Only the ceramics museum in this selection comes from my own list of saved places in Valencia, so I added the other eight places on the advice of travel guides, first of all 34travel, and checked every one on Google: still open, rated 4.2 or higher. I haven't written my own notes yet, so all the descriptions are put together from Google Maps reviews.
Ticket prices are taken from Google Maps reviews, valid as of 7 October 2026. Rate: 1 € ≈ $1.12.
In short
- Almost free: the Llotja de la Seda, Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart are about 2 € (≈$2) each, and the ceramics museum is free on Sundays.
- The big relic: the agate chalice in the Catedral de València, plus the old-town view from the Micalet bell tower.
- Half a day outdoors: the Jardí del Túria, a park in the old riverbed that takes you all the way to the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències.
- Free from the outside: you can walk among the buildings of the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències without buying a ticket.
- Free art: the Museu de Belles Arts — Velázquez, Goya and Sorolla, no ticket needed.
- The sea: Malva-rosa beach, for a walk and some sun, with paella at Casa Carmela nearby.
The old town
Catedral de València
La Seu · cathedral
Google Maps · website · Pl. de l'Almoina, s/n
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 36,000+): the cathedral between Plaça de la Reina and Plaça de la Mare de Déu took centuries to build, so Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical parts sit side by side. Its best-known relic is an agate cup venerated as the Holy Grail, and there's a chapel devoted to the Borgia family. The ticket includes an audio guide, picked up at a separate counter, and reviewers strongly recommend it. The Micalet bell tower gives a view over the old town. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Llotja de la Seda
El Mercat · Gothic silk exchange · 2 € (≈$2) · Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–14:00
Google Maps · website · C/ de la Llotja, 2
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 30,000+): a 15th-century silk exchange and UNESCO site whose main hall, with twisted columns and fan vaulting, feels almost like a cathedral. There are rooms with carved wooden ceilings and a courtyard of orange trees. Entry is around 2 €, an hour is plenty, and there's rarely a queue. The one complaint: hardly any signs explaining what you're looking at.
Torres de Serranos
El Carme · city gate · 2 € (≈$2) · Mon–Sat 10:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–14:00
Google Maps · website · C. de la Blanqueria, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 51,000+): a 14th-century Gothic gate from the old city wall, one of the best-preserved medieval gateways in Spain. 132 steps with landings lead to the top, with views over the old town and the Jardí del Túria. Entry is about 2 €. It's a half-hour stop: not worth a special trip, but a must if you're in the old town anyway. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Torres de Quart
El Carme · city gate · 2 € (≈$2) · Mon–Sat 10:00–18:30, Sun 10:00–13:30
Google Maps · website · Pl. de Santa Úrsula, 1
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 18,000+): the other surviving gate of the old city wall — a pair of 15th-century Gothic towers on the western edge of the old town. Entry is about 2 €, less for students. Around a hundred steps lead to the top, the last ones up a dark spiral staircase, so take care; the view of the city is good. You can still see cannonball marks in the stone. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Museu Nacional de Ceràmica i de les Arts Sumptuàries González Martí
Ciutat Vella · museum in a palace · Tue–Sat 10:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00, Sun 10:00–14:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · C. del Poeta Querol, 2
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 11,000+): a ceramics museum inside the Baroque Marqués de Dos Aguas palace — half museum, half palace, with the state rooms shown as they were lived in. The Spanish ceramics collection is large, and every room has notes in several languages. Entry is free on Sundays. Note that the façade and part of the building are under restoration, so not every room is open.
The park, museums and the sea
Jardí del Túria
Across the centre · city park · open 24 hours
Google Maps · website · along the old Túria riverbed
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 45,000+): a park about 9 km long in the former riverbed — the river was diverted away from the city after the 1957 flood. Separate paths for walking, running and cycling, shade under the trees, playgrounds, kiosks with drinks and food, and bridges overhead. Perfect for a picnic or a bike ride from one end to the other. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Museu de Belles Arts de València
La Saïdia · art museum · free · Tue–Sun 10:00–20:00, closed Mon
Google Maps · website · C/ de Sant Pius V, 9
According to Google Maps reviews (4.6 from 10,000+): one of Spain's finest art museums — and it's free. The medieval and Renaissance religious painting is the strongest part, but there's also Velázquez, Goya and Sorolla, plus big temporary exhibitions. There's a quiet garden. The lockers take a coin, which you get at the front desk. Downside: the upper floors are a maze. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències
Quatre Carreres · architecture complex · daily 10:00–19:00
Google Maps · website · Quatre Carreres
According to Google Maps reviews (4.7 from 156,000+): a futuristic complex at the southern end of the Jardí del Túria — a science museum, the Hemisfèric IMAX cinema, the opera house and the Oceanogràfic aquarium, the most popular of the lot. Walking among the buildings and pools is free, even if you never go inside. With tickets, allow at least three to four hours, ideally a full day. It's far from the old town, so reviewers suggest a taxi there and a walk back through the park. 34travel recommends it too (article).
Platja de la Malva-rosa
Malva-rosa · city beach · free · open 24 hours
Google Maps · along the Passeig Marítim
According to Google Maps reviews (4.5 from 8,700+): a wide city beach of fine sand with a promenade lined with cafés and restaurants. There are drinking fountains, foot showers and playgrounds, and a bus runs to it. Opinions on the sea differ: the water gets deep very slowly, so you wade a long way, and it can look murky; it's busy in summer, and reviewers complain there aren't enough toilets. Great for a walk and some sun, while for swimming some suggest heading further from the city. 34travel recommends it too (article).
One last thing
On Sundays the Llotja de la Seda and Torres de Serranos close at two, but the ceramics museum is free that day. The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències is a long way from the old town: take a taxi there and walk back through the Jardí del Túria. And remember that the Museu de Belles Arts is closed on Mondays.
More on Valencia: where to eat, coffee, horchata and bars.