Valencia: practical tips
1 h route5 stopsBest: May, June and September. March if you want FallasUpdated July 2026
This is a city with no great traps to warn you about, and that’s the news: flat, compact, cheap compared with Madrid or Barcelona, where a traveller runs into nothing serious.
Only two real warnings: if you come in March, Fallas eats the city and you should come knowing it (or dodge it on purpose). And rice is a lunchtime dish, so plan meals accordingly. The rest is the usual practical stuff.
The route, stop by stop
5 STOPS- 01
Las Fallas: in March it’s another city
The Fallas, Intangible Cultural Heritage, transform the whole city in March: hundreds of giant papier-mâché monuments in the streets, mascletàs (a gunpowder storm at two in the afternoon, every day) and the cremà on the 19th, when they all burn.
If you come those days, come for the Fallas and forget any other plan: museums empty out but the streets are impassable and hotels triple their prices.
If noise isn’t your thing, avoid the 15th to the 19th with equal care.
- 02
The bike changes everything
Valencia lies table-flat and has the Turia Garden running right through it: nine kilometres of cycle path without a single traffic light. Hiring a bike on day one changes the trip: you reach everything in minutes and skip the metro. There’s a public bike scheme and private hire everywhere. It’s the Spanish city where it makes the most sense, by a distance.
- 03
Eating: the clock, and the rice
As in the rest of Spain, lunch runs two to four and dinner starts from nine. And here there’s an extra rule: rice is a midday dish. Anyone offering you paella for dinner is treating you like a tourist. The Valencian almuerzo is another institution: a generous mid-morning sandwich, around eleven, with a beer. If you see bars full at that hour, that’s what it is.
- 04
Language, money and weather
Two official languages coexist here, Valencian and Spanish, and you’ll see signage in Valencian ("Mercat", "Ciutat"). Everyone speaks Spanish, so it’s not an issue.
Card works for everything and tipping isn’t expected. The climate is mild almost all year, but July and August are hot and humid because of the sea: May, June and September are the perfect months.
- 05
Data on your phone
The Valencia plan leans on your phone more than you’d expect: bike hire runs through an app, metro tickets and Oceanogràfic entries are QR codes, and getting to the Albufera or El Palmar needs maps and bus times. If you’re from outside the EU, roaming is expensive exactly when you use it most. A local eSIM activates on landing, and since the metro leaves from inside the airport, you’ll want it the moment you walk out.
Frequently asked
When are the Fallas and are they worth it?
In March, with the bulk between the 15th and 19th. Very much worth it if you like a festival: giant monuments, gunpowder mascletàs every midday and the final cremà. If you want calm, avoid those dates.
Is Valencia a good city for cycling?
The best in Spain: it’s completely flat and the Turia Garden crosses the whole city with nine kilometres of traffic-light-free cycle path. There’s a public bike scheme and private hire everywhere.
When is the best time to visit Valencia?
May, June and September: pleasant temperatures and a warm sea. July and August are hot and humid. March is special for the Fallas, but the city is overwhelmed and hotel prices soar.