Valencia Full-Day Tour: Arts, Paella & Albufera Experience

Walk the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences, then taste paella where it's grown and drift through the lagoon that inspired it.

A private 8-hour tour of Valencia covers the City of Arts and Sciences complex, the medieval towers and cathedral of the historical center, a traditional paella lunch in El Saler, and a boat ride through Albufera Natural Park. Hotel or port pickup and drop-off are included, along with bottled water and a Spanish-speaking guide. Choose between a sedan for up to three passengers or a minivan for up to seven.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Valencia's highlights and nature

• Visit City of Arts and Sciences
• Walk around the complex
• Tour historical center of Valencia
• See cathedral and Micalet Tower
• Visit Fallas Museum and Serranos Towers
• Enjoy paella meal at local arrocería
• Visit Albufera Natural Park
• Take a boat ride in the park

The Experience

How do you fit the modern and the old Valencia into one day without a car? This tour threads them together: you start at the City of Arts and Sciences, the Calatrava-designed complex built in the old riverbed of the Turia, where you walk the surroundings and see the Oceanographic. The scale of it is the point—the buildings rise from what used to be water, and the walk alone shows you why Valencia rebuilt itself here. Then the route turns to the medieval center, where the Serranos Towers and Quart Towers still stand from the walled city, and you see the cathedral and Micalet Tower on foot.

Lunch breaks the day in half. You drive south to El Saler, a small village between the city and the lagoon, and eat paella at a local arrocería—a restaurant built around rice cooking. The rice itself comes from the paddies you're about to see. After the meal, you take a boat out into Albufera Natural Park, the lagoon that feeds Valencia's most famous dish. The water is shallow, the light sits low over it, and the boat moves slowly enough that you can see how the place works: the reeds, the birds, the way the land and water blur. It's preserved because the people who live there keep it that way, and it's close enough to downtown that you could be back in the city in twenty minutes.

The tour runs eight hours total. Your guide speaks Spanish and travels with you the whole day in a private vehicle—either a sedan if you're three or fewer, or a minivan for a larger group. Hotel or port pickup is included, and so is bottled water. If you're arriving by cruise ship, you'll need to provide your ship name, docking time and re-boarding time at booking so the timing holds.

What’s included

• Bottled water.
• private vehicle with a Spanish-speaking guide for the full 8 hours.
• hotel or port pickup and drop-off.
• all taxes, fees and handling charges.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Bookroad Worldwide Chauffeur Services

Is this one for you?Book the sedan if you're traveling as a couple or solo and want the intimacy of a smaller group moving through the city; choose the minivan if you're four or more and want to share the cost and the commentary. Either way, the fixed route and timing mean you see the modern architecture, taste the food and reach the lagoon all in one day without planning the stops yourself.

Top questions

What is the City of Arts and Sciences actually like to walk through?

The City of Arts and Sciences is a complex of modern buildings designed by Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, built in the old bed of the Turia river. Walking the surroundings is part of the tour; some buildings inside the complex require separate tickets, which are not included. The scale and the setting—where water used to flow—are what make it worth the time.

Do I need to buy tickets for the museums and attractions inside the City of Arts and Sciences?

Tickets for individual buildings within the City of Arts and Sciences complex are not included in the tour price. Your guide will show you the exterior and the grounds, but entry to the Oceanographic and other museums requires a separate ticket if you want to go inside.

Where exactly do you eat paella, and is it included?

You eat paella at a local arrocería in El Saler, a village between Valencia and Albufera. The meal is included in the tour price. El Saler sits on the route between the city and the lagoon, so you're eating rice that comes from the paddies you'll see on the boat ride afterward.

What happens during the Albufera Natural Park part of the tour?

After lunch in El Saler, you take a boat ride through Albufera Natural Park, a shallow lagoon close to the city but well preserved by the people who live there. The boat moves slowly, and you see the reeds, birds and the way the landscape opens onto water—it's the finishing point of the tour and shows you where Valencia's paella rice comes from.

Can I book this tour if I'm arriving on a cruise ship?

Yes, cruise ship passengers can book this tour with port pickup and drop-off included. At booking, you'll need to provide your ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time so the guide can time the route around your ship's schedule. If the ship arrives late or you miss the tour, refunds are not issued.

Do I choose between a sedan and a minivan, or is the vehicle size set?

You choose the vehicle at checkout. A sedan holds up to three passengers; a minivan holds up to seven. Both are private vehicles with your guide for the full eight hours, and both include hotel or port pickup and drop-off.