Itinerary · Valencia · Spain
One day in Valencia
A day-by-day plan grouped by neighbourhood, so you spend your time seeing Valencia, not crossing it.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Googledance, CC BY-SA 1.0
Quick answer
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. Day 1: City of Arts and Sciences and L'Oceanogràfic. Base yourself in Ciutat Vella.
Key facts
- Days
- 1
- Sights covered
- 4
- Day trips
- None
- Best base
- Ciutat Vella
- Book ahead
- L'Oceanogràfic
Day by day
Day 1: City of Arts and Sciences and L'Oceanogràfic
City of Arts and Sciences, L'Oceanogràfic, Gulliver Park and Museo Fallero, then El Carmen in the evening.
Morning
City of Arts and Sciences
Visit at dusk, when the buildings are lit and reflected in the pools, and book the science museum for the hottest part of the day. Allow 2–4 hours.
Late morning
L'Oceanogràfic
Arrive at opening and see the shark tunnels and Arctic area first, before tour groups and school visits arrive. Allow 4–5 hours.
Lunch
Lunch: Paella valenciana
Restaurants in El Palmar in the Albufera, along the Malvarrosa promenade and traditional Valencian restaurants in the centre.
Afternoon
Gulliver Park
Go in the morning or late afternoon in summer, as the surfaces get very hot in the midday sun. Allow 1–2 hours.
Late afternoon
Museo Fallero
Visit after the City of Arts and Sciences; it is about a 10-minute walk away. Allow 1 hour.
Evening
El Carmen
Bars and pubs along Calle Caballeros and around Plaza del Tossal in the medieval lanes of the old town.
Before you go
- L'Oceanogràfic: Buy tickets online in advance in summer and school holidays, when queues at the ticket office are long.
If it rains
- Swap in Lonja de la Seda (Ciutat Vella): Look up at the gargoyles on the outside walls; some are surprisingly bawdy.
- Swap in Palacio del Marqués de Dos Aguas (Ciutat Vella): Even if you skip the museum, stop to study the carved façade on Calle Poeta Querol.
- Swap in Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia (Turia Gardens): Head for the Sorolla rooms first; his sunlit beach scenes are a good preparation for Malvarrosa.
Where to stay for this itinerary
$$$ · Best for first-timers, culture and couples
Ciutat Vella
Gothic old town of the cathedral, the Lonja and the Mercado Central
Pace and daylight
The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–12 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 9.4 hours in December to 14.9 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.
Getting between stops: Metro. Metrovalencia lines 3 and 5 run from the airport to the centre (Xàtiva and Colón stations); other lines link the centre with Benimaclet, the port and the suburbs.
More or fewer days
Questions travellers ask
+Is one day enough in Valencia?
One day is a taster: the plan below covers the essentials, but most visitors want 4. How many days Valencia needs.
+What should I book before visiting Valencia?
L'Oceanogràfic.