believed that this is the birthplace of paella, the most-known Spanish dish! The lake is surrounded by large plots of rice fields. It’s a protected area preserving the old way of life of Valencia. It is incredibly important because it hosts many species, some on the verge of extinction. You can also spot beautiful migratory birds there and sometimes flamingos! I recommend taking a boat tour at sunset, as it reflects beautifully on the lake. It’s a nice escape from Valencia to nature. You can combine it with El Saler day trip below or leave it as it is to soak in its beauty!
How to get to Albufera
I recommend using the bus to get there. You should get the bus 24 or 25 from Porta de la Mar station to Embarcador De L’Albufera or around it.
El Saler
Very close to the Albufera Lake, but on the sea, this area outside of Valencia is known for having the most empathetic people in Spain! The nature is gorgeous, you can find little hiking trails in forests coming out to sand dunes filled with grass. All of that is opening up to the sea. The scenery is like in a movie.
How to get to El Saler
To get there, you can take the bus 24 or 25 from Porta de la Mar station to Pinars (Par) – El Saler or around it.
Xativa
A beautiful town 1 hour away from Valencia by train. Xativa is cozy, with stunning streets, and hosts a beautiful castle overlooking the city. It took me by surprise because I did not expect it to be that beautiful! In the castle, you can easily spend hours imagining how nobles used to live back then. Every room has explanations and you get a cute map you can keep as a souvenir. It is easily one of my favourite day trips from Valencia!
How to get to Xativa
In order to get to Xativa you can take the train C2 from The North Station (Estació del Nord). You can hike up to the Castle of Xativa, I would say the difficulty is easy to medium just because the hills are steep. You can also take the bus or a taxi, but there are limitations on this on certain days.
Buñol
This city is famous in Spain for its “Tomatina” festival, where, you can guess it, people fight with tomatoes! Haha. I actually did not have the courage to visit it at the time, but I visited it for a wonderful waterfall named Cueva del Turche. Depending on the time of the year you visit, you may enjoy a swim as well! We went in October and thought it would be to cold for that, but we were wrong as there were people swimming. They also have picninc spots there, but you can also sit by the water. It’s an amazing day trip from Valencia. Buñol also has a beautiful castle you can visit, Castle de Buñol.
How to get to Buñol
In order to get to Buñol, you can take the train C3 from the North Station (Estació del Nord). If you want to visit Castle de Buñol, it’s a short walk from the train station. To reach Cuva de Turche, you need to go on a little hike, but it’s very easy and doable.
Peniscola
Pensicola is famously known for being one of the sets for Game of Thrones in the sixth season. It sheltered the Meereen city. The castle is beautiful and unique as it’s covered from three sides by water. The city has very beautiful white houses decorated with cute flowers. It has become very touristy, but for a good reason as it’s an epic day trip from Valencia!
How to get to Peniscola
For this getaway, you have to take the C6 train from North Station (Estació del Nord) and then a bus, as the train station is shared with another town, as the station name suggests: Estación de Benicarló-Peñíscola. The bus line is L1A1 or L1B1. I also wrote a blogpost about it, you can check it out here: One day in Peniscola, Spain – Amazing things to do and see
Ricardo Tormo Circuit
Ricardo Tormo Circuit is a nice day trip from Valencia if you wish to do a different kind of activity. Here you can see NASCAR festivals, Moto GP last race, Superbike, Formula 4, and others! In 2023 they also hosted a F1 academy race (F1 for girls). You can check their website for the upcoming events here.
How to get to Ricardo Tormo Circuit
To get to the circuit, you need to get the C3 train from The North Station (Estació del Nord). Be careful as not all C3 trains stop in the Ricardo Tormo circuit, so I would suggest checking Google Maps or the Renfe website for that (on Cercanias specifically – the commuter network). Once you get off from the train, there is a 20-30 minute walk, but it’s very doable.
Alboraya
Alboraya is a little city just outside of Valencia, known for horchata a Valencian traditional drink, based on tiger nuts) and the fields around it. I suggest exploring the town a little bit and then heading out to Horchatería Vida. It’s a beautiful place in the middle of the fields. They serve fresh horchata and have a nice garden with animals. I would say it’s a great place to go with kids. Don’t forget to order some fartons to dip in horchata!
Tip: When we went, they did not accept card payments, only cash so be sure to have some in handy.
How to get to Alboraya
Alboraya is easily accesible from Valencia, as it has 2 metro stops, Alboraia-Palmaret and Alboraia-Peris Aragó. It also has a few buses that connect it to the city. You can bike easily there too, the bike lanes are very safe and it would take around 20 minutes from the city center.
Parc Fluvial del Turia
Parc Fluvial del Turia is a beautiful protected natural park following the main river of Valencia, Turia. It is a lush trail, filled with forests, different plants, orange orchards, bridges, and spots for picnics. It is very enjoyable for a walk or bike rides!
How to get to Parc Fluvial del Turia
Parc Fluvial Del Turia is very large and it’s one of my favorite day trips from Valencia! I suggest the segment that starts in the city, from Cabecera Park up to the town of Riba-roja de Túria, which is accessible by metro (Riba-roja de Túria station).
You can do it in two ways, either you start from the park, in the city and follow the river in this park, up to Riba-roja de Túria and get back by the metro, or the other way around. You can walk or bike. I would say due to the distance, 19-20 km, biking is a better idea. The difficulty is medium for a not-so-fit person (that would be me, haha) but still doable with breaks. The scenery is well worth it. You can pack something to eat and enjoy it at the multiple picnic spots or wherever you feel like stopping and enjoying the view.
Gandia
Gandia is a city almost one hour away from Valencia. It’s very beautiful, with a gorgeous old city centre, and a nice promenade culminating with a view of the mountains. This city also has a gorgeous, large beach. You can visit the Palau Ducal Dels Borja, it’s gorgeous in the interior.
How to get to Gandia
In order to get to Gandia, you can get the train C1 from The North Station (Estació del Nord). If you wish to get from the city to the beach you need to know the distance is notable, so you would have to take the bus. The bus station is near the train station and you can buy tickets on the bus.
Tip: If you are on the beach and want to head back to the city, you can check out the trains from Platja de Gandia stations. Those are fewer than the ones from the main station, but if you are in lucky, you may synchronize and get the train from there. The schedule should be posted in the station.
I wrote a blog post about free train tickets in Spain, you should check it out to get the most out of your trips: How to get free train tickets in Spain, 2024 (simple guide)
That would be a summary of my top day trips from Valencia. I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any questions, let me know! Thank you!