3 days in Valencia, Spain: exploring the home of paella

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Here’s my itinerary for spending 3 days in Valencia, Spain. This beautiful Mediterranean city is best known for being the home of paella, but there’s much more to it than that. I think it’s a really underrated city break. You’ll fall in love with the scent of the orange trees that line the sunny streets, the mixture of historical and futuristic architecture, and the endless flow of unusual beverages (which I’ll explain later). Valencia has its own unique vibe, different from other Spanish cities, and is perfect for a long weekend.

I got to know the city quite well on a recent visit, so hopefully this little itinerary for 3 days in Valencia will help you to make the most of your time there. And although I’ve covered 3 days, you could cram it into 2 by cutting out the day at the end. Or you could even spread it out for a longer stay and enjoy exploring at a more leisurely pace. 

So settle down with a glass of agua de València and enjoy planning a beautiful 3 days in Valencia…

3 days in Valencia itinerary: day 1

Morning: get to know the city with a walking tour

Regular readers of my blog will be sick of me saying this, but there really is no better way to start a city break than with a walking tour.

There’s an excellent historical walking tour of Valencia (15€) that runs most days at 10.30 am, meeting at the Torres de Serranos (Google Maps location). The Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart are two gateways to the city. They used to be built into ramparts that encircled the whole thing, but now they’re all that remains. A fitting place to kick off the tour.

The walking tour lasts for 2 hours, which is perfect for a morning activity. It’ll give you an overall flavour of the city, as well as help you get your bearings before you get properly stuck into your 3 days in Valencia. Walking through the beautiful streets lined with orange trees (which smell incredible!) while hearing from a local guide is a great start to the trip. 

The tour will introduce you to various landmarks, like Plaça del Ajuntament, Valencia’s largest public square. This is the hub of the city, full of elegant architecture and locals going about their day. The highlight of the tour for me is the Silk Exchange. It’s worth popping back to for another look, if you have time later. 

Lunch: try the famous Valencian paella at La Riuà

It won’t surprise you that your first lunch in Valencia should be paella. When in Rome and all that.

Two top paella-based facts for you:

1. Spanish people only eat paella at lunchtime. Restaurants flogging paella in the evening are aimed at tourists. Avoid! However, do bear in mind that Spanish lunchtime is really late (think 3.30 pm).

2. It does not involve any seafood. Proper paella from Valencia uses chicken, rabbit and/or snails with the usual rice, saffron and green beans. The prawn version you get around the rest of the world is not the real deal. As someone who doesn’t eat meat, this was a bit of a disappointment TBH.

You’ll see restaurants all over Valencia claiming to do ‘the best paella’. A huge amount of them do the prawn one for tourists, so you need to do a bit of digging to find a good one.

I like La Riuà (Google Maps link), which has been dishing up paella for over 40 years and is a real institution for locals and tourists alike. I don’t normally pick the incredibly popular places, even when they’re well rated, just because they tend to be so busy. But it’s popular for good reason. The paella is perfect. And I say that as someone who doesn’t even really like paella.

You usually need to book La Riuà. There’ll be a queue outside waiting for it to open. Because it’s quite big and everything is cooked to order, you might have to wait a while for your paella. They do cold starters so you can order something to keep you going.

Afternoon: see some churches and cathedrals (that are genuinely worth seeing)

Now, I know it’s easy to get a bit churched out on a European city break. I’ve done so many of them over the years, and I normally glaze over after a while.

But the Church of San Nicolas (Google Maps location) is seriously impressive. It’s said to be the Valencian version of the Sistine Chapel. And you can see why. This Baroque beauty has one of the most stunning ceilings I’ve ever seen. Pure bling. It’s so colourful and fresh-looking that it could have been painted yesterday. 

Of course, San Nicolas isn’t quite as big and ‘wow’ as the real Sistine Chapel. But it’s along the same lines and you don’t have security hurrying you through, along with hundreds of other tourists. 

It’s around 11€ for a ticket, which includes an audio guide. There are also combination tickets available with the Silk Market, so it depends on your plans but that can save a few quid. 

See the Holy Grail and climb up to enjoy a view across the city

Valencia’s Cathedral claims to have the Holy Grail, as in the chalice Jesus swigged from at the Last Supper. Obviously, no one knows whether it’s the real deal. But it’s worth a quick visit just to see it. You can also see the mummified hand of Vicente Martyr, patron saint of Valencia. Lovely stuff. 

Once you’ve seen the cathedral’s sights, it’s time for an inevitable climb up a tower. Yes, the cathedral has a bell tower, called El Micalet… and we all know that climbing up a tower for a view is mandatory on any city break. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I always film my climbs!

El Micalet is only 200-ish steps but OMG it is tight! If you’re claustrophobic, this staircase is not for you. It’s steep, too, which is fine but not what you need on a boiling hot day. 

So is the view worth it after hauling yourself up there? Well, Valencia is a relatively flat city and therefore not as impressive from above as other places. If you think about the spectacular views you get in Porto or Ljubljana, for example, it’s nowhere near as good. I actually preferred the view from halfway up the stairs (see below). I took that shot from a window when I was pausing to get my breath back. The domed rooftops and colourful streets are gorgeous. But the view from the top is just… okay. I’m glad I saw it but it wouldn’t make the cut of photos to print, put it that way. 

Top tip: the massive bell at the top of the tower goes off every hour, on the hour. If you’re standing underneath it, brace yourself.

Have a pit stop for fartons and horchata

I really enjoy the traditional sweet treats from Valencia. And they have an amazing and unique drink to wash them down with.

When you think of Spanish pastries, you probably automatically picture churros. But you’ve not met fartons yet. These are long, bready pastries dusted with sugar. They don’t have anything particularly exciting going on, no unusual or fruity filling or anything. But their simplicity is what makes them perfect for eating with and/or dunking in horchata. 

Horchata is a delicious plant-based drink that the Spanish were enjoying long before we all jumped on the oat-milk train. It’s made with ground tiger nuts mixed with sugar and water to make a sweet, chalky milk. Tiger nuts, also called chufa, are actually the tubers of a type of sedge plant that originated in North Africa. These grow well in the Valencia area, hence the popularity of the drink.

One of the oldest and best places for horchata and fartons in Valencia is Orxateria Santa Catalina. This is a local institution, always busy and often pure chaos with families shouting at the tops of their voices, staff rushing around trying to do table service, and a sweet cloud of sugary dust rising from all the fresh fartons being served up. I highly, highly recommend you go at least once during your 3 days in Valencia. Great vibes.

Pop back to the Silk Exchange

I mentioned earlier that, during the walking tour, I adored the Llotja de la Seda (Silk Exchange). If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to return to explore it further at your own pace… And possibly to get better photos without the other people on the tour in the way.

This beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site was, unsurprisingly, used for trading in silk. The trading hall, shown below, is filled with impressive Gothic pillars, which are very handy for blocking out other tourists in your photos using creative angles. It’s such a stunning setting and quite atmospheric. You can imagine the bustle and noise when it was a centre of commerce for rich merchants of the city.

There’s also a small chapel and an orange garden. The upper floor of the building was used as a jail, where they stuck people who didn’t pay up for their silk. 

It’s 3€ to get in but free on Sundays (at the time of writing).

Evening drinks: try some Agua de Valencia, the local boozy treat

Valencia is famous for its sweet and juicy oranges. The ultimate way to enjoy them is, in true Valencian style, as part of a deliciously boozy cocktail.

Agua de Valencia (‘water of Valencia’) sounds innocent enough, doesn’t it? But the name is a big fat lie. There’s not a drop of water involved here. It’s just freshly squeezed Valencian oranges, cava, vodka and/or gin. I think it’s definitely been ‘and’ every time I’ve had it.

You’ll see agua de Valencia advertised at most bars in Valencia, but I recommend having your first one at Café de Las Horas (Google Maps link). This bar is so memorable and magical. The moment you walk in, you’re transported to some kind of vintagey world of ornate chandeliers, midnight blue starry-sky ceilings and rich velvet upholstery. It feels more like a theatre from a storybook than somewhere you might later be staggering out of. I love it.

Café de Las Horas serves its agua de Valencia in jugs like it’s just juice. You then pour it into small cocktail glasses and it goes down very easily. Proceed with caution! But think of all that Vitamin C. It’s basically a health drink…

Evening meal: it has to be tapas  

As you had a large paella for lunch, do as the locals do and pick at tapas later on. They famously eat really late in Spain, although it varies by region. I didn’t find Valencia the latest of everywhere I’ve been, but restaurants can still be quite dead before 9pm, which is mild torture for anyone who normally eats at 7/8pm like most of Europe. But if you had your paella late, hopefully you’re able to survive.

Valencia is overflowing with tapas places. I’d recommend sticking to the centre of the city for tonight because in day 2 of this itinerary I’m going to suggest heading to a different area. 

My favourite place for tapas in Valencia is Lo de Ponxe En Kinto Pino (Google Maps location). Eating out in Spain if you don’t eat meat is not easy and even for meat-eaters, it can be hard to find vegetables as a side. So it’s such a joy when you find an excellent vegan or veggie eatery serving lovely local greens. This beautiful little tapas bar does the best vegan food in Valencia IMO. The menu del dia is brilliant but they also have a selection of tapas you can choose from, and have as much or as little as you fancy.

3 days in Valencia itinerary: day 2

Morning: visit the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences

After absorbing all the grand and historical architecture in the old town yesterday, day 2 of this 3 days in Valencia itinerary is going to feel very different. Forget the historic vibes. We’re going space age here. 

Welcome to the futuristic madness of the City of Arts and Sciences. I couldn’t believe this place when I first laid eyes on it. It’s the kind of architecture that you’d expect to see only in Dubai or Qatar, yet here it is just chilling in Valencia alongside all those ornate old balconies and domes.

The City of Arts and Sciences is difficult to explain. It’s a complex of museums and cultural buildings set among waterways and gardens. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve been before. You have to go.

I love just walking around the area and taking it all in. The official entrance to the City, called L’Umbracle, is one of the nicest features outside. It’s an open walkway under a sort of ribcage structure, filled with plants that are indigenous to Valencia. There’s honeysuckle, palm trees and bougainvillaea galore. 

Inside the buildings, there’s a planetarium, a massive 3-floor science museum, an aquarium and an opera house. You could easily spend an entire day exploring them (a great idea for a rainy day in Valencia, actually). If the weather is good, you can hire a little boat to row around the water.

Walk through the Jardín del Turia

The City of Arts and Sciences is at the end of the Jardín del Turia, a sunken park in the former riverbed of the Turia. It’s where all the locals walk their dogs and go jogging, so it’s a good spot for a rest in the shade and a spot of people-watching.

The river didn’t dry up naturally; it was drained and rerouted after a terrible flood in 1957. What they’ve done with the old riverbed should be a lesson to cities everywhere. It’s a beautiful green space and the perfect use of something that could easily have just been laid to waste.

After you’ve seen enough of the City of Arts and Sciences, have a walk through the park and enjoy the peace.

Lunch: nibble your way around the covered market, Mercat Central

Valencia’s Mercat Central (Google Maps location) is one of the largest covered markets in Europe. As someone who feels like no city break is complete without a food market, I can confirm that it’s worth visiting. It is indeed very large (over 300 stalls!). And it’s beautiful.

The building is in the (very specific) Valencian Art Nouveau style, but it also borrows aspects of Gothic and Baroque architecture from the surrounding buildings. Inside, it’s light and bright due to the glass sections of the ceiling. Its iron columns give it a bit of an Eiffel Tower vibe. Although the market is obviously a major tourist attraction, it’s a proper functioning place and you’ll see locals, including restaurant owners, doing their food shopping if you’re there early. 

If you’re staying in an apartment and doing some of your own cooking, you can buy some top-notch produce, all fresh and local. There’s all the usual fruit, veg, meat, fish, cheese and bread. Look out for the many, many different types of beans! If you’re in a hotel so don’t need to buy stuff, you can just eat lunch by picking bits from the stalls or go to the market’s main sit-down eatery, Central Bar (with an obligatory glass of wine too).

The Mercat Central is open every day apart from Sundays. If you want to go for lunch, make sure you’re not leaning too much into Spanish eating times as it shuts at 3pm. 

Afternoon: a spot of people-watching at Malvarrosa beach

If you like a city break where there’s also a beach, you’ll be pleased with Valencia. Malvarrosa Beach is very close to the centre. You can get there using the metro (number 4) in about 30 minutes if you’re near El Miclat, for example.

It’s a nice clean beach with over a kilometre of pale golden sand. I’m not a beach-sitting person whatsoever, but I do like a stroll along one before stopping somewhere for a drink and a people-watching session. Malvarrosa is ideal for this. A promenade stretches alongside the whole beach, lined with palm trees and very smooth if you’re walking or cycling.

Boa Beach Bar (Google Maps link) is a good option to stop at for a cocktail or soft drink. It’s right on the beach, so you have a great view. If you’re there at the right time, you’ll catch locals playing beach volleyball, which can get quite competitive. Even better, there are plenty of people walking their dogs in the early evening. And we all know that the only thing better than people-watching is dog-watching.

Evening meal and drinks: discover the hip area of Ruzafa

Come evening, it’s time to head to the area of Valencia that I like the most.

Ruzafa used to have a seedy reputation and was somewhere you’d probably avoid. But these days, it’s one of the coolest areas in Valencia with its colourful facades, tree-lined streets and abundance of hip bars and eateries. It’s retained its alternative vibe and a slight bit of grit, but it’s now very safe.

New restaurants and craft beer bars are popping up all the time; Ruzafa is the place to go if you want interesting international cuisine (aka a change from tapas!) and artisan drinks. Ruzafa is also full of vintage and independent, quirky shops, as well as several artists’ studios that contribute to its boho vibe. It’s perfect for a stroll and a browse before commencing with some more eating and drinking.

You could probably wander and stumble across good places to eat and drink in Ruzafa, TBH. But here are a few spots in Ruzafa that I like:

• Bukowski (Google Maps link) – Tucked away on a quiet road, this is my favourite bar in Valencia for beer. They have a selection of 15 taps. When I visited, they had an IPA on from Track, which is brewed just behind my office in Manchester! 
• Ruzanuvol (Google Maps link) – This bar has a good choice of craft beers from around Europe (mainly Italy) as well as lots of delicious tapas, all with an Italian theme.
• La Casa Viva Ruzafa (Google Maps link) – This is a cosy vegetarian/vegan restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating. They really know what to do with mushrooms and I can’t recommend them enough.
• Matoque (Google Maps link) – A popular modern restaurant that does a tapas tasting menu or large plates. Leave room for the cheesecake, which is unreal.

3 days in Valencia itinerary: day 3

Morning: get out of the city and into nature

For the final day in this Valencia itinerary, I’m going to recommend you take a little trip out of the city.

The Albufera Nature Reserve is a large freshwater lagoon just south of Valencia. ‘Albufera’ comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘small sea’. And this small sea is a real haven for a LOT of migratory birds. It’s a picturesque area to walk around and take in all the sights and sounds of nature, especially after a couple of days in the bustle of the city.

You can walk one of the signposted routes, spotting all the wildfowl as you go. Depending on what time of year you’re there, you might be lucky enough to see some cute little chicks dabbling about. Also look out for the barracas, traditional thatched cottages for local farmers.

The lagoon is sandwiched between the sea and the paddy fields, which of course grow all the rice to make paella. In fact, paella was invented in El Palmar, the main village in Albufera.

Getting to the Albufera Nature Reserve: Bus number 24 will deposit you in El Palmar, in the heart of Albufera, in just under an hour. Do check schedules on the EMT site before planning your day, though, as you don’t want to get stuck. The bus is €1.50 each way. Alternatively, you can book a jeep and boat tour of Albufera with a local guide, who will collect you from your hotel.

Lunch: enjoy more paella or other local delicacies in El Palmar

You should definitely find somewhere in El Palmar for lunch while enjoying the nature reserve. Even if you’re all paellaed-out, there are other local specialities to sample and the restaurants there are all excellent. It’s a proper little foodie hotspot.

One of the most popular dishes is all i pebre, chunks of eel and potato in a thick garlic and pepper sauce. The eels are caught in the area and couldn’t be any fresher. I’ve eaten eel a lot in Japan, where it’s very popular, but it isn’t as abundant around Europe. If you’ve never had it before, this is a good area to try it as it’ll be good quality and cooked well.

El Granar or Arroceria Maribel restaurants are worth trying, as well as lovely L’Establiment. The latter has views across the rice fields to enjoy before getting the bus back into Valencia.

An afternoon of modern art

As you’ll have travelled back from Albufera, it’ll probably be quite late in the afternoon at this point in your Valencia itinerary. For the final few hours of the day, I recommend visiting the city’s excellent modern and contemporary art museum, known as IVAM (Google Maps location).

Along with a food market and forcing myself to climb up a tower, an art museum is a must for me on any city break.

You can easily spend a couple of hours exploring IVAM and taking in all the interesting art; it’s a beautifully laid out museum with lots of light. The permanent collection features a lot of work by Julio González, a Spanish artist who specialised in sculptures in iron and was mates with the man himself, Picasso. But they also have ever-changing exhibitions, featuring all kinds of local and international art. At the time of writing, the next exhibition coming up is on female artists in Spain. That sounds just my cup of tea. 

It’s only 5€ to enter IVAM apart from on a Sunday (all day) and a Wednesday (from 4pm), when it’s free. What a bargain. Note that it’s closed on Mondays, like many museums around Europe.

Evening meal: end your Valencia itinerary on a high with a tasting menu

For your last night, I’m going to recommend a tasting menu at a Michelin-star restaurant. It’s 95€ for a 10-course menu, which I know is a lot of money (although not as much as some posh places). If you’d prefer to save your pennies and go somewhere normal, I’d head to somewhere in Ruzafa.

But if you’re happy having a splurge on your final night, book a table at Restaurante Lienzo. This is a spectacular restaurant in a former art gallery (continuing the art theme today!) with a wonderful female chef who produces menus using local and seasonal produce. The cuisine is Valencian/general Mediterranean. Because they focus on sustainability, you’ll find they use all of the bits of a fish or vegetable, making creative parts of the dish with them rather than throwing some away. 

Although it’s obviously a posh choice, Lienzo isn’t stuffy. The staff are relaxed and friendly, and the open kitchen means it has a buzz to it and isn’t quiet/formal like some fancy restaurants might be. It’ll be a really memorable experience to end your 3 days in Valencia. 

And if you have longer than 3 days in Valencia…

Although I think 3 days is a perfect amount of time to spend in Valencia, you could easily stay a bit longer and use the city as a base for some day trips.

Here are a few I’d consider:

• Xàtiva – about 35 minutes from Valencia by train. Xàtiva is known for its impressive hilltop castle, with spectacular views. The town centre is full of fountains and pretty streets to wander through.
• Gandia – just under an hour from Valencia by train. Gandia is known for the Ducal Palace, a well-preserved Gothic home of dukes and duchesses in the region. 
• Peñiscola – just over an hour by train from Valencia. Peñiscola has been made quite popular by being a Game of Thrones filming location, which is lost on me. But it has a very impressive castle and an equally impressive house made of shells, the Casa de las Conchas. 

3 days in Valencia itinerary – useful information for your trip

Where to stay in Valencia

Valencia isn’t the cheapest city for accommodation, so it’s worth doing your research in advance to avoid being ripped off. Here are a few I’d check out. All prices are correct at the time of writing.

• Hotel Malcom and Barret – just on the outskirts of Ruzafa, this is a good option that won’t break the bank (around 100€ a night). There’s a bus stop right outside, which is very handy.
• Junto al Mercado de Ruzafa – this apartment is perfect if you want to be in the heart of hip Ruzafa, surrounded by all the best cafés and bars. It’s around 190€ a night with a minimum 3-night stay, so it’s not cheap but it is rather lovely.
• MYR Puerta Serranos – for around 170€ a night, you can get a stunning room here. It’s so well located in the old centre of Valencia, and even has a rooftop terrace for views.

How to get around Valencia

A lot of attractions are walkable in the centre of Valencia, but you’ll also need to use the metro, tram and bus system to get about. It’s all convenient and easy to navigate. You can buy a single ticket (1.5€) when boarding or buy the SUMA card for 10 trips on all transport for 10€. This is available from machines in the metro stations or from tobacconists. 

When to go to Valencia

I recommend spring and autumn for anywhere in Spain. Not too hot, but warm enough to walk around without a coat. And far less busy than summer. Valencia is no exception to this.

In terms of visiting while there’s something on, the main event in Valencia is the Fallas Festival in March, when they burn monuments and have parades with a lot of firecrackers. You might want to check the dates of it to either attend or avoid.

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• 22 things to do in Cordoba, Spain, the city of flowers
• 3 days in Lisbon: a magical itinerary
• 3 days in Porto: Portugal’s stunning second city

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