Travel to Valencia
Flying to Valencia
British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair operate direct flights from the UK to Valencia. It's mainly a summer destination, so expect prices to increase from June to September. There are no direct flights from the USA.
Flight times
From London - 2 hours 20 minutes; New York - 10 hours 30 minutes (including stopover); Los Angeles - 17 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 11 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 26 hours (including stopovers).
Travel by road
In Valencia, traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18 years. Road conditions are excellent. 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 licence and third-party insurance are required to drive in Spain. National licences from EU countries are accepted, while nationals of other countries 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. The use of mobile phones, unless completely hands-free, is illegal while driving in Spain.
Real Automóvil Club de España - RACE (tel: +34 900 100 992; www.race.es) has reciprocal agreements with the AA and RAC in the UK and the AAA in the USA for emergency breakdown services.
Emergency breakdown services
RACE (tel: +34 902 112 222). Alternatively drivers can contact the Ayuda en Carretera, run by the Guardia Civil, via the roadside SOS telephones located on both sides of the carriageway at 2km (1-mile) intervals.
Routes
Valencia is linked north and south by the AP7 motorway, which runs along the east coast with direct access from Barcelona and Alicante respectively. Further inland, Valencia is connected to Madrid by the A3 motorway. To get to the north, the main motorway that connects Valencia to Santander is the A7.
Coaches
Eurolines (tel: +34 902 405 040; www.eurolines.es) operates international coach services from Valencia to major European cities such as Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Prague and Rome. The city's main bus station is the Estació Terminal d'Autobuses along Avenida de Menéndez Pidal, north of the city centre.
Time to city
From Madrid - 3 hours 30 minutes; Barcelona - 3 hours 30 minutes; Alicante - 1 hour 50 minutes; Murcia - 2 hours 30 minutes.
Travel by Rail
Services
Train travel in Spain is generally comfortable, punctual and fast. The main railway station in Valencia is Valencia Nord, Calle Xàtiva, serving various national destinations as well as suburban routes.
The Spanish rail network connects Valencia to the rest of Spain, with regular trains to Alicante, Madrid, Barcelona and Tarragona. The high-speed AVE rail service shortens travel time between Valencia and Madrid to 1 hour 35 minutes. There are no direct international trains from Valencia; you need to change in Barcelona for services to France.
Operators
The Spanish rail operator is RENFE (tel: +34 902 320 320; www.renfe.es). The operator manages all routes in Spain, from the suburban trains (Cercanías) to medium-distance trains to international rail services. RENFE serves all major Spanish cities including Barcelona, Madrid and Seville.
Journey times
From Madrid - 1 hour 35 minutes; Alicante - 1 hour 40 minutes; Barcelona - 3 hours; Seville - 3 hours 50 minutes; Malaga - 4 hours 30 minutes.
