4 Days in Valencia: Top tips for visiting Valencia with toddlers

My family visits us in Spain every year during Christmas. They’re quite familiar with Sanlúcar (our home), so this year we decided to plan a mini getaway to someplace new. Last year I chose Galicia (a bad idea in winter, especially with sick kids) so this time I opted for a sunny and warm destination. Javi and I had never been to Valencia and there seemed to be a lot of attractions the kids would enjoy. I booked direct flights from Seville and snagged a fantastic apartment during Booking.com’s Black Friday sale. 😉

The kids loved the Pixar Exhibit

I was pleasantly surprised by how kid-friendly Valencia is…the city completely exceeded my expectations in terms of accessibility and activities. The city center is super stroller friendly and many of the sidewalks are level with the street (a godsend for double strollers). We loved the parks, numerous playgrounds, and the beautiful walkways. Of course the food was fantastic and the shopping was great. Personally, I think December is a fantastic time to visit Valencia; we didn’t have to deal with crowds of tourists and it was sunny every day!  

Here’s a couple of tips to keep in mind:

• Children 4 and under can visit the main attractions for free—including walking tours, aquarium, zoo, etc. You will need to prove their age so bring their passport, etc.
• We purchased a ticket bundle online (35€ each) to see the aquarium and science museum; they’re both located far outside of the center and are right next to each other, so it’s best to visit both attractions on the same day.  
• Take a bus from the center to the aquarium—buses are frequent and cheap and we had no problem loading up our double stroller. You can use Google Maps to determine the best route and check the bus schedule.
• If you have toddlers, definitely bring a stroller if possible; we walked around 15 kilometers a day and there is no way the little ones could have kept up without it.

 

Our itinerary in Valencia 

We spent 4 days, 3 nights in the city; it was the perfect amount of time for us to see everything we wanted. Note we did not visit the Biopark Valencia (Zoo); if you want to visit this attraction I would add another day to your itinerary.

Day 1 

We flew from Seville to Valencia, checked in to our rental, and grabbed dinner. Traveling with 3-year-old twins is still a bit stressful, so I didn’t plan anything for our first day. I pre-booked a taxi with Valencia Transfers to ensure we would have car seats for the kids. Our driver was very nice and had no issue showing us how to buckle the twins into their carseats—I would definitely recommend using this company.

So many playgrounds, so little time!

Day 2 

We visited the aquarium (Oceanogràfic de València) in the morning, ate lunch there, then walked to the science museum (Museu de les Ciències). The science museum had a  Pixar Exhibit which the kids loved. We decided to walk back to the city center so we could enjoy Turia Garden (one of the largest urban parks in Spain), and on the way stop by the fantastic Gulliver Park—I loved going down the slides as much as the kids! Do not miss this park during your visit. 

Enjoying the aquarium from the comfort of their stroller 😜 

Day 3

We started the day with a great walking tour in the city center; we enjoyed seeing Valencia’s UNESCO sites and getting to explore city hall, the Silk Exchange, Central Market, etc. The tour was perfectly timed to end just before lunch. I reserved a table for us at La Riua (recommended by our taxi driver)—the food was good and the kids loved the paella. Afterwards my mom and I went shopping on Carrer de Colón while my dad, Javi and the kids played at a park nearby.

Trying multiple paellas at La Riua

Day 4

We had a midday flight, so that morning I made sure to grab an horchata at none other than Horchateria Santa Catalina. Then we wandered around the center and shopped for a bit, before meeting our taxi at the rental to take us to the airport.

All in all I’d say the trip was ‘easy’ to do with the twins—direct flights, lots of fun activities, nice locals, and good weather. If you’re considering a trip to Valencia with toddlers I would definitely recommend it!

Exploring the central market before our flight