10 Things to Do in Valencia in Summer

Valencia is one of the reference cities in Spain and stands out for its contributions to art and science, as well as for its architecture, mostly designed by Santiago Calatrava. Likewise, it is also an ideal tourist destination for the summer thanks to its beaches, water parks and natural pools.

Among the best things to see and do in Valencia are several things you can enjoy in summer, such as the Great July Fair, the Caves of San José and the gastronomic tours through the terraces of the city.

Valencia is famous for being a coastal city and, as such, has some of the best beaches in mainland Spain bathed by the Mediterranean. On its extensive coastline, tourist beaches converge with wild or less explored ones, and also those of the Dehesa Natural Park with the urban ones.

If you want to visit the beaches closer to the center of Valencia you can choose El Cabanyal, located in the famous neighborhood of the same name, La Malvarrosa and La Patacona, which stands out especially for its palm trees. These are the most complete beaches, they are surrounded by services and have golden sand and crystal clear waters. Keep in mind that during the summer these are the places that attract the most tourists.

If you prefer natural, wild or less explored beaches, you can choose El Saler, La Garrofera, La Devesa, Pinedo or Recati, all beaches surrounded by the Albufera Natural Park, and which offer a more rugged panorama. These beaches are frequently visited by cycling tours and nature lovers.

The Great July Fair is one of the highlights of the Valencian summer and is considered the festival that officially opens the summer season in the city. The fair opens each year with a musical show featuring local artists and includes fireworks, lights and sounds.

The fair's activities do not have a single site but are distributed throughout the city and reach the Jardines del Palau, the Parque del Oeste, the Plaza Redonda and the Tapinería Market.

The fair also organizes the concerts in the Jardines de Viveros, which usually attract international artists and personalities from all over Spain and Europe.

The fair's activities range from musical shows to sports championships, children's workshops, art exhibitions, foam parties and gastronomic contests.

The fair enjoys great popularity in Valencia and is a historical heritage of the city since the first edition was inaugurated in 1871, with the purpose of attracting tourists, celebrating the beginning of summer and promoting local products.

Details of interest

• Price... Admission to the fair is free.
• Location... In different locations, including the Jardines del Palau, the Parque del Oeste, the Plaza Redonda and the Tapinería Market.
• When... Every year in July.

The Gorgo de la Escalera is a bathing area with several natural pools that arise from the tributary of the Barranco de las Turmas and is one of the most famous green sites on the outskirts of Valencia.

There you can take a dip in the crystal clear pools, which are clean and cold, so summer is the ideal season to visit this attraction.

The Gorgo de la Escalera is located a few streets away from the small village of Anna, which is also worth a visit. During the year the entrance to the Gorgo is free, although in summer the influx of visitors is regulated and the entrance has an approximate price of 2 euros per person to access the pools and an approximate cost of 3 euros to also enter the Albufera of Anna.

The Gorgo de la Escalera is a wild natural site where it is forbidden to camp, light fires or do any activity that may infringe on the spaces, although you can take some of the best photographs when you enter, as to access the pools you will have to go down some steep stairs with wooden railings.

Details of interest

• Price... Entrance is free all year round and during the summer the approximate cost is 2 euros for access to the natural pools and 3 euros including the Albufera de Anna.
• Location... El Gorgo de la Escalera is located five blocks from the main entrance to Anna.
• Opening hours... Open 24 hours.
• How to get there... By car on the A-7 road and by bus lines C1 and C2 combined with line L1B.

If you are planning to visit Valencia with children, visiting some of the city's water parks can be one of the best experiences.

In total there are nine distributed throughout the Valencian Community and four that stand out particularly for their attractions. Most of them provide activities for the whole family and have different rates for children and family groups.

• Aquópolis in Cullera is one of the most visited and has three categories of attractions, which include adrenaline rushes, moderate options and children's games for children under 10 years of age. Tickets have a starting price of 18 euros per person.

• Aqualandia and Aquapark, both in Benidorm. They stand out mostly for the slides, heated tropical pools and shows focused mostly for children. General admission for adults, in both parks, is approximately 39 euros, but they have reduced rates for advance bookings on the internet.

• Segobriga Park in Castellón, is a medieval-themed water play complex, with walls, bridges and knights flanking the entrances. This park also has one of the most beautiful views because it is enclosed in the Calderona mountain range, so in addition to the attractions of slides, waterfalls and jacuzzis, it has one of the best panoramic views of the Valencian Community.

Valencia has one of the best gastronomies in Spain and the city is full of restaurants, bars and street stalls selling paella, salted fish, seafood and Valencian pot.

During the summer, you can also enjoy the tastiest dishes on the seafront promenade and in the city center, on the terrace of restaurants overlooking the sea or the old town, depending on the location.

The best gastronomic tours of Valencia also include sweet options, such as arnadí, which is a dessert of sponge cakes and almonds, turrón and fartons with horchata.

If you are planning a short stay in the city I advise you to set aside some time to discover the Valencian cuisine. If that is your case here is a list of activities you can do to discover Valencia in 2 days.

Valencia is one of the cities in Spain that is best adapted to bicycle tourism and one of the activities you can do in summer, when the weather is mild, is to discover its attractions by bike.

This way you can pedal while your guide shows you the Serrano Towers, the spectacular City of Arts and Sciences, the Cathedral, the Plaza de Manises and the Colón Market.

If you opt for a guided bike tour, the guide will make stops so you can refresh yourself, buy food and rest, if you need it. You will then continue on to the Palau de la Música, the Puente de las Flores, the Muelle de la Aduana and the Malvarrosa Beach.

If you choose the afternoon excursions, you will be able to see the sunset from the beach, which is usually included in the final part of the excursions.

If you do not want to hire a tour and prefer to explore the city on your own and at your own pace, you can always rent a bike and do a free tour.

The Cuevas de San José, with almost 3 kilometers of navigable channels, hide the largest subway river in Europe and also a mystery that still could not be solved by archaeologists, since neither the origin of the river nor the end of the grotto is known.

This mystery of nature, however, is one of the most visited natural attractions in Spain.

The season in the Cuevas de San José remains constant at around 20°, but the best time to visit is during the summer, as you can swim and follow the route of the sun that sneaks into the first sections of the channels.

The subway river is divided into rooms, including Los Murciélagos, Lago de Diana, Galería de los Sifones, Zona Seca and La Catedral, so called because of the 12-meter vault that gives it its shape and the stalactites that adorn its walls and ceilings.

Details of interest

• Price... General admission costs approximately 14 euros per person.
• Location... Paratge de Sant Josep s/n, Castellón.
• Opening hours... Every day from 10.00 to 17.00 hours.
• How to get there... By car on route V-21 and by bus lines 71 and 81 combined with line L1.

The open-air summer cinema is an old custom that Valencia continues to maintain in its summer agenda. Every year, from the first weekend of August and for a month, giant screens are installed in the Palau Gardens so that visitors can watch the premiere and classic films of the summer season.

The open-air summer cinema is one of the favorite activities of families and also a Valencian cultural legacy, to which many of the tourists who visit the city in summer usually join. In addition, there are also other proposals of cinema in the street, such as those of Terraza Charly, in Miramar Beach or in the neighborhoods of Oliva and Catadau.

The outdoor cinema cycles are free in the Palau Gardens and in private sites have approximate costs of between 4 and 10 euros, depending on the function and the day of the week.

Have you ever dreamed of fighting in a tomato battle? If so, in Buñol you can make it come true, since during the patron saint festivities of this Valencian town, on the last Wednesday of August, it is tradition to fight a battle with 150 tons of tomatoes that are not fit for consumption.

This particular war, which is called Tomatina, lasts exactly one hour and after the time is up the cleaning of the city begins.

La Tomatina is on the list of the essential plans in Valencia during the summer and is one of the most striking activities, as you can see the streets of Buñol bathed by a river of crushed tomatoes.

Details of interest

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 12 euros per person.
• Location... Buñol, Valencian Community.
• When... The last Wednesday of August every year.
• How to get there... By car on the A-3 road and on the C3 bus line.

The Albufera National Park is one of the most famous nature reserves in Valencia and also one of the most visited by tourists. The area has many attractions to discover, such as the Dehesa de Saler and the picturesque barracas, which are the typical constructions of the aquifer.

Visiting the lagoon is one of the best tours in Valencia and during the summer offers one of the golden sunsets of the Spanish coast, with clear skies and pleasant weather at sunset.

If you are a nature lover or just want to get to know the Valencian skies, you can visit this reserve during the summer.

Details of interest

• Price... Tickets cost approximately 5 euros per person.
• Location... Gulf of Valencia, Valencian Community.
• Opening hours... Monday to Saturday from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm.
• How to get there... By car on route CV-500 and by bus lines 10, 35 and 40 combined with line 24.

The average temperature in Valencia in summer is 25°, with highs of 33° and lows of 21°, which means that in the city the weather is mild and it is usually hot, but without suffocating temperatures.

The same happens in Valencia in winter, as temperatures decrease substantially, but remain stable and do not fall below 0°, which makes the capital of the Valencian Community a city with a very pleasant climate all year round.

Between June and September is the high season in Valencia and when it receives more visitors, so if you plan to travel to the city during the summer, you should take into account that it will have a large influx of tourists.

I recommend that to avoid delays and last minute price increases on excursions, book in advance online and organize a travel itinerary taking into account which are the most visited attractions.

Summer is one of Valencia's strong points and the months in which prices increase considerably, so if you are looking for a cheap time to visit the city, it will not be during these dates.

Keep in mind also that during the summer the prices increase because the services are sold out, since Valencia is a city usually visited in getaways of a few days or weekend tours. If that is your case, here is a list of activities you can do to discover Valencia in 3 days.

• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable shoes
• Summer coat
• Summer sweaters
• Bathing suit
• Sweatshirts
• T-shirts
• Light coat