It’s hard to really understand Valencia, its history and culinary culture without first understanding the Albufera. It is this freshwater lagoon to which the city of Valencia, with its dominating tower gates, its Gothic halls and churches, and its Art Nouveau markets, that it owes a great deal of the food for which it is known, most famously of all: paella.
Getting There
Despite its importance not only to Valencian cuisine but also Spanish culture, getting to the Albufera isn’t exactly clear if you don’t speak Spanish. Yes, you can go on tour buses if you don’t want to worry about public transport or booking boat journeys when you get to the lagoon, but with it only costing 1.50 EUR each way on the Line 25 bus, we recommend doing so. The bus leaves from the centre of Valencia. Head to the large Arch of Triumph, just five minutes from the Colón metro station and close to Turia gardens. There’s a road (Avinguda de Navarro Reverter) in front of it, which leads down past the City of Arts and Sciences and towards the Albufera.
BE CAREFUL! There are TWO Line 25 buses. One will take you to El Perellonet (a beachy area), while the one to El Palmar takes you right next to the lagoon – this is the one we recommend. You can unwind with local paella and then go on a nice boat ride. It’s all very civilised indeed. The bus (both routes) also goes through El Saler, which is also known for its beaches. Buses are fairly regular, around one every 40 minutes, but when going back don’t leave it later than 8pm. You might be waiting a while, but you can download the My Taxi app, which works in Valencia. That being said, getting there and back is pretty easy to do, with public transport in Valencia being great. If you’re driving, there’s plenty of parking and the roads are very well maintained.
Eating
Of course, Valencia and the Albufera is famous for its paella, which becomes apparent with the huge amounts of rice you’ll see being grown on the way there. This is very much a foodie destination, with plenty of restaurants in El Palmar selling regional rice classics, like paella, arroz a banda and arroz negra as well as other lesser known Valencian delicacies like all i pebre (eel with pepper and garlic). Restaurante El Palmar has all the traditional classics in a laid-back restaurant, right next to where the boats will take you on a trip for 4 EUR.
Boating Around
It’s a rather informal affair here. Generally, head right from the bus stop and you’ll soon come across restaurants and the occasional person advertising boat trips, or people asking Paseo en barco? (Boat trip?). If you don’t speak Spanish just nod, hold up four fingers to confirm it’s 4 EUR and they’ll do the rest. There are companies if you want to book ahead though (like these). The boat trip is incredible and no trip to the Albufera is complete without it, where you can see a massive array of birds and freshwater fish, and even water snakes.
The Albufera is a must-do for a trip to Valencia, which will help you understand the city’s development, not just literally but also culturally.
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