Making the most of Valencia
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Valencia's busy port is about 4 km. from the city center. Some cruise lines run port shuttles to Plaza del Ayuntamiento in central Valencia, and taxis are plentiful. Most ships stay for a whole day, but even a half-day allows a lot to be seen.
Close to the Valencia Passenger Terminal, the terminal has 2 berths, 395m and 379m long respectively. Cruise passengers can use its tourist information center, duty-free shop, restaurant/cafeteria, souvenir shops, Internet Access, phones and restrooms.
Smaller ships berth near the terminal, while larger ships use the more distant outside piers and receive free shuttles to the cruise terminal. Ship-provided shuttles then cost $16 return to a point just outside the old town, followed by a 5-minute walk to the center at Plaza de la Reina.
Painted instructions outside the port entrance direct passengers towards the bus stop and city; the return stop is on the road's opposite side.
The comfortable hop on/off Tourist Bus provides two guided tours in eight languages, covering Valencia's most interesting places and main monuments from another perspective. Board at Stop 9, a short distance from the cruise port, or at the town-center Plaza da la Reina. Each tour lasts about 1.5 hours.
A new cruise terminal is planned for 2025.
For 2026, the City Council is proposing mega cruise ship limits and extra port fees.
To reach the old town around Plaza da la Reina, look for bus #4 and pay the driver 2 Euro. Facing away from the water, walk a few hundred meters right from the terminal entrance to a white-barred crosswalk painted on the road, cross to the traffic island and find the bus stop. It stops near Plaza de la Reina. The fare includes line 19, which goes to La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias, or The City of Arts and Sciences.
VLC CRUISE CARD is a new card tailored to cruise ship passengers' length of stay and needs. For just €10, it covers transport from port to city center on the Valencia Tourism passenger Shuttle Bus whenever a cruise ship does NOT provide its own shuttle service to the city center.
A taxi costs approx. 20 Euro each way per taxi; for a group, it may be cheaper than a shuttle bus.
Take along a printable map.
This port's Port Authority cruise calendar.
The central Plaza de la Reina, where the town hall is, lies around or close to most Valencia attractions and is also the hop on/off buses' starting point.
Roman and Arabic-era buildings line Barrio del Carmen's ancient winding streets. The Cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th century, is mainly Gothic but includes Baroque and Romanesque elements. Alongside it stands the Gothic Basilica of the Virgin (Basílica De La Virgen De Los Desamparados).
Getting around
For a different view of Valencia, ride the comfortable hop on/off Tourist Bus. Its two eight-language guided tours visit main monuments and the city's most interesting places; join at Stop 9 near the cruise port or in town at Plaza da la Reina. Allow about 1.5 hours for each tour.
Once you have seen the old town, take a beach bus for a swim at a lovely, wide sandy beach, then catch a taxi back to the ship. (around 10 Euro)
The Valencia Tourist Card combines free public transport within Valencia city (zone AB) with discounts at Museums, leisure activities, shops and restaurants for 1, 2 or 3 days. Businesses offering the Valencia Tourist Card discount display a sticker.
Nearby places
Just 10 km from the city, Albufera Natural Park offers nature in its purest form, magical sunsets, boat rides and a chance to disconnect like nowhere else. L'Albufera Natural Park is an urban oasis of paddy fields and woods for those who know it. Anyone wanting to discover Valencian cuisine's origins will definitely want to visit: paella was invented right here.
Food and shopping
Valencia's Mercado Central is a wonderful food market of many different delicacies and a great place to visit. This modernist-architecture masterpiece is one of the city's most beautiful buildings: incredibly large, perhaps Europe's largest, with over a 1,000 stalls, it is very grand, ceramic- and glass-covered, and topped by a parrot. Arrive early for the excellent fish and seafood stalls, as most sell out and close by midday.
Tapas bars throughout and around the center present varied small dishes for you to select from display. Some are served as 'Pinchos': every dish has the same price and a cocktail stick 'flag', with payment calculated from the cocktail sticks at the end.
In Valencian, paella means "frying pan" (from Latin patella), and Paella is a typical Valencian rice dish from Spain.
Sample the typical Valencian drink Horchata at Horchateria de Santa Catalina, the oldest and famous place for it, on Placa de Santa Catalina. Large, colorful tiled pictures on the interior walls depict the Horchateria and its drink's history.
Delicate Lladro creations are among the ceramics for which Valencia is also famous.
Money
The currency is the euro.
Staying connected
Spanish is official across the entire national territory, alongside other regional languages: Catalan in Catalonia, Galician in Galicia, Euskera/Basque in the Basque Country, Valencian in the Valencia Region, and a particular Catalan variety on the Balearic Islands.
Valencian and Spanish are the city's two official languages. Spanish predominates, unlike in areas around the metropolitan area in Valencia province, owing to political and demographic pressure in the past. The local government stresses the local language's use: all Metro signs and announcements, for example, are Valencian, with smaller Spanish translations beneath.
Dial 112 free of charge for emergencies throughout Spain. The service is offered in Spanish and, in some tourist areas, English, French and German.
Opening Hours and
Shops and businesses most commonly operate Monday through Saturday, 9.30 h to 13.30 h and 16.30 to 20.00 h.
Department stores and big shopping centers trade uninterruptedly from 10.00 h to 21.00 or 22.00 h, and sometimes open on Sunday.
During high season in coastal cities, shops usually remain open passed 22.00 h.
Pharmacies trade 9.30 to 13.30 h and 16.30 to 20.00 h. Major cities have pharmacies open 24 hours; these work to a rolling late-hour schedule published in newspapers and posted at every pharmacy.
Mondays are when museums are generally closed.
National information.