Valencia Travel Guide & Money-Saving Tips

Plan a Valencia trip around paella, beaches and the Turia Gardens, with practical advice that helps you save without missing the city's best experiences.

Paella, beaches and warm Mediterranean city life

Valencia is an easy city to love: proper paella at lunchtime, a huge green park running through the centre, and the Mediterranean waiting at the end of it. It has the energy of Spain's bigger cities without feeling boxed in by them.

We especially like the mix of old and new here. Walk the Turia Gardens towards the City of Arts & Sciences, then spend an evening around Ruzafa's cafés and vermut bars. Add the Albufera for a sunset that feels far removed from the city.

This hub brings together what to know before going to Valencia, plus ways to save money while still getting the most out of the trip.

Good to know

Valencia is the home of paella, which locals eat at lunch, not dinner. Order it midday for the best experience.

Top tips

Currency: EUR (€)
Daily spend: 30–150 EUR per person
Hotels: 20–450 EUR per night
Plug: Europlug / Schuko
Tipping: Welcomed
Timezone: GMT+1
Taxis: Uber / Bolt / Cabify / FreeNow
Food: Glovo / Uber Eats / Just Eat

Best time to visit

Weather, prices, crowds and the events worth travelling for.

Spring

Great

Apr – May

Mild 20–24°C days, with April and May bringing easier hotel prices and lighter crowds after Fallas.

Summer

Good

Jun – Aug

Hot 30–31°C days and warm sea, while prices rise 30–50% and beaches fill with visitors.

Autumn

Great

Sep – Oct

Warm sea through September, easing rates and crowds, with October bringing the year's heaviest rain.

Winter

Good

Nov – Feb

Mild 15–17°C days, the lowest hotel prices of the year and a calmer, more local city.

Cost saving tips

Take the metro from the airport for €4.90 and roughly 20 minutes into the centre instead of paying the €20–25 taxi fare.
Use the €4 24-hour ticket or €8 ten-ride card when your plans include several journeys; single tickets cost €1.50.
Order a menu del día at lunch for €10–14, since dinner at the same addresses can cost about twice as much.

Top tips

Reserve accommodation months ahead for Las Fallas, when room rates can roughly triple around 15–19 March.
Keep some cash for Central Market stalls and small horchaterías, even though contactless payment works almost everywhere else.
Eat paella at lunch, preferably in El Cabanyal or El Palmar, where the dish follows Valencia's local rhythm.
Order horchata with a fartón in the late afternoon; the tiger-nut drink comes from nearby Alboraya.
Use the Turia Gardens for journeys between the old town and the City of Arts & Sciences instead of taking a taxi.
Expect terrace menus around Plaza de la Reina to cost more than similar meals one street back in Ruzafa or El Carmen.