Visas & entry
Spain is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can enter with valid ID or passport; many visitors including UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders can normally visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period, but must check current entry, passport-validity and any ETIAS requirements before travel.
Getting in
- Valencia Airport: Best airport for Valencia city, Albufera and the northern half of the region. Metro links the airport to central Valencia; it is the sensible arrival point for a Valencia-first itinerary.
- Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport: The region’s biggest and most useful air gateway, especially from the UK and northern Europe. Use it for Alicante, Elche, Benidorm and the Costa Blanca; airport buses reach Alicante and Elche, while a car is more useful for the coves and inland coast.
- Valencia Joaquín Sorolla rail station: The principal high-speed rail arrival for Valencia from Madrid and other Spanish cities. It is central enough to start a car-free Valencia stay immediately, and Valencia–Alicante rail is the cleanest way to move south.
- Alicante-Terminal rail station: The practical rail hub for Alicante city and the southern region, with long-distance connections including Madrid and direct services toward Valencia. It also connects easily to the local TRAM for Benidorm and the northern Costa Blanca, albeit slowly.
Getting around
Use rail for the Valencia–Alicante axis and for easy day trips such as Xàtiva; it is faster and less irritating than driving between the two cities. Valencia and Alicante themselves are best without a car, because parking is costly and old-centre driving is a nuisance. Rent a car for Dénia, Jávea, Altea, Calpe, Morella, Serra d’Irta, wine country and mountain villages; the Alicante–Benidorm–Dénia TRAM is scenic but slow, not an efficient substitute for a car on a short trip.
Money
Spain uses the euro (€). Cards and contactless payment work almost everywhere in cities and resorts, but carry some cash for small bars, markets, rural places and parking; tipping is modest, usually rounding up or leaving 5–10% for notably good table service rather than adding a mandatory percentage.
Daily budget · EUR (€)
- Value
- €95–145
- Mid-range
- €190–320
- High-end
- €450–800+
- Per person per day, excluding international flights, assuming two people share a room; solo travellers should expect a substantial accommodation premium.
- Accommodation is the major swing factor: Valencia during Las Fallas and the Alicante, Benidorm and Dénia coast in July–August can cost two to three times normal-season rates.
- Value means a hostel or simple pension, bakery/market breakfasts, menú del día lunches, casual dinners, public transport and selective paid sights.
- Mid-range covers a well-located 3–4-star hotel or good apartment, one proper rice or seafood meal, museums and activities, plus taxis or occasional car hire.
- High-end buys design or luxury hotels, top seafood and rice restaurants, premium car hire or private transfers, tasting menus, charters and peak-season rooms.
- Cars add up quickly once fuel, parking and one-way fees are included; use rail between Valencia and Alicante and rent only for coastal coves, mountain villages or the northern interior. Oceanogràfic and similar family attractions are meaningful extras.
Eating well
- Make lunch, not dinner, the serious rice meal; Valencian rice cookery is best treated as a slow midday event.
- For paella, check the ingredients rather than ordering a generic mixed version: the local original is chicken, rabbit, beans and local rice.
- Book sought-after rice and seafood restaurants in advance, especially on summer weekends, during Las Fallas in Valencia, and around Alicante’s Hogueras festival.
- Dénia red prawn is exceptional but can move a meal from affordable to expensive; ask the price before committing.
- In summer, eat later than you may expect: heat and long daylight push Spanish meal times into the evening.
Book before you land
La Tomatina, Buñol — ticket required; book well ahead if travelling for the last Wednesday in August. · Peñón de Ifach hiking access, Calpe — reserve ahead when the regional parks booking system requires it, especially in peak season.
- Do not try to cover the whole region from Valencia as day trips: Alicante is an overnight stop, and Peñíscola or Morella deserve at least one night rather than a rushed transfer.
- Build a first visit around one city, Albufera or another rice landscape, and one stretch of coast. Valencia plus Alicante is the best no-car two-base combination for 6–9 nights.
- Reserve a car only for the road-trip portion. Pick it up after leaving Valencia or Alicante, and return it before staying in either city; Las Fallas is an especially bad time to drive in Valencia.
- Lunch is the serious meal: rice dishes are commonly made to order, shared, and may require a minimum of two people. Eat paella at lunch, particularly around Albufera, rather than ordering an all-day tourist version.
- In July and August, arrive early for coves, trailhead parking and beaches around Dénia, Jávea, Calpe and Altea. Parking fills early and midday heat makes hikes unpleasant.
- Late September and October can bring DANA/gota fría downpours severe enough to disrupt roads and rail. Keep transfer days flexible and follow official weather alerts rather than treating an autumn forecast as ordinary rain.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February
Coastal Valencia and Alicante are mild but variable, roughly 9–17°C in Valencia, with usable terraces on sunny days but cold evenings and little appeal for swimming; inland Morella and the mountains can be frosty and windy.
Valencia and Alicante city breaksmuseums and marketsrestaurant-focused tripsBenidorm winter sun
Smaller beach resorts can feel half-shuttered, seasonal operators reduce hours, and wet or dull spells can last several days.
March–May
March starts cool, while April and May are usually bright and comfortably warm, commonly around 15–25°C, with long days suited to cities, hiking and early beach time.
first regional visitwalking and hikingValencia plus Albuferacoastal towns before summer
Las Fallas dominates Valencia on 15–19 March, while Easter raises domestic demand and prices across the cities and coast; May is the calmer sweet spot.
June–August
Expect hot, humid beach weather, with Valencia commonly around 26–32°C by day and Alicante generally drier and sunnier; meals and evenings run late.
swimming and beach holidaysresort infrastructurenightlifefamily coastal trips
July and August bring the highest rates, crowded coves, full parking and heavy traffic; Benidorm is especially busy, and inland sightseeing can be punishing at midday.
September–November
September and early October retain warm seas and temperatures often in the high teens to mid-20s°C, then November turns quieter and cooler.
beach time without school-holiday crowdsfood-focused coast tripswalkingcity-and-coast itineraries
Late September and October can bring severe DANA/gota fría storms that disrupt roads, rail and coastal plans, so avoid tight one-night transfers; resort closures begin again by November.
Events worth planning around
Las Fallas · Principally 15–19 March each year · Valencia city
Come specifically for the sculptures, fireworks, street parties and daily mascletà; central streets close, hotels and restaurants fill, prices rise sharply and central accommodation is noisy.
Holy Week / Easter · March or April, depending on the calendar · Valencia, Alicante and coastal towns
Domestic travel demand raises accommodation prices and crowds, especially around the main cities and beach towns.
Hogueras de San Juan · Usually 20–24 June · Alicante city
A major fire-and-fireworks festival that makes Alicante lively but crowded; reserve central rooms and key dinners well ahead.
La Tomatina · Last Wednesday of August · Buñol, near Valencia
Ticketed and concentrated in one morning, but it can fill rooms and strain trains around Valencia and Buñol; do not expect it to justify a longer stay in Buñol.
What to eat
Eat around rice, not generic tapas: Valencian cooking is built for long lunches, market produce, seafood broths and orchard ingredients. Seek restaurants with a short regional menu and order dishes by their Valencian names; avoid tourist places displaying an encyclopaedia of photographed “paellas.”
Paella valenciana — the original chicken, rabbit, green-bean and garrofó-bean rice, sometimes with snails; not mixed seafood-and-meat paella.Arròs a banda — seafood-stock rice, a defining coastal rice dish.All i pebre — the garlicky pepper-and-paprika eel stew associated with the Albufera.Esgarraet — salted cod with roasted red pepper and olive oil.Dénia gamba roja (red prawn).Dried octopus, fish stews and seafood rice.Morella cheeses, cured meats and flaons.
Valencia city and Albufera/El Palmar: Paella valenciana · Albufera rice dishes · All i pebre eel stew · Long rice lunches in El Palmar
Dénia and Jávea/Xàbia: Gamba roja · Arròs a banda · Dried octopus · Fish stews and seafood
Morella: Local cheeses · Cured meats · Flaons
Alicante city: Market eating · Rice cookery · Easygoing evening promenade dining
Santa Pola: Seafood