# Valencia - A river park, a lagoon and the road to paella

> Cycle through the Turia gardens, visit the Albufera lagoon and its rice fields, relax on the city beach and taste horchata, Valencia's green and easy side.

Web page: https://parkoni.com/en/reiseziele/valencia-turia-and-albufera

[Parkoni editorial team](https://parkoni.com/en/ueber-parkoni) · Published 5 November 2026

Valencia is one of the easiest big cities in Spain to explore without a plan. It is flat, mild and full of open space, and many of its best experiences are outdoors. The city turned its old riverbed into a park, and a short ride away lies a wetland that gave the world its most famous rice dish.

This guide follows the green thread through the city, from the garden in the middle to the lagoon on the edge.

## The Turia gardens

After a serious flood in the 1950s, the River Turia was diverted around the city, and the empty riverbed became a long public garden. Today it winds for several kilometres through Valencia, passing under old stone bridges. You will find:

- cycling and running paths that run almost the whole length;
- football pitches, playgrounds and quiet lawns;
- orange trees, palms and flower beds.

At one end it reaches the City of Arts and Sciences, so you can ride from the old town to the modern buildings without crossing a road.

## Gulliver and other family stops

Families are well served by the park. A giant figure of Gulliver lies near the middle, and children can climb and slide all over him. Further along, a large zoo-style park focuses on African wildlife in open settings. These stops turn a walk into a full day outdoors.

## The Albufera lagoon

South of the city lies the Albufera, a freshwater lagoon separated from the sea by a strip of pine-covered dunes. It is a protected natural park and an important place for birds. A short boat trip on the water, in a traditional flat-bottomed boat, is a quiet way to see the reeds and, at sunset, a sky that turns red and gold.

## Rice, paella and the village of El Palmar

The lagoon is surrounded by rice fields, and this is where paella comes from. The traditional Valencian version contains chicken, rabbit, green beans and a local white bean, cooked over an open flame, and not the seafood version many visitors expect. The small village of El Palmar is known for its rice restaurants, and eating there after a boat trip is a classic outing.

## The city beach and a cold drink

Back in town, the beaches of Malvarrosa are a short tram or bike ride from the centre. The wide sandy promenade is lined with cafés, and nearby you can see the fishermen's quarter with its colourful tiled houses. Finish your day with horchata, a sweet, cold drink made from tiger nuts, usually served with a soft pastry for dipping.

A good rhythm is to cycle the Turia in the morning while it is cool, take lunch in a rice village, and spend the late afternoon on the water or the sand. The city has an extensive network of bike lanes, and bikes are easy to hire, so you can cover a lot of ground without noticing the distance. Bring a hat and water in summer, because the sun is strong and shade is patchy on the beach and by the lagoon, and remember that the quiet hours after lunch are still part of local rhythm.

Valencia suits slow travellers who like to be outside. Take a bike, follow the green, and you will see the city from the angle that its residents prefer.

## Nonstop to Valencia

Nonstop flights there leave from these airports, among others: [Dublin Airport](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/dublin-airport-dub), [Amsterdam Airport Schiphol](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/amsterdam-schiphol-airport-ams) and [EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/euroairport-basel-mulhouse-freiburg-airport-bsl).

- [Dublin Airport \(DUB\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/dublin-airport-dub): Ryanair, year-round
- [Amsterdam Airport Schiphol \(AMS\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/amsterdam-schiphol-airport-ams): KLM, Transavia, Vueling, easyJet, year-round
- [EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg \(BSL\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/euroairport-basel-mulhouse-freiburg-airport-bsl): easyJet, year-round
- [Kraków John Paul II International Airport \(KRK\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/krakow-john-paul-ii-airport-krk): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport \(BCN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/josep-tarradellas-barcelona-el-prat-airport-bcn): Iberia, Vueling, year-round
- [Bari Karol Wojtyła International Airport \(BRI\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/bari-karol-wojtyla-airport-bri): Ryanair, year-round
- [Beauvais-Tillé airport \(BVA\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/beauvais-tille-airport-bva): Ryanair, year-round
- [Berlin Brandenburg Airport \(BER\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/berlin-brandenburg-airport-ber): Ryanair, easyJet, year-round
- [Bilbao Airport \(BIO\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/bilbao-airport-bio): Volotea, Vueling, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport \(BLQ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/bologna-guglielmo-marconi-airport-blq): Ryanair, year-round
- [Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport \(BOD\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/bordeaux-merignac-airport-bod): Volotea, year-round
- [Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport \(BUD\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/budapest-liszt-ferenc-airport-bud): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Cagliari Elmas Airport \(CAG\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/cagliari-elmas-airport-cag): Ryanair, year-round
- [Verona Villafranca Valerio Catullo Airport \(VRN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/verona-villafranca-valerio-catullo-airport-vrn): Ryanair, year-round
- [Turin Airport \(TRN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/turin-airport-trn): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Catania-Fontanarossa Airport \(CTA\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/catania-fontanarossa-airport-cta): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Brussels South Charleroi Airport \(CRL\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/brussels-south-charleroi-airport-crl): Ryanair, year-round
- [Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport \(CLJ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/avram-iancu-cluj-airport-clj): Wizz Air, year-round
- [Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport \(LYS\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/lyon-saint-exupery-airport-lys): Transavia, Volotea, year-round
- [Düsseldorf Airport \(DUS\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/duesseldorf-airport-dus): Eurowings, year-round
- [Eindhoven Airport \(EIN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/eindhoven-airport-ein): Ryanair, Transavia, year-round
- [Milan Malpensa International Airport \(MXP\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/milan-malpensa-airport-mxp): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Frankfurt Main Airport \(FRA\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/frankfurt-main-airport-fra): Lufthansa, year-round
- [Helsinki Vantaa Airport \(HEL\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/helsinki-vantaa-airport-hel): Finnair, year-round
- [Ibiza Airport \(IBZ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/ibiza-airport-ibz): Iberia, Ryanair, Vueling, year-round
- [Cologne Bonn Airport \(CGN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/cologne-bonn-airport-cgn): Eurowings, Ryanair, year-round
- [Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport \(LIS\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/lisbon-humberto-delgado-airport-lis): Ryanair, TAP Air Portugal, year-round
- [Maastricht Aachen Airport \(MST\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/maastricht-aachen-airport-mst): Transavia, year-round
- [Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport \(MAD\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/adolfo-suarez-madrid-barajas-airport-mad): Air Europa, Iberia, year-round
- [Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport \(AGP\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/malaga-costa-del-sol-airport-agp): Iberia, Ryanair, year-round
- [Marseille Provence Airport \(MRS\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/marseille-provence-airport-mrs): Ryanair, year-round
- [Memmingen Allgau Airport \(FMM\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/memmingen-allgau-airport-fmm): Ryanair, year-round
- [Munich Airport \(MUC\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/munich-airport-muc): Lufthansa City Airlines, year-round
- [Nantes Atlantique Airport \(NTE\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/nantes-atlantique-airport-nte): Ryanair, year-round
- [Naples International Airport \(NAP\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/naples-airport-nap): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Warsaw Modlin Airport \(WMI\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/warsaw-modlin-airport-wmi): Ryanair, year-round
- [Nuremberg Airport \(NUE\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/nuremberg-airport-nue): Ryanair, year-round
- [Il Caravaggio International Airport \(BGY\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/il-caravaggio-airport-bgy): Ryanair, year-round
- [Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport \(OTP\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/bucharest-henri-coanda-airport-otp): Dan Air, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Falcone-Borsellino Airport \(PMO\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/falcone-borsellino-airport-pmo): Ryanair, year-round
- [Palma de Mallorca Airport \(PMI\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/palma-de-mallorca-airport-pmi): Air Europa, Iberia, Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Paris-Orly Airport \(ORY\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/paris-orly-airport-ory): Transavia, Vueling, year-round
- [Charles de Gaulle International Airport \(CDG\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/charles-de-gaulle-airport-cdg): Air France, year-round
- [Abruzzo Airport \(PSR\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/abruzzo-airport-psr): Ryanair, year-round
- [Pisa International Airport \(PSA\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/pisa-airport-psa): Ryanair, year-round
- [Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport \(OPO\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/francisco-de-sa-carneiro-airport-opo): Ryanair, year-round
- [Poznań-Ławica Airport \(POZ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/poznan-lawica-airport-poz): Ryanair, year-round
- [Václav Havel Airport Prague \(PRG\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/vaclav-havel-prague-airport-prg): Eurowings, Smartwings, year-round
- [Karlsruhe Baden-Baden Airport \(FKB\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/karlsruhe-baden-baden-airport-fkb): Ryanair, year-round
- [Rome-Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport \(FCO\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/rome-fiumicino-leonardo-da-vinci-airport-fco): ITA Airways, Neos, Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Rotterdam The Hague Airport \(RTM\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/rotterdam-the-hague-airport-rtm): Transavia, year-round
- [Santiago-Rosalía de Castro Airport \(SCQ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/santiago-rosalia-de-castro-airport-scq): Vueling, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Seville Airport \(SVQ\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/seville-airport-svq): Iberia, Ryanair, Vueling, year-round
- [Sofia Airport \(SOF\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/sofia-airport-sof): Ryanair, Wizz Air, year-round
- [Stuttgart Airport \(STR\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/stuttgart-airport-str): Eurowings, year-round
- [Timișoara Traian Vuia International Airport \(TSR\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/timisoara-traian-vuia-airport-tsr): Wizz Air, year-round
- [Treviso Airport \(TSF\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/treviso-airport-tsf): Ryanair, year-round
- [Venice Marco Polo Airport \(VCE\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/venice-marco-polo-airport-vce): Wizz Air, year-round
- [Vienna International Airport \(VIE\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/vienna-airport-vie): Austrian Airlines, Ryanair, year-round
- [Warsaw Chopin Airport \(WAW\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/warsaw-chopin-airport-waw): Wizz Air, year-round
- [Copernicus Wrocław Airport \(WRO\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/copernicus-wroclaw-airport-wro): Ryanair, year-round
- [Brussels Airport \(BRU\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/brussels-airport-bru): Brussels Airlines, Ryanair, Vueling, year-round
- [Florence Airport, Peretola \(FLR\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/florence-peretola-airport-flr): Volotea, seasonal
- [Frankfurt-Hahn Airport \(HHN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/frankfurt-hahn-airport-hhn): Ryanair, seasonal
- [Hamburg Helmut Schmidt Airport \(HAM\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/hamburg-helmut-schmidt-airport-ham): Eurowings, seasonal
- [Lamezia Terme Sant'Eufemia International Airport \(SUF\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/lamezia-terme-sant-eufemia-airport-suf): Ryanair, seasonal
- [Lille Airport \(LIL\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/lille-airport-lil): Volotea, seasonal
- [Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport \(ATH\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/athens-eleftherios-venizelos-airport-ath): Aegean Airlines, seasonal
- [Stockholm-Arlanda Airport \(ARN\)](https://parkoni.com/en/flughafen/stockholm-arlanda-airport-arn): Ryanair, seasonal

Routes as listed on Wikipedia from the airlines' schedules; the airline's current timetable is authoritative.

- [All destinations](https://parkoni.com/en/reiseziele)

---

Markdown version of this page for software and AI assistants. Source: Parkoni, https://parkoni.com/en/reiseziele/valencia-turia-and-albufera