Tour Valencia and its surroundings with the Valencia Tourist Card
Natural parks, Roman and Iberian ruins, enchanting monasteries, beaches and delicious food tours are now at your fingertips with the Valencia Tourist Card, which lets you travel without restrictions throughout the metropolitan area included in zones A and B. Destinations such as Sagunto, Manises, Alboraia and Lliria, which are outside the city, are within easy reach with your card. You get unlimited travel on the metro, bus, subway and commuter train networks. There is a lot for everyone to discover. So put on your backpack and get your València Tourist Card ready, because we have some suggestions!
Ancient civilizations and river routes
A good place to start our tour is in Lliria (Metro L2 and Metrobus L145 and 245), a town with an impressive archeological heritage. It is known for Tossal de Sant Miquel, site of the ancient Iberian Edeta, which is located on the slopes of the monastery of San Miguel, some 400 meters from the town center.
Nearby are other remains of the same civilization, such as Mont Ravana and Castellet de Bernabé. There are also significant Roman structures, especially the preserved mausoleums that comprise one of the most important funerary ensembles of the ancient province of Hispania. Rounding out Lliria's Roman legacy are the thermal baths of Mura, which are very well preserved, the oracular sanctuary, reigned by clairvoyants and their sacrifices and divination, and Molló del Plá de L’Arc, the core of a large structure.
Very close to Lliria is Vilamarxant (Metrobus L 245), an ideal place to explore the classic constructions associated with the culture and use of water in the Turia Natural Park. The best way to learn the possibilities of this green area is to drop by the Visitor Center at the Park. From here, a 9-kilometer route runs along the banks of the river to Mas dels Frares, branching into rural roads and forest tracks. The numerous river paths available along the Turia are well worth exploring by bicycle or on foot.
Scars of the Civil War in the middle of Sierra Calderona
The marks left by the Spanish Civil War in Valencian lands are still visible. Náquera (Metro L1 to Bétera and from there take Metrobus L230) offers a circular route that runs through the defensive positions of Cabeç Bord, point on the last defensive ring around the city of Valencia. The remains of trenches, access roads, underground galleries, water rafts to cool guns and machine-gun nests from the battle can still be seen there. Many of the ministers and senior Republican officials lived in villas in the area of La Carrasca when the capital was moved from Madrid to Valencia.
Nearby, Serra (Metro L1 to Bétera and from there take Metrobus L230) is a picturesque town that is known for the remains of its castle and the numerous defensive towers of Islamic origin. Visitors wandering along its always steep streets can take in the typical surface made of reddish stones.
Serra is located in the middle of a natural space that is one of the green lungs of the province of Valencia: the Sierra Calderona. The area is well worth a few good walks. If you are in good shape, be sure to visit the scenic overlook at Garbí, where between canyon walls and pinnacles you will get a spectacular view of the coastline that connects the Sierra de Irta with Cabo de Sant Antoni. And even as far as the Columbretes Islands on a clear day!
A walk among rice paddies
Located in the heart of the L’Albufera Natural Park, Sollana (commuter train line C1) beckons visitors to explore the marshland that surrounds it. The rice fields change in appearance as the crop grows. From completely flooded areas to a large, uniform, deep green surface just before the harvest, in September. Different signposted paths let visitors enjoy this unique and changing ecosystem that attracts numerous migratory bird species.
Ceramics and horchata
The town of Manises (Metro L 3,5 and 9) is very close to Valencia and a veritable mecca for ceramics, an art that dates back to the time of the Arab occupation. You can see for yourself by visiting the municipal museum and the typical district of Obradors, where the production factories were located. And if you feel like putting your skills to the test, be sure to take part in a professional pottery workshop run by artisans. You'll bake your own creations!
From Manises, it's a quick hop to Alboraia (Metro L 3 and 9), one of the agricultural bastions that surrounds Valencia. You can stroll through l'Horta, among chufa crops, and behold ground zero for horchata in the museum that is housed in the fantastic hamlet of Machistre. You can't leave without first ordering a nice glass of our most international drink at Horchatería Daniel, and then checking out one of the beaches in Alboraia. Port Saplaya (Metrobus 112 A and B) will enchant you with its colorful apartments alongside the numerous canals that connect it to the sea. There's a reason it's known as “little Venice”. And, having made it this far, be sure to spend some time relaxing on the golden sand of Pobla de Farnals (MetroBus 112 A and B.
Artistic heritage and family outings
El Puig (commuter train line C6 and Metrobus Lines 111, 112A and B) is a town with an important heritage, although no architectural landmark can compare to the Monastery of Santa María, erected by order of James I to commemorate the takeover of Valencia and declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1969. Families will be pleased to know that this municipality has a full range of activities for children. That's because knowing and enjoying history is not at odds with adventure!
And what better way to finish enjoying your València Tourist Card than by going to Sagunto (commuter train line C6 and MetroBus 111, 113, 115 and 320)? Its ancient quarter is worth a visit thanks to its rich artistic and historical heritage, like the Roman theater, still in use more than two millennia later as a performance forum and main venue of the Sagunt a Escena festival every July. Descending to the medieval heart of the city, a visit to the Jewish quarter, framed by its characteristic portal, is a must. The impressive sight of the old towers of the company Altos Hornos del Mediterráneo makes for a worthwhile lesson on these vestiges of industrial archeology from the last third of the 20th century. And if all this exploring is wearing you out... Why not relax in Almardà beach, almost two kilometers long, with a prominent ridge of dunes as its calling card?
All that's left is to buy your Valencia Tourist Card and choose the excursion you want to start with.
