Getting around Valencia

The centre of Valencia is a walking city, and everything beyond it has a line of its own that is best picked before you leave the hotel. The airport has two metro lines and a bus, the beach has a tram, and the Albufera lagoon has one city bus that goes all the way to the water. Learn those four and the rest of the map takes care of itself.

From the airport to the centre

Metro lines 3 and 5 serve the airport, leave every 15 to 20 minutes and reach the centre in about 20 minutes, with Xàtiva and Colón as the stops to aim for. The airport zone counts as A and B+, so the ticket costs €4.80, and the card it is loaded on is paid separately. The metro runs from 4.00 to 23.30 on weekdays and from 5.00 to 00.30 at weekends, and that window is worth a glance before an early flight or after a late landing.

Bus 150, part of the Metrobus network, starts from terminal T1 at level 0, right outside arrivals. It takes about 45 minutes. A bus leaves every 20 to 30 minutes, from 6.21 to 22.36 Monday to Saturday and from 7.35 to 22.15 on Sunday, and at night the interval stretches to 45 minutes. The ride is slower than the metro, but it begins at the arrivals door.

Tickets and cards

A single zone, A or B, costs €1.50 and covers metro and tram alike. The card is a separate purchase, cardboard or plastic, and it can be topped up. City buses belong to EMT, which sells one ride for €2 from the driver, with no transfers. The Valencia Tourist Card runs for 24, 48 or 72 hours from the first use and covers the metro in zones A and B, including the airport station, plus the tram, EMT, Metrobus and suburban Renfe trains.

A metro ticket needs a card, bought separately; the Valencia Tourist Card runs for 24, 48 or 72 hours.

In the centre and along the Turia

The old town, Ciutat Vella, is for walkers. The stations of Xàtiva and Colón sit on its edge. Lines 3, 5, 7 and 9 stop at Alameda, right beside the Turia, which makes that stop the natural way onto the river path.

The Turia is a park about 8.5 km long laid in the old riverbed, below street level, so a cyclist passes under the bridges and never meets a traffic light. Valenbisi, the public bike scheme, is there for anyone without a bike of their own. The City of Arts and Sciences can be reached by tram 10, or on foot or by bike along the river.

To the beach and the Albufera

Trams 4 and 6 run to the city beach, with Platja Malva-rosa as the stop for the sand. Buses 4, 19, 32, 92 and 95 also reach Las Arenas and Malvarosa, which suits anyone already on the road rather than on rails.

For the lagoon take EMT 25 to the landing stage in El Palmar, the village where the boats leave, about 40 minutes from the centre. Not every trip goes through El Palmar, so the destination on the front of the bus decides. EMT 24 serves the beaches of El Perellonet and El Saler, and the 25 also stops at El Perellonet.

3 daysThe three-day plan shows how these lines fit between the sights.Valencia in 3 days →

FoodLunch in El Palmar and Cabanyal is easy to reach once the lines are clear, and the food page says what to eat there.What to eat in Valencia →

Hidden gemsMany of the quieter stops are close enough to walk, from the towers to the Nord station.Valencia off the main axis: gates you can climb and the frescoes of San Nicolás →

When to goThe page on when to go says when walking works and when the tram wins, with the heat, the rain and Fallas in mind.The best time to visit Valencia →

Where to stayAn area can also be chosen by how close it is to the metro and the tram, as the page on where to stay does.Where to stay in Valencia →

Day tripsThe trains and metro lines for day trips out of the city are on the day trips page.Day trips from Valencia →