Valencia, Spain — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Airlines offering flights to Valencia from the UK include IBERIA, Air France, Ryanair and easyJet.
Valencia International Airport
Tel: 902 404 704.
Website: www.aena.es
Valencia airport is located 8km (5 miles) west of the center of town.
Airport facilities
Valencia Airport facilities include a bureau de change, cafés and restaurants, shops, meeting rooms, VIP lounges and car hire from Avis, Europcar and Hertz among others.
Transport to the city
Lines 3 and 5 of the underground Metro system (tel: 900 461 046; www.metrovalencia.es) link Valencia airport to the city center and port. Bus 150 shuttles between the airport and the center of town every 20 to 30 minutes from early morning to around midnight.
Getting There By Road
In Valencia, traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years. Speed limits are 120kph (74mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) on roads outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) within towns, unless otherwise stated. A valid driving license and third-party insurance are required to drive in Spain. National licenses from EU countries are accepted, although drivers are advised to obtain an International Driving Permit. A Green Card is strongly recommended for all visitors and is compulsory for those from outside the EU. Real Automóvil Club de España - RACE (tel: 902 404 545; www.race.es) has reciprocal agreements with the AA and RAC in the UK and the AAA in the USA for emergency breakdown services. * The speed limit on motorways in Spain has temporarily been reduced to 110kph (68mph). The new limit will remain in effect until the end of June 2011 at the earliest. The slowdown is intended to save energy in response to the surge in oil prices sparked by the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Emergency breakdown services
RACE (tel: 902 300 505, 24 hours).
Routes to the city
Valencia is linked north and south by the AP7-E15 motorway, which runs along the east coast, with direct access from Barcelona and Alicante respectively, and inland by the A3-E901 which heads west towards Madrid. From Santander, the A7-E15 leads to Valencia.
Coach services
Eurolines (tel: 902 405 040; www.eurolines.es) operates coach services from other European countries to Valencia. The city's main bus station is the Estació Terminal d'Autobuses on Avenida de Menéndez, north of the city center.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
The Spanish rail operator is RENFE (tel: 902 320 320; www.renfe.es). The main train station is Valencia North (Nord), served by Alaris (to Madrid) and Talgo (to Barcelona) plus other regular connections with major Spanish cities.
Rail Operators
To reach Valencia from the UK, travel from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord by Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com). Cross Paris by metro to the Gare d'Austerlitz and travel from Paris to Barcelona França overnight on the trainhotel 'Joan Miro'. From here catch the train to Valencia Nord station. Contact Rail Europe (tel: 08448 484 064; www.raileurope.co.uk) for more information.
Getting Around in Valencia, Spain
Public Transport
The best way of getting around Valencia is by foot, on bike and by bus. The only way of getting around the Old Town is on foot.
The main bus company in Valencia is EMT (tel: (96) 315 8500; www.emtvalencia.es) which operates regular daily services from around 0630 to 2230. There is also a night bus service from the Plaza de Ayuntamiento, which operates Thursday to Saturday 2300-0300.
The metro underground train system (tel: 900 461 046; www.metrovalencia.com) is geared towards commuters rather than visitors. However an extension links the airport with the city center and port (lines 3 and 5), line 4 (which is actually a tram) goes to the beach at Malvarossa, and lines 5 and 6 go to the port.
Passes are available on all networks and you can use the Valencia Card on bus, tram and metro.
Taxis
Radio Taxi Manises (tel: (96) 152 1155), Radio Taxi Valencia (tel: (96) 370 3333) and Teletaxi (tel: (96) 357 1313) are the main taxi providers in Valencia.
Car Hire
Most of the major international operators have an office at Valencia Airport though normally you will get a better deal from the local Spanish operators. Reliable companies include Avis (tel: (96) 352 5200; www.avis.es), Centauro (tel: (96) 152 3640; www.centauro.net), Europcar (tel: (96) 374 1512; www.europcar.com) and Hertz (tel: (96) 152 3791; www.hertz.es). Unless you intend doing a lot of touring away from the city, car hire is not advisable.
Bicycle Hire
Valencia Guias, Paseo de la Pechina (tel: (96) 385 1740; www.valenciabikes.com), hires bikes and Segways (two-wheeled, self-balancing electric scooter-like machines) and organizes tours with both.
