Are you planning a weekend get away? Perfect. This is my 3-day itinerary for a weekend trip to Valencia. I visited in the winter, but this itinerary works both for winter and summer.
Transportation
- Valencia Airport. This airport is relatively close to Valencia and you can easily get to the city from there with the metro. The airport has many connections to other countries and several airlines. It’s also easy to get around.
- Public transport. Valencia is connected with buses, trams and metro. It’s very easy to get around the whole city even tho it can take a while. You can purchase a travel card and use it on all transport types, you just need to charge it. In a bus you can also pay with a bank card.
- Trains. Valencia has two main train stations. Traveling in Spain by train is very fast and comfortable. If you travel from a different city or maybe you land in Castellon airport, I recommend taking a train.
Accommodation
Valencia is one of many popular destinations in Spain. Therefore there are many different types of accommodation with a variety of prices. In general accommodation here is pricier compared to some other cities, especially in high season. There are many hotels, hostels and Airbnbs. If you are on a budget there are many rooms with shared bathrooms or hostels. I recommend booking in advance and checking different platforms for the best price.
Itinerary
Day 1
We arrived in the evening and our hotel was at the sea. Taking a bus from our hotel to the city center took an hour so we decided to stay close. For dinner we went to an asian restaurant. They served us delicious food and the service was amazing. Because it was out of the season we were the only customers. After the dinner we went for a walk at the sea but because it was winter, the wind was quite cold.
Tip: If you are visiting in the winter and you don’t mind traveling with the bus, I recommend booking a hotel at the sea. Because it’s out of the season these hotels are cheaper and often give good deals.
Day 2
Activities
City of art and science
This complex of buildings contains an opera house, museum of science, Hemispheric, exhibition hall and Oceanographic. This place takes up your whole day if you want to experience everything. It’s also an architectural masterpiece.
The Museum of science has three floors and it’s huge. You can learn about art and science through the story of Da Vinci. You can learn about different scientists and the importance of their work in science. You can learn about the universe, the Earth, the landing on the Moon and visit Mars. And lastly you can make many experiments in the interactive part of the museum. It’s an amazing place to widen your knowledge and a great place for those who are interested in science. This museum can take you up to four hours or maybe more if you are really interested in all the spheres.
Oceanographic
If you love the ocean or want to learn more about creatures of the ocean this place is for you. They offer a huge variety of water creatures from the oceans and seas from all around the world. If you are lucky, you might catch the dolphin show or other animal shows and feedings. They also spread the word about protecting the oceans and the creatures.
Ticket prices: Depending on what you want to visit the ticket prices differ. The museum of science is really cheap while Oceanographic is the most expensive. We bought tickets there and it ended up being cheaper than through the internet. On the internet you can find different bundles.
City walk
If you’re left with some time and you are not tired yet you can still go for a city walk. We visited the city center with cute little markets and Christmas decorations. We went for an ice cream in a really cute place called Lucciano’s for some sweet treat and a bit of rest.
Cinema
We finished the day with a good movie. While most of the cinemas in Spain have movies dubbed, the cinema in Mercat de Campanar offers movies also in English with Spanish subtitles.
Day 3
Beach walk
Depending on whether you come in the summer or in the winter, you can spend your day on the beach or just go for a small walk. The average temperature in December is around 15॰C. We had a beautiful sunny day with almost 25॰C so we enjoyed a long walk on the beach and close the harbour. The beach and the whole seaside is very peaceful in the winter. The beach is really long and sandy with many different activities, making it a great beach vacation for the summer.
City tour
We ended our trip with a walk through the city. You can visit the Cathedral, a bull ring, the Gate of the Sea, wander through the small streets and look for souvenirs, go shopping for fresh goods in the Central Market or visit some of the many beautiful parks and gardens Valencia offers.
Note: Even tho the beach was peaceful, the city was still very crowded.
Note: In Valencia many people speak Catalan so don’t be surprised by signs in two languages. Most of the Spanish people don’t speak English but in Valencia I didn’t have a problem with the language barrier.
There’s still so much more to see in Valencia. Would you spend your weekend there?