Valencia: Bike Tour City of Arts & Turia Gardens

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/29

Duration2h 30m–3h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · DE +3

Mobile ticketAccepted

Nine kilometers of green park where a river used to run, then the white buildings that made Valencia famous

You cycle from Valencia's medieval heart—markets, cathedrals, Gothic silk exchanges—through a 9-kilometer park that was once a river, and end at the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. The bike is included, as is water and a marked city map. Small groups mean your guide actually knows your name and pace.

2h 30m–3h

Step-by-step itinerary

The Experience

The Turia Garden stretches 9 kilometers through the middle of Valencia in what was once the riverbed of the Turia River. After a devastating flood in 1957, the city diverted the water and paved over the old channel with grass, trees, and bike paths instead. You ride through it on this Valencia bike tour, which means you're cycling through the thing that actually changed the city's shape. It's not a metaphor — the park is the reason Valencia looks the way it does now.

The tour starts in the historic center, where your guide walks you through the Central Market and then La Lonja de la Seda, a 15th-century Gothic building where silk merchants once negotiated deals inside a hall surrounded by twisted stone pillars. From there you move through Plaza de la Reina and past the Cathedral, built between the 13th and 15th centuries in layers of Gothic, Romanesque, and Baroque. The guide explains how Roman Valencia, founded in 138 BC, sits literally beneath your feet — you can see it through glass floors at L'Almoina Archaeological Center. Then you get on the bikes and ride into the park itself, passing the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken with its blue dome, the medieval Torres de Serranos gates, and Gulliver Park, where a giant sculpture of Gulliver doubles as a playground for kids.

The second half of the ride takes you down the Turia Garden toward the City of Arts and Sciences, which is where Valencia's modern identity lives. The complex opened between 1998 and 2009 and looks like nothing else — white organic structures designed by Santiago Calatrava that resemble a giant eye, a whale skeleton, floating water lilies, and a spacecraft helmet. You stop to see the Hemisfèric, the Science Museum, the Oceanogràfic (Europe's largest aquarium), and the Palau de les Arts opera house. The contrast between the medieval stones you cycled past an hour earlier and these futuristic buildings is the whole point of the tour. Small groups keep the pace manageable and the attention personal, so your guide can actually answer questions instead of herding people through checkpoints.

You get a bike (or e-bike if you prefer), bottled water for the ride, and a city map with tips marked on it. The route is flat because you're following the old riverbed, and the tour is described as suitable for all fitness levels. If you're traveling with an infant, specialized seats are available. Public transportation stops are nearby if you need to bail out early, though most people don't.

What’s included

Your day includes bike rental (regular or e-bike), bottled water for the ride, and a city map marked with tips and recommendations.
The route takes you through Valencia's historic center, the full length of Turia Garden, and the City of Arts and Sciences complex, with stops at the Central Market, La Lonja de la Seda, the Cathedral, L'Almoina Archaeological Center, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Forsaken, Torres de Serranos, Palau de la Música, Gulliver Park, and the major buildings of the City of Arts and Sciences including the Hemisfèric, Science Museum, Oceanogràfic, and Palau de les Arts.
Specialized infant seats are available if needed.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Bike Me Around

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you want to see both Valencia's medieval history and its modern architecture without arranging separate transport or navigating the city on your own — the bike route connects them in a single ride, and the small-group format means you actually learn why each place matters.