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March 26, 2024

Valencia is a completely flat city, and its 200 kilometers of bike paths allow travelers to reach any point of interest with ease. Adding to this, the fact that good weather is practically constant here, it goes without saying that the bicycle is the ideal means to explore it far and wide.

Indeed, visiting Valencia by bicycle is the perfect solution to fully enjoy all its beauties while optimizing time. Once off the ship, a bus takes passengers outside the port area. From there, you can choose to reach the city center by a second bus (No. 4) for a cost of 1.50, a ticket to be purchased onboard, or to immediately take advantage of the bike rental service, located just a few steps away.

Essentially, you download an app, pay with a credit card (about 4 euros for the whole day), and pedal comfortably anywhere, with the option to leave the bike at various points located throughout the city and then pick it up and continue. Valencia has many bike paths, which are convenient and well signposted.

In the city center, you pedal slowly or dismount from the bike to not disturb pedestrians. What can you visit during a cruise stop in Valencia? Virtually all the main attractions. Obviously, it’s a “hit and run” visit, otherwise, you wouldn’t have enough time to see everything in just three days.

A mix of modernity and tradition envelops this enchanting city. Valencia’s historic center is a delightful gem, with its Cathedral, where it is said that the Holy Grail is kept inside. The Cathedral was built on an ancient Roman temple, later converted into a mosque. Its predominant style is Gothic, although it retains several elements from different eras, from Romanesque to Baroque. The Catedral Santa Maria de Valencia (or Seu) is the ideal starting point to discover this city.

If you have time and energy, you can also climb to the top of the “El Miguelete” Tower, the cathedral’s bell tower. There are over 200 steps, at the end of which, you can enjoy a wonderful view of Valencia’s historic center.

A few pedals away from the Cathedral, the beautiful Central Market (Mercado Central) is on display. Here, you immerse yourself in a mix of colors, scents, and unforgettable flavors. Colorful fruits and vegetables, cold cuts and cheeses, meat and fish. You can stop for a snack with tasty and colorful paella or try oysters, shrimp, or raw sea urchins at the fish counter. An unmissable stop. All these delights are beautifully displayed inside a beautiful modernist building.

Pedaling through the Barrio del Carmen, the most popular area of the city, is done in an instant. It’s a shopping street that alternates between “alternative” shops and major brands and, in the evening, it fills with life with its numerous bars.

But the most engaging and pleasant stop on the Valencia bike tour is the Turia Gardens. Valencia is a city built along the banks of the Turia River. After the flood of 1957, the authorities decided to divert its course. Now, where the Turia used to flow, the gardens rise, a true oasis of greenery and peace in the heart of the city.

The main attraction of the park is a monumental sculpture of Gulliver, 70 meters long, inspired by the character of Jonathan Swift. The sculpture itself offers ramps, slides, and stairs that allow children and adults to walk and have fun on the “body” of the giant.

Among various species of trees and plants, you come across groups of people taking dance classes, kids playing soccer, ramps and slides for children, and a very long bike path that leads to the city’s Arts and Sciences complex.

The City of Arts and Sciences contains five magnificent attractions: the Oceanographic (the largest marine park in Europe); the Umbracle (the public garden designed by architect Santiago Calatrava); the Palace of the Arts (Valencia’s opera house); the Science Museum (the interactive museum of the complex) and the Hemisfèric (where you can see 3D projections in Spain’s largest hall, with a 900 m2 screen).

Unfortunately, it will be impossible to visit the entire complex in just one day, but its spectacularity is worth at least an external visit… you can then decide to return later to fully enjoy it.

From the City of Arts and Sciences, you can reach the port area along another convenient bike path. You then leave the bikes at one of the nearby points and proceed on foot until you reach the place to take the bus back to the ship.

Of course, Valencia offers much more, such as the Museum of Fine Arts, the Lonja de la Seda, and the Biopark, to name a few.

It’s a matter of priorities, you can’t see everything, but you can always come back.

Don’t miss further information, news, and tips on port stops on Cruising Journal!

Gina Daga

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