What does a Valencia holiday include, and what does it cost?
Four nights at the Hotel Valencia Oceanic Affiliated by Meliá, a 4★, with return flights from London and daily breakfast listed in the package. ATOL protection under licence 10713 applies and a £99 per person deposit holds it. Regional UK airports are available at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Attraction entry, transfers and travel insurance are not included, and your meal arrangement is confirmed in writing before you pay. Valencia is the one Spanish holiday we sell that is genuinely a city and a beach rather than one with the other attached.
Is Valencia a city break or a beach holiday?
Both, and it is the only one of our Spanish packages where that is honestly true rather than a claim.
Spain’s third city has a medieval old town, one of the most striking pieces of modern architecture in Europe at the City of Arts and Sciences, and Malvarrosa beach twenty minutes from the centre by tram. Most Spanish city breaks put you inland and most Spanish beach holidays put you in a resort. This does neither.
Valencia is the quieter and cheaper alternative to Barcelona, with a beach that is actually usable and none of the queueing. It has less in the way of headline sights, which is the trade.
When is the best time to go?
November is the cheapest month, and Valencia in November is mild and pleasant for the city — though the sea is too cold for swimming.
August is the dearest and is hot and humid. September is the value month: warm sea, thinner crowds, and eighty pounds below August.
March is worth a special mention. Las Fallas runs in the middle of the month — enormous satirical sculptures built in the streets, daily fireworks, and the whole lot burned on the final night. It is one of the great European festivals and it fills the city. Tell us if you want it or want to avoid it, because it is not a normal week in Valencia.
What you will actually do
The City of Arts and Sciences is Santiago Calatrava’s complex of white curved buildings in the old riverbed — an opera house, a science museum, Europe’s largest aquarium and a planetarium. Even without going inside, walking through it at dusk is one of the more striking hours you can spend in Spain.
The Turia gardens are the best thing about the city and cost nothing. The river was diverted after a flood and the entire nine-kilometre riverbed turned into a park that curves through the middle of Valencia. Walk it, run it, or hire a bike — it is how locals use the city.
The old town has the cathedral, the Silk Exchange — a UNESCO-listed Gothic trading hall — and the Central Market, one of the best food markets in Europe and still a working one rather than a tourist attraction.
Malvarrosa beach is twenty minutes by tram, long and sandy, with a promenade of restaurants behind it. This is where paella comes from, and the coastal restaurants there serve it at lunch as it is meant to be eaten.
Valencia is flatter and more cyclable than any other Spanish city of its size. The old riverbed running through the middle is now a nine-kilometre park, and hiring a bike for a day is the single best way to link the old town, the City of Arts and the beach.
What changes your price?
- The month. November at its cheapest against August at its dearest for the same four nights.
- Las Fallas in March, which fills the city and moves both price and availability.
- Departure airport. Priced from London, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry.
- Hotel and location. The Valencia Oceanic is a 4★; properties in the old town or on the beachfront are quoted individually.
- Nights. Five or seven nights rather than four is priced on request.
Who this holiday suits
- Anyone who wants a city and a beach without choosing between them.
- Travellers who found Barcelona too crowded or too expensive.
- Food-led visitors — this is where paella comes from and the Central Market is outstanding.
- Couples and families who want four nights rather than a two-night dash.
- Cyclists and walkers, because the Turia gardens run the length of the city.
Who might prefer something else
- For headline sights, Valencia has fewer than Barcelona or Madrid. It is a city to spend time in rather than tick off.
- Want to swim? Do not book November to April — the Mediterranean is cold and the price price reflects it.
- For a resort holiday, this is a working city with a beach, not a beach resort. The Costa del Sol or the Balearics are the resort option.
- Prefer a short break? Madrid or Barcelona do two nights; this is a four-night package.
- If you dislike crowds and noise, avoid Las Fallas in March — it is extraordinary and it is not restful.
- Comparing options? You can see all our city breaks side by side.
- If this is nearly right, look at our 2 Nights Madrid City Break too before you decide.
Ways to upgrade
All quoted at enquiry against your dates.
- A larger or upgraded room at the Valencia Oceanic
- A hotel in the old town or on the beachfront instead
- Five or seven nights rather than four
- City of Arts and Sciences or Oceanogràfic tickets booked in advance
- A paella cooking class or a Central Market food tour
- Airport transfers rather than the metro
What is not included?
- Transfers from Valencia airport, around twenty minutes by metro to the centre.
- Attraction entry — the Oceanogràfic, the science museum and the Silk Exchange all charge.
- Meals beyond the board arrangement, which we confirm in writing before you pay.
- Travel insurance, and any local charge the hotel collects.
- Bike hire, which is the best way to use the Turia gardens.
How do you get there and get around?
Flights are from London, around two and a half hours, with regional UK airports at a supplement confirmed at enquiry. Spain is one hour ahead of the UK.
Transfers are not included. The metro from Valencia airport reaches the centre in around twenty minutes and costs a few euros, which makes a taxi hard to justify.
In the city, the tram to Malvarrosa beach takes about twenty minutes from the centre. The old town is walkable and the Turia gardens connect most of the city on foot or by bike. You will not need a car at any point.
Entry requirements for UK travellers
Checked against GOV.UK foreign travel advice on 17 September 2026.
Spain is in the Schengen area, so British passport holders need no visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years of your arrival date and be valid at least three months after you leave.
The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System is rolling out, replacing passport stamps with fingerprints and a photograph on your first crossing. It is free, lasts three years and speeds up later trips. ETIAS is not currently required.
Practicalities worth knowing
Paella is a lunch dish in Valencia, not a dinner one, and the version served on the tourist streets bears little relation to the version served at the beach restaurants. Go to Malvarrosa or El Palmar, go at two, and order it for a minimum of two people.
Valencia charges a regional tourist tax at the hotel rather than in the package price. Your hotel will tell you at check-in what applies.
The Central Market closes in the afternoon and does not open on Sundays. It is one of the best food markets in Europe and worth planning a morning around rather than wandering past.
Las Fallas, in mid-March, fills the city completely — hotels, restaurants and streets. It is extraordinary and it is loud, with daily firework displays at two in the afternoon. Know which you are booking.
Booking and protection
Your booking is covered by our ATOL licence 10713 and we hold IATA accreditation 91285611. It is held with a deposit of £99 per person, with the balance due before travel.
Prices are per person, based on two people sharing. September is the month we would point most people towards — warm sea, thinner crowds and comfortably below the August price.
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