There are so many wonderful day trips from Valencia that you don’t want to miss out on when you visit the region.
If you are only visiting Valencia for a few days, there are enough things to do in Valencia city center to keep you busy. But if you are staying for a week or more (or moving to Valencia!), then you’ll want to know more about the rest of this stunning region.
Getting to the Valencia Day Trips
If you are visiting Valencia and you want to rent a car while you’re here, this is probably the best option for getting to some of the more remote day trips from Valencia. I always use Discover Cars to check prices and book rental cars in Spain.
If you are new to driving in Spain, check out our tips for driving in Spain so you know exactly what to expect.
If you don’t want the expense of renting a car, you can get to almost all of the Valencia day trips by train or bus.
I highly recommend getting yourself an Abono ticket. You can simply purchase this ticket from any Renfe machine inside the Valencia Nord Train Station. The ticket costs €10 and allows you unlimited travel on the Cercanias trains. These are the suburban trains that will take you from downtown Valencia to most of the day trip locations.
Download the Renfe Cercanias App (Android here and Apple here) so that you can check train times and see exactly where you can go with your Abono ticket.
Map of the Best Day Trips from Valencia
Day Trips from Valencia
Enjoy these Valencia day trips on your next trip to the region. Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list of all of the places to explore within the Autonomous Region of Valencia, but these are the easiest to get to by public transportation, via a tour, or to drive to in a doable day trip.
1. Gandia
The city of Gandia is located 43 miles (70km) from downtown Valencia. If you are planning to travel by car, you can reach Gandia in just under an hour. If you are traveling on the Cercanias train, take the C1 from Valencia Nord Station and you’ll be there in about an hour and 10 minutes.
There are several reasons to visit Gandia. You can split your day into two parts, exploring the historical town and then hanging out at the beach (or vice versa).
A few things not to miss in downtown Gandia are the town hall and surrounding plaza, the archeology museum, and my personal favorite, the Ducal Palace. Be sure to grab an audioguide for the palace which is included in your ticket price.
To get to the beach from downtown Gandia, head back to the train station and you will see a large bus stop right in front of the station. There is a sign at the bus stop that says “Bus Playa.” Simply hop on the bus there and in about 15-20 minutes you’ll be at the beach.
You can catch it just across the street from where you get dropped off to take it back to the city. It runs roughly every 20 minutes.
The Ducal Palace was a highlight of my trip to Gandia.
2. Port Saplaya
The closest day trip from Valencia is the neighborhood of Port Saplaya. Technically not in the city of Valencia, Port Saplaya is part of the municipality of Alboraya. However, you can still easily reach this neighborhood to explore and spend the day floating in the calm waters of the beach here.
Port Saplaya has been nicknamed the Little Venice of Valencia. It is home to colorful houses that are surrounded by water. There aren’t any canals here, but the port is quite large and you can walk from one side to the other, weaving your way past these colorful buildings and peeking in at people’s yachts.
If you want to get to know more about the area while you’re here, you can take a boat tour which will show you all of the hidden spots around the port. The tour also includes a trip out into the bay where you can look back over the beautiful beaches of Valencia. Book that tour here.
To get to Port Saplaya from Valencia, you can grab a bus from this bus stop. Take either the L112a or L112b.
These are not local city buses, so if you have a Valencia bus pass or the EMTicket app, you won’t be able to use those on these buses. Have cash on hand to pay the driver once you get on. It costs about €3 per person each way and takes about 30 minutes.
Be sure to pack your beach gear and some towels. Once you explore the colorful port, there is a very calm and much quieter beach right in the town. If you get thirsty or want something sweet, stop into Horchatería Toni.
Beautiful Port Saplaya and its colorful buildings.
3. Xátiva
Xátiva is one of my favorite day trips from Valencia. It is located 38 miles (62km) from Valencia and is actually quicker to reach by train than it is by car. It will take you about an hour to drive here, but hop on the C2 Cercanias train from Valencia Nord and you’ll be there in about 40 minutes.
There is so much history in this town, there’s even an app you can download to help you explore it. Download it for Apple here and Android here.
The main attraction that makes Xátiva one of the best Valencia day trips is the Xátiva Castle. There are remains on this hill that date back to Roman times. Now you can explore the two different castles and the walls that surround it.
It’s a beautiful walk from the downtown area to the castle which takes about 30 minutes. There is also parking at the top, so if you are driving you can skip the walk.
A few other things not to miss in Xátiva include the Basilica of Xátiva, the Plaça del Mercat, and the stunning central patio inside the Antic Hospital Reial.
If you would prefer to visit Xátiva with a tour guide, you can take this tour which will pick you up at your hotel in Valencia and bring you back to the city. It also includes a stop at another nearby historical town called Anna. Book that tour here.
Xátiva Castle is a magical place to explore. Give yourself at least an hour to wander around, more if it’s a hot summer day.
4. Castellón de la Plana
There are three provinces within the Autonomous Community of Valencia; Valencia, Alicante, and Castellon.
Castellón de la Plana is the capital of the province of Castellon and is a hub of activity that is well worth visiting as a day trip from Valencia.
It’s located 45 miles (73km) from Valencia and takes about an hour to reach by car. If you want to take the train here from Valencia, hop on the C6 Cercanias and you’ll be here in about an hour and 15 minutes.
There’s a lot to see in this beautiful city, so be sure to start early and give yourself enough time to explore. Especially because a lot of the best museums and sites are only open in the morning.
The best spots not to miss include the Catedral de Santa Maria de Castelló, the Central Market, Castellón City Hall, and El Fadrí, the 15th-century bell tower that sits in the middle of all of these buildings.
You also can’t come to the Castellón region and not visit at least one of the beaches. The beaches here have been rated the best beaches in the Valencian Community and I have to agree. The beach located in the city of Castellón de la Plana is absolutely stunning. Mountains as a backdrop, soft sand for miles, and calm waters for swimming.
You can easily get to the beach by taking the tram from downtown to the end of the line at the port. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the end of the tram line or buses run along the length of the beach road to take you to different parts of the beach.
One of the old gates inside the Sagunto Castle.
5. Sagunto
Sagunto is the perfect day trip from Valencia if you love history. Sagunto is packed with Roman ruins that will wow even the most seasoned traveler. While I started learning about Roman history in Spain up in Zaragoza, the lessons were deepened here in Sagunto.
Hop on the C6 Cercanias train from Valencia Nord and you’ll be in Sagunto in about 35 minutes. These trains don’t run at frequent intervals, so definitely check the Cercanias app for the best times to get to and from Valencia.
Start your tour of Sagunto at the Via del Pòrtic Museum. Like and good small Spanish town, the opening hours are subject to change without notice, but as of my 2023 visit, there are two tours of the site per day; 12:30 and 5:00pm.
On Sundays and holidays, only the 12:30 tour takes place. This tour will take you through the Via del Pòrtic Museum as well as the Domus dels Peixos Museum which you can only visit with a tour.
After you learn all about Roman daily life from the tour, you can then move on to the other incredible sites around the city. The other two not-to-miss sites are the Roman Theater and the Sagunto Castle. Both are free to explore and open until dusk.
If you get hungry while you’re here, you may be surprised to learn that Sagunto is home to a Michelin Star restaurant and the only female-run restaurant in Valencia to hold this accolade. Find out more about Arrels Restaurant here.
The view back over the coast from Cullera Castle.
6. Cullera
Cullera is one of my absolute favorite beaches in the Valencia region and is an incredibly easy place to visit as a day trip from Valencia.
You can take the C1 Cercanias train and be in Cullera in about 35 minutes. Then there are frequent buses that will carry you directly from the train station to the beach in an additional 10 or so minutes.
However, if you’re up for the walk, I recommend strolling from the station, through the town and up to Cullera Castle before you hit the beach.
You can visit the central market and the Church of Saint John. From the plaza in front of the market you will spot the zig-zagging path that you can follow all the way up to the top.
Take note of the different pillars along the path. Each one represents one of the 12 stations of the cross. At the top you can pay a small fee to visit the inside of the castle where there are some historical relics as well as an informational video. You can take in the views for free. It’s one of the most breathtaking views of the coastline that you can get anywhere in this area.
The beach in Cullera is a bustling place with plenty of restaurants and bars around. There are beach clubs where you can rent chairs and umbrellas or you can simply find an empty patch of sand and spread your blanket out to relax.
Stop into Ferevin to sample wine from all over the Utiel-Requena region from small growers.
7. Requena
Requena is one of the best day trips from Valencia if you love wine. This small town isn’t particularly close to Valencia, but it’s worth the hour and a half train ride to sit outside and drink local wine in the sunshine.
The wine region is known as the Utiel-Requena wine region. The most dominant grape to grow here is the bobal grape which you will be able to sample at most of the wineries in the region. However, you’ll also taste some fantastic white wines as well as plenty of great cava.
I recommend starting your trip to Requena with a visit to the Cuevas de la Villa.
These are an underground network of caves that have been here for centuries. For a small fee, you can a great audioguide available in English or Spanish. You will then walk through the different rooms of the cave learning about what each was used for over the course of history and eventually understand why this region became such a popular place for making delicious wine.
Once you come out of the caves, you will be right across the plaza from my favorite winery in this region, Murviedro. You can sample several of their wines in their tasting room or you can take a tour of the winery and learn all about their winemaking process.
You can also purchase bottles here and they are significantly cheaper than at the local supermarkets or other wine shops.
Then you absolutely must stop into Ferevin Wine Shop. This is a collective of many of the vineyards and wine producers here in Utiel-Requena.
If you want to sample wine from around the region from the small vineyards in the area, this is the best place to do it. Each tasting glass comes with a small meat and cheese platter to enjoy your wine with. They have seating inside and outside and you can purchase bottles of wine from tons of different wineries in the region.
8. Buñol
Buñol may be better known for the famous Spanish festival, La Tomatina. It takes place here every year near the end of August and thousands of pounds of nearly-rotton tomatoes are thrown around in one of the world’s biggest food fights.
But there is a lot more to see in this stunning town. Hikers do not want to miss Buñol when considering day trips from Valencia.
To get to Buñol, take the C3 Cercanias train which takes about an hour from Valencia Nord.
Like many of the best day trips from Valencia, Buñol has a castle that’s worth checking out. Once you explore some of the downtown, you’ll want to get to the main event, the different hiking trails and waterfalls that there are to explore around Buñol.
There are a few different trails which you can see on AllTrails. But if you only have time to visit Buñol once, you’ll want to take the waterfall trail. Pack a bathing suit and a lightweight quick-dry towel so you can cool off after a hike up here.
The walk from Sueca into the rice fields is a beautiful way to explore some of the Albufera without the tourists.
9. Albufera Natural Park
If you have spent any time in Valencia before, you’ll no doubt have seen tons of paella restaurants in Valencia. That’s because Valencia is the birthplace of paella.
It is also the region where most of the rice that is used to make paella is grown. Wandering the rice fields of the Albufera Natural Park you will get a glimpse at the sprawling fields of rice.
My favorite place ot view all of the rice fields is in the town of Sueca. You can take the C1 Cercanias train from Valencia Nord and be in Sueca in half an hour. From the train station, follow the bike path out to Ermita dels Sants de la Pedra. This is one of the highest points in the area. Although not very high at all, it is so flat around it that you get an incredible view over the rice fields.
The other main draw to the Albufera Natural Park is the Albufera Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Spain. If you want to explore this, I highly recommend taking a tour to the area. This way you can sit back and enjoy the views while someone else organizes the boat ride on the lake. Book that tour here.
If you speak Spanish, then by all means, hop on buses 24 or 25 from the downtown area and go all the way to the inside of the park. From here you can walk to the different boat launch locations around the lake and head out on a tourist ride.
Montanejos is a stunning place to explore and get out into nature.
10. Montanejos Thermal Springs
Montanejos Thermal Springs are located in the town of Montanejos in the province of Castellon. It’s about 55 miles (90km) from Valencia and is best reached either by car or by tour. It’s nearly impossible to reach by public transport as a day trip from Valencia.
The whole town of Montanejos is worth exploring if you have a car and the time to spend the day here. You can walk along the river to see the source of the springs as well as tons of other trails packed with natural beauty.
However, if you want to visit the springs and enjoy some of the natural beauty with a tour, this is a really fun and relaxing day trip from Valencia. This is one of the most affordable tour options which includes a hike in the area as well as a dip in the thermal springs.
If you want to spend most of the day swimming and enjoying the springs then this is the best tour option for you.
11. Caves of San Jose
The Caves of San Jose are one of the most naturally stunning day trips from Valencia. These caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes over a kilometer of accessible tunnel. First, you explore 800 meters of cave by boat and then an additional 250 meters on foot.
It is home to the longest navigable underground river in Europe and cave paintings that are incredibly well preserved. Your entry ticket includes the boat ride and the visit takes about 40 minutes.
You can easily drive here from Valencia but I recommend going with a tour guide. This tour is a great option that includes round-trip transportation from Valencia and a bilingual guide. Book that tour here.
The beautiful sunsets in Alicante.
12. Alicante
This is really only a day trip if you have a car or you wake up reaaally early. Without a car, you can reach Alicante by bus or by train in about two hours.
Alicante is located just over 100 miles or 160km from Valencia, which makes it a long day if you plan to visit as a day trip from Valencia, but I still think it’s worth at least exploring some of the region of Alicante.
If you have a bit more time, I recommend spending the night because there are so many things to do in Alicante. The castle here is one of my favorites in the region and the central market is packed with fantastic food vendors. It also has a beach right in the downtown area and a stunning boardwalk that is perfect at sunset.