gray concrete tower beside house

Valencia

Spain

Beaches, futuristic architecture, and the home of paella

Photo by travelnow.or.crylater on Unsplash

Getting aroundEasy and cheap
Things to doSeveral days
FoodVery good
PricesGood value
SafetySafe

Best time to visit

April to June, September to October

Climate month by month

Average high and low · °C

16°
7°Jan
17°
8°Feb
20°
9°Mar
22°
11°Apr
24°
14°May
28°
18°Jun
30°
21°Jul
Now31°
22°Aug
28°
19°Sep
24°
15°Oct
19°
11°Nov
17°
8°Dec

Rainfall · mm per month

37
Jan
36
Feb
33
Mar
39
Apr
39
May
23
Jun
9
Jul
20
Aug
52
Sep
74
Oct
51
Nov
52
Dec

Best months to visit This month · wettest 74mm in Oct

Currency

Good value
Local currencyEuro (EUR)
Exchange rate1 EUR = 1.08 USD1 EUR = 0.86 GBP

Euro. Valencia is noticeably cheaper than Barcelona or Madrid for food and rentals — budgets stretch further here.

ATMs & cards

CaixaBank and BBVA are the safe choices. Decline dynamic currency conversion. Avoid Euronet machines near the Central Market.

Avoid these

  • Euronet
  • ATMs by the Central Market

Use these instead

  • CaixaBank
  • BBVA
  • Santander

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Safe

Very safe city with a relaxed feel. Standard beach precautions — do not leave bags unattended on Malvarrosa.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

No visa needed

Freedom of movement — no time limit, and no visa. Bring a passport or national ID card.

No visa neededup to 90 days

90 days within any 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen area, not per country. ETIAS, a paid online authorisation, is being introduced for these passports — check the official link for whether it applies to your travel dates.

Visa required in advance€90 (Schengen short-stay visa)

A Schengen short-stay visa is applied for before travel, at the consulate of your main destination.

How to get it: Apply at the consulate or visa centre of the country you will spend most time in, typically 15 working days ahead and no more than six months before travel.

Official government source · checked 2026-08-09

Entry rules change often and depend on your passport rather than where you live. This is a starting point — the embassy or the official page above is the authority, and the airline will check before you board.

Health & emergencies

Excellent and cheap
Emergency number112

Required to enter

No vaccinations are required for entry from Europe or North America.

Worth having

  • Routine vaccinations up to date (MMR, tetanus, polio)

Getting treated

EU/EEA and Swiss visitors are treated on the same terms as residents with an EHIC or GHIC card; UK visitors use a GHIC. Everyone else pays, and travel insurance is worth having for the repatriation cover rather than the treatment.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Very good

Real paella valenciana has rabbit and chicken, not seafood, and locals only eat it at lunch. Go to El Palmar or Malvarrosa and never order it for dinner.

Getting around

Easy and cheap
  • Bike — the Turia riverbed park is a 9km green corridor with dedicated lanes, Valenbisi for hire
  • Metro — clean and cheap, connects the airport, centre and beaches
  • Tram — line 4 and 6 run out to Malvarrosa beach
  • Walking — the old town Ciutat Vella is compact
  • Airport: Metro lines 3 and 5 to Xativa or Colon (25 min, €4.90)

Must-see

City of Arts and SciencesCentral MarketLa Lonja de la SedaTuria GardensMalvarrosa Beach

Things to do

Several days
  • Explore the City of Arts and Sciences
  • Cycle the full Turia riverbed park
  • Eat paella in El Palmar
  • Browse the Mercado Central
  • Spend a day on Malvarrosa beach
  • Visit during Las Fallas in March

Nearby day trips

Albufera lagoon and rice fields (30min)Xàtiva castle (45min)Sagunto Roman theatre (30min)Peñíscola coastal castle (1.5h)Requena wine country (1h)

Say a few words

Spanish

  • HelloHolaOH-la
  • PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
  • Thank youGraciasGRA-thyas
  • Yes / NoSí / Nosee / no
  • Excuse mePerdónper-DON
  • How much is it?¿Cuánto cuesta?KWAN-to KWES-ta
  • The bill, pleaseLa cuenta, por favorla KWEN-ta
  • Cheers!¡Salud!sa-LOOD

Religion

Catholic

Nominally Catholic and deeply secular in practice. Churches are working buildings as well as sights, and Semana Santa is taken seriously even by people who never attend Mass.

Do's and don'ts

Do

  • Eat late — lunch from 14:00, dinner rarely before 21:00
  • Greet with two cheek kisses, right cheek first, between women or a man and a woman
  • Stand at the bar to drink; it is cheaper than sitting and more sociable
  • Say buenos días on entering a small shop, and adiós on leaving

Don't

  • Do not expect anything to be open between 14:00 and 17:00 outside the big cities
  • Do not order sangria in a serious restaurant — it is a tourist drink; ask for tinto de verano
  • Do not tip heavily; rounding up or a euro or two is normal
  • In Barcelona, do not assume Catalan and Spanish are interchangeable — the distinction matters to people

Where to stay in Valencia

No Holistay rentals in Valencia yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.

List your Valencia property What could it earn?

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