Practise ecotourism
Travellers who are committed to the preservation, appreciation and dissemination of natural and cultural resources will find a long list of places to visit in Valencia. From discovering the heritage and history of this thousand-year-old city by means of a guided tour on foot, or by bicycle; through a route around the monumental trees or through parks and gardens; to the jewel in the crown, unique natural ecosystems such as the Natural Park of l'Albufera or the Turia one.
Guided tours on foot and by bike
Valencia is a perfect place for environmentally responsible tourists like you because it offers a thousand possibilities to get to know it without generating emissions. Walking tours through the main historical treasures and its World Heritage Sites, the City of Arts and Sciences, the best street art creations, the legacy that Silk left in the city or through the mysteries of the Holy Chalice are just some of the many options. In addition to these, there are bike tours as interesting as the one around the Cabanyal area, the old fishermen's neighbourhood.
Discover them all here:
A trip to the city’s lungs
Because of their capacity to produce oxygen and absorb CO2, trees are our best allies in the quest to improve air quality. Valencia is a green city, with extensive parks and gardens that fulfil this function. Here you can relax, have a picnic, do sport, or stroll among pines, poplars and orange trees. The Turia Garden, laid out in the old riverbed and now converted into a large urban park that crosses the city from west to east, is a real gem for nature lovers. Other oases in the city are the Central Park, the Cabecera Park, the Botanical Garden, the Viveros Gardens, and the Monforte Garden.
Centennial holm oaks, eucalyptus, palm, mulberry and fig trees... Valencia has more than 500 monumental trees! They are all compiled and geolocated in the Valencia Green Routes APP, which offers you different routes and games to discover 400-year-old trees, the more Mediterranean specimens or other more exotic ones from different parts of the world, such as the Indian laurel, Australian oaks, Asian coconuts, a ginkgo, and even a living fossil from China.
Beaches and Natural Parks
In addition to the city's beaches and the nearby beaches of El Saler, if you're thinking green, you can't miss such unique areas as l’Albufera Natural Park and the Turia Natural Park. These are two environmental gems, the first of which covers more than 21,000 hectares and is made up of natural dune beaches, Mediterranean forests, rice fields and the largest lagoon in Spain: l'Albufera. Species such as the grey heron and the red-crested pochard nest in this wetland and unique aquatic birds winter here, as it is a transit area on their migration routes.
The Turia Natural Park, for its part, extends over the river plain from which it takes its name. Nearly 5,000 hectares of Mediterranean riparian forest. In terms of biodiversity, it is also of great value, as it ensures the conservation of the Mediterranean flora and forest.
Themed boat trips
The Cervantes Saavedra training ship, in collaboration with the Oceanogràfic, organises different educational experiences on board. Focusing on subjects such as history or biology, it offers family getaways such as the Blue Planet Voyage around Formentera and Cabrera or the Albufera and Oceanogràfic weekends. All of them combine awareness-raising work with fun and are unique plans on board a schooner with a crew that will teach you how to take care of the seas and the planet in general. Discover all the voyages and sign up for the one you fancy!
