Day trips from Valencia
6 h route4 stopsBest: The Albufera at sunset, when the water turns orangeUpdated July 2026
Valencia has a varied, close-by region around it: the Albufera and its rice paddies half an hour away, Sagunto with its Roman theatre and castle, Xàtiva and its fortress above the town, and Peñíscola, the Papa Luna castle set in the sea. None is more than two hours off.
The Albufera is the unmissable one, and it’s a half-afternoon rather than a full day: it combines with anything. The others are commuter or regional train trips, no car required.
The route, stop by stop
4 STOPS- 01
La Albufera
Spain’s largest lake, cut off from the sea by a sandbar and ringed by rice paddies: a natural park half an hour from the centre. It’s where paella was born and where its rice grows.
The classic plan: rice in El Palmar at lunchtime, then a boat ride across the lagoon at sunset, when the water turns orange and fills with birds.
It’s the easiest trip and the most Valencian.
- 02
Sagunto
Hannibal besieged it in 219 BC, when it went by Saguntum, and that siege triggered the Second Punic War. What remains is a Roman theatre carved into the hillside, still used for festivals, and a castle running a full kilometre along the ridge above the town. It’s half an hour by commuter train and a half-day visit. The views from the walls, with the sea and the market gardens below, are the reason to climb.
- 03
Xàtiva
A town of Iberian and Roman origin with a double castle perched on the ridge, one of the most impressive in the Valencia region: you walk it along the crest, tower by tower, the town at your feet.
It was the cradle of the Borgias, the family that produced two popes, and that history is palpable in the old town.
In the museum, a portrait of Philip V hangs upside down, punishment for burning the town in 1707: here they don’t forget.
- 04
Peñíscola
A walled white town on a crag jutting into the sea, crowned by a Templar castle where the Papa Luna, the antipope Benedict XIII, lived and died refusing to abdicate to the end.
It’s the farthest on this list, about two hours, but also the most photogenic: the old town tumbles down to the water with a beach on either side.
A good full-day plan in summer.
Frequently asked
What is Valencia’s Albufera and how do you get there?
It’s Spain’s largest lake, a natural park ringed by rice paddies half an hour by bus from the centre, where paella was born. The typical plan is rice in El Palmar and a boat ride at sunset.
What day trip should I do from Valencia?
The Albufera if you only have half a day, for its closeness and the paella. Sagunto, half an hour by commuter train, for the Roman theatre and castle. Xàtiva and Peñíscola need a full day.
Do you need a car for day trips from Valencia?
No: the Albufera is reached by city bus, and Sagunto and Xàtiva by commuter or regional train. Only Peñíscola needs a train-plus-bus combination, and even that works without a car.