La Albufera de Valencia. A Natural Park near the city

La Albufera de Valencia is a Natural Park located only 14 kilometres south of the city centre of Valencia.

It is a fishing area, a natural lagoon connected to the sea by several canals, but due to the difference in elevation the waters of the lagoon are still fresh.

This natural spot has a series of piers from which anyone can make a boat ride of about 45 minutes approximately to reach the centre of the lagoon and learn all the secrets and history of this beautiful place, enjoying a sight that is very different from the ones in the capital of Valencia. From the boat you can see the City of Arts and Sciences and you will also realize that Valencia is not only sun and beach, but that just a few kilometers away you can go hiking and enjoy the mountains. Being in the middle of the lagoon, with the city of Valencia relatively close by and the mountains as a backdrop makes for a beautiful landscape.

Some of the best known wharfs are around El Palmar, the fishing village par excellence, today devoted most of the time to tourism. This area is familiar to all Valencians. It is a place you can not miss if you come to Valencia, here you will find many restaurants where you can eat a good chicken and rabbit paella, prepared in the traditional way (“a leña”, on wood) or if you prefer you can try some of the other traditional rice options, such as arròs del senyoret, arròs a banda, arròs negre, arròs al forn…. All of these dishes are delicious.

To accompany the paella, and as starters, do not forget to try the “clotxina valenciana”, our original mussel, smaller but much tastier, and/or “All i pebre”, a sort of mildly spicy soup made with eel and potato. This is another of our most traditional Valencian specialities, a taste to die for. If you walk through the fishmonger’s area of Valencia’s Central Market you can see live eels.

We cannot forget that, apart from being a charming and historic area, Valencia’s Albufera is also one of the best places in Spain to enjoy the sunset. You will enjoy a boat trip and you will get to know the “barracas” (traditional cabins) where the TV series “Cañas y Barro”, based on the work of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, was filmed. The new Movistar serie “The Pier” was filmed here aswell.

To get to know this area the best way to get there is by car, but if you feel like it and the weather is good, which is normally the case, you can get there by bike. Behind the City of Arts and Sciences there is a bicycle lane leading to the Natural Park. However, we must warn you that there are some areas that can be difficult to access by bike.