Day trips from Valencia

Day trips by train and bus: castles, wine, mountains and water

Anton K.· Updated: July 6, 2026

Day trips

Must

Sagunt

Sagunto

🚂 Cercanías C6 ~30–40 min (from València Nord)

📅 year-round; morning or late afternoon (the walls have no shade — avoid midday heat)

The region's largest Roman theater, plus a kilometer of castle walls above the town; a judería (Jewish quarter) without the crowds

Don’t miss: Teatre Romà (the Grassi restoration), Castell de Sagunt (7 plazas along the ridge, ~1 km of walls), the judería, Via del Pòrtic

Food: the theater and castle are free, closed Mon; exact hours `[VERIFY]` on site — the official schedule isn't published online

🗺️ Google Maps

#archaeology #castle #free; half a day

Must

Gandia

🚂 Cercanías C1 ~1h05–1h13

📅 palace — year-round / rain OK; beach — summer

Palau Ducal dels Borja (the Borgia family seat); the broad Platja de Gandia 4 km away

Don’t miss: Palau Ducal dels Borja (Galeria Daurada, Juan Blanes azulejos, a patio), Colegiata, Platja de Gandia

Food: palace Mon–Sat 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00, Sun/holidays 10:00–14:00; ~€10.50 general / €9.50 / €6 (official palauducal.com)

🗺️ Google Maps

#Borgia #palace #beach

Must

Xàtiva

Xàtiva / Játiva

🚂 Cercanías C2 ~45–55 min

📅 year-round; morning (the climb is tough in the heat); spring for greenery

A double castle running the length of the ridge; the birthplace of two Borgia popes and painter José de Ribera; a baroque old town with fountains

Don’t miss: Castell de Xàtiva (Castell Menor plus Major, walls along the ridge), Ermita de Sant Feliu (Valencian Gothic), the upside-down portrait of Felipe V in the Almodí museum

Food: Tue–Sun, seasonally 10:00–18/19/20/21; €6 / €4 (combined ticket with the Almodí + Beaux-Arts museums), closed Mon (official xativaturismo.com)

🗺️ Google Maps

#castle #Borgia; on foot or by tourist train up

Optional

Cullera

🚂 Cercanías C1 ~40 min

📅 beach — summer; castle/views — year-round, good at sunset

A castle-sanctuary on the hill above the mouth of the Xúquer, plus views, a lighthouse as a viewpoint, and a long beach — three experiences in one day

Don’t miss: Castell de Cullera plus Santuari, Faro de Cullera (a viewpoint), Cova del Dragut, beaches

Food: castle ~€3, Tue–Sun daytime `[VERIFY exact hours — official schedule not published]`; lighthouse — free access from outside

🗺️ Google Maps

#castle #beach; sunset at the lighthouse

Optional

El Puig

🚂 Cercanías C6 ~26–30 min

📅 year-round; plan around the guided-tour time slots

A 13th-century Mercedarian monastery-fortress, the launch point for Jaume I's reconquest of Valencia; quiet, guided tours only; pairs well with Sagunt (same C6 line)

Don’t miss: Reial Monestir de Santa Maria del Puig (cloister, refectory), Museo de la Imprenta (early printing), the fortress silhouette

Food: guided visits only: Tue–Sat 10/11/12/16/17, Sun/holidays 12:00, closed Mon; €4 / €3 groups (official monasteriodelpuig.org)

🗺️ Google Maps

#monastery; guided tour only; combine with Sagunt

Must

Requena

🚂 ⚠️ Cercanías C3 ~1h10–1h25 `[VERIFY restoration/access]` — the Chiva/Buñol stretch is partly on replacement buses after the DANA floods; alternative — Media Distancia Valencia–Cuenca (Requena stop)

📅 year-round; Fiesta de la Vendimia — late Aug–early Sept (the oldest in Spain); Feria del Embutido — early February

Barrio de la Villa (a Conjunto Histórico since 1966) sits above a network of wine caves; the capital of DO Utiel-Requena; "Ciudad del Vino 2026"

Don’t miss: Barrio de la Villa, Cuevas de la Villa (22 underground wine caves, 10th–11th c.), Torre del Homenaje, Museo del Vino (Palacio del Cid), embutidos

Food: Cuevas de la Villa Tue–Sun 10:30–13:30 plus 16:00–18:30 (winter) / 17:00–19:30 (Jun 15–Sep 15), closed Mon; €4 / €3 (official requena.es); combo tickets with museums €5–8

🗺️ Google Maps

⚠️ DANA-affected zone (the town and wine trade are running; check the C3 rail line); #wine #DO #embutidos

Optional

Utiel

🚂 ⚠️ Cercanías C3 ~1h30–1h40 `[VERIFY restoration/access]` (same situation as Requena) / Media Distancia

📅 year-round; grape harvest (vendimia) — September

The core of DO Utiel-Requena and the Bobal grape; bodegas and a cooperative, less touristy than Requena — "for locals"

Don’t miss: Bodega Redonda (DO headquarters / wine museum), the historic center, Bobal tastings

Food: bodegas — visits by appointment `[VERIFY hours/booking]`; the center and parking are accessible

🗺️ Google Maps

⚠️ DANA-affected zone; #wine #Bobal; pairs with Requena

Must

Morella

🚂 By car ~2h10 (A-7/CV-10, ~170 km). Hard without a car: bus Valencia→Castelló (Hife ~1h20) plus Castelló→Morella (Autos Mediterráneo ~2h, Mon–Fri, not Sun) = 4–6h one-way

📅 spring/autumn (cold in winter, 1000+ m elevation); realistic with an overnight stay or by car

Fully walled hill town in Els Ports with a hilltop castle; member of the Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España network

Don’t miss: Castell de Morella (hilltop ruins), the city walls and towers (Torre de Sant Miquel), Basílica de Santa Maria la Major (Gothic), the arcaded Calle de Blasco de Alagón

Food: the castle charges admission, hours seasonal `[VERIFY on morella.net]`; uncomfortable to do in a single day without a car

🗺️ Google Maps

#medieval #walls; need a car / long day

Optional

Bocairent

🚂 By car ~1h30 (A-7/A-35 via Ontinyent, ~90 km). Without a car — minibus tours from Valencia (~8.5h); regular buses via Ontinyent are infrequent `[VERIFY]`

📅 spring/autumn; Covetes — daylight hours; Pou Clar — summer (swimming)

A medieval maze of streets carved into the rock, plus Covetes dels Moros (honeycomb storage caves in the cliff)

Don’t miss: Covetes dels Moros (man-made caves in the rock), the historic centre (the "Ruta Màgica"), Pou Clar (natural pools on the Riu Clariano), an arena carved into the rock

Food: Covetes ~€3–4, ticket from the booth at the trailhead, often only 10:00–14:00, 1h visit limit `[VERIFY on bocairent.org]`

🗺️ Google Maps

#caves #medieval; better by car/tour

Optional

Segorbe

🚂 Renfe C5 (Nord–Caudiel, ~1h, via Sagunt) — infrequent `[VERIFY]`; the direct Herca/Samar bus from Valencia is more reliable (~7 runs/day)

📅 year-round; Entrada de Toros y Caballos — 2nd week of September (Interés Turístico Internacional)

The capital of Alto Palancia between Sierra Espadán and Calderona: medieval towers, a cathedral, and the Entrada de Toros y Caballos

Don’t miss: Torres de Segorbe (de la Cárcel / del Verdugo), the Catedral-Basílica (museum Tue–Sat 11:00–13:30), the aqueduct, Museo del Aceite (~€2)

Food: the town is walkable from the station; cathedral museum Tue–Sat 11:00–13:30 `[VERIFY season]`

🗺️ Google Maps

#fiesta #cathedral; no car needed

Must

Montanejos

🚂 By car ~1h15 (A-23/CV-20, ~90 km). Without a car — Autocares Herca from Valencia on Thursdays ~10:00, ~€9.60 one-way `[VERIFY schedule]`

📅 swimming — warm season (though it's 25°C even in winter); go on weekdays (weekends and August bring crowds and access control)

Fuente de los Baños — natural thermal water at 25°C year-round in a turquoise canyon on the Riu Mijares; swimming plus short trails

Don’t miss: Fuente de los Baños (thermal pools), the Mijares canyon, via ferrata, Charco Azul

Food: often free; access is regulated on peak dates, ~€4.50 / €3.50 (official visitmontanejos.com)

🗺️ Google Maps

#thermal #river #swimming; better by car

Must

Chelva

🚂 By car ~1h (~70 km, to Chelva/Calles plus a walk); regular bus (Autocares AVSA/Buñol) `[VERIFY]`

📅 spring/autumn (hot on the exposed stretches in summer); the trail takes a full day

Ruta del Agua — a loop trail along old water channels; plus the Acueducto de la Peña Cortada (a Roman aqueduct with tunnels through the rock, a BIC-listed monument)

Don’t miss: Acueducto Peña Cortada (between Chelva/Calles/Tuéjar), Ruta del Agua (a ~3–4 km loop through Chelva's old Arab and Jewish quarters), water mills

Food: the aqueduct and Ruta del Agua are free; parking in Chelva; wear trail shoes for Peña Cortada `[VERIFY trail conditions after heavy rain]`

🗺️ Google Maps

#aqueduct #hiking #free

Optional

Anna

🚂 By car (~1h, ~70 km; the waterfall is a few metres from the village, a 136-step descent). Without a car — difficult

📅 spring (peak water flow) / summer (swimming)

Gorgo de la Escalera — a waterfall in an emerald gorge; plus Albufera de Anna (a lake) for cool relief in the Canal de Navarrés; easy to combine with Xàtiva by car

Don’t miss: Gorgo de la Escalera (waterfall/canyon), Albufera de Anna (lake, boats), Fuente de los Chorros

Food: ~€2/person, combo ticket with Albufera de Anna (official ayuntamientoanna.es)

🗺️ Google Maps

#waterfall #swimming; need a car

Optional

Les Coves de Sant Josep

Caves of Sant Josep

🚂 By car ~1h–1h30 (La Vall d'Uixó, Castellón, ~55 km); tour buses from Valencia

📅 year-round (~20°C inside the cave); extended hours in summer; book ahead in peak season

Europe's longest navigable underground river — a boat tour through the cave

Don’t miss: Les Coves de Sant Josep (a boat stretch plus a walking stretch along the underground river)

Food: €18 adults / €12 kids 3–12 / €14 concession; hours seasonal ~10:00–17:00, longer in summer (official covesdesantjosep.es)

🗺️ Google Maps

#cave #boat; book ahead

Optional

L'Albufera / El Palmar

Albufera / El Palmar

🚂 EMT bus 24 (El Palmar) / 25 (El Perellonet, via the embarcaderos) from the centre, under 1h (~40–50 min), ~€1.50

📅 sunset — golden hour (the main draw); birds — autumn–winter migration; the mirror-water effect — after the rice harvest in autumn

Spain's largest freshwater lake: rice paddies, reeds, sunsets — the easiest "trip" and a nature spot in one. Deep-layer: the quiet jetties at Silla/Sollana instead of touristy El Palmar

Don’t miss: paseo en barca (a ~40 min boat ride, Gola de Pujol / El Palmar), Racó de l'Olla (birds, a viewing platform), sunset over the lagoon

Food: boat ~€4–6/person `[VERIFY]`, book ahead for sunset; buses 24/25 are free with the Valencia Tourist Card

🗺️ Google Maps

#lagoon #sunset #birds; ⚠️ the Catarroja jetty was damaged by the DANA floods — check ahead

Must

Peníscola

Peñíscola

🚂 Media Distancia train Valencia→Benicarló-Peñíscola ~1h10–1h40 plus the red L661 bus ~20 min (~€1.50) = ~1h30–2h; or the direct Hife bus ~2h

📅 year-round; better outside peak August; sunset from the walls

The Pope Luna Castle (Templar, 14th c.) on a rock above the sea, plus a whitewashed walled old town (filming location for Game of Thrones and El Cid)

Don’t miss: Castell de Peníscola (Papa Luna), the fortress walls and the Bufador, Parc d'Artilleria, the old town, the lighthouse

Food: castle: summer (Palm Sunday–15 Oct) 09:30–21:30, winter 10:30–17:30; €5 / €3.50, free under 8; card payment only; closed 1 and 6 Jan, 9 Sep, 9 Oct, 25 Dec (official castillodepeniscola.dipcas.es)

🗺️ Google Maps

#castle #sea #walls; full day

Optional

Dénia + Xàbia

Dénia and Xàbia

🚂 ALSA bus Valencia→Dénia or →Xàbia ~2h (~€14); Xàbia↔Dénia bus between the two ~50 min

📅 beaches/coves — summer; Montgó hiking — spring/autumn; a full day

Marina Alta: Dénia castle above the harbour, the Montgó massif, coves, and Xàbia's old town — a southern, "less Valencian" day at the sea

Don’t miss: Castell de Dénia + Museu Arqueològic, Parc Natural del Montgó, Xàbia casco antiguo (Sant Bartomeu), Platja de l'Arenal, Cap de Sant Antoni

Food: Dénia castle charges admission, hours seasonal `[VERIFY]`; leave early (2h each way)

🗺️ Google Maps

#coast #castle #Montgó; long day