Learn exactly how to use the metro in Valencia. This form of transport is simple, clean, safe, and pretty affordable. Even though it’s not as expansive as in other cities, it’s still a convenient way to get around – especially during the hot summer months! Let’s take a deeper look at everything you need to know. 

Valencia Metro Guide

The underground metro system in Valencia is a really intuitive form of transport. Even if you’ve never taken the subway before, you won’t have any problems using the metro in Valencia. 

In this guide, I’ll tell you the exact steps you need to take, what your payment options are, and some top tips to make your trip easier. 

And if you want support on other forms of public transport, make sure to check out the full Valencia transport guide! 

How to Take the Metro in Valencia

There are a few different options that you should consider when jumping on the metro. But first, let’s stick to the easy part. 

Here are step-by-step instructions to use the metro in Valencia:

Get Your Ticket

Before you’re able to get on, you need to have a valid ticket. At any of the metro stations, you’ll come across a red and white machine towards the entrance. This is where you can purchase your ticket. 

You can always pay with your credit card, and most of the time you can pay with cash if you prefer. 

At the machine, you’ll first be prompted to either “Purchase” or “Recharge”.  

Choose “purchase” (comprar) if you need to buy a new card/ticket OR if you want to change the type of ticket (more on that below). Choose “recharge” (recarregar) if you want to quickly purchase the same type of ticket that you previously owned. 

Afterwards, it will ask you if you have a physical card that can be recharged. Because your “ticket” is digital – but you need a physical card that is loaded with this ticket. 

• If you have one – simply select “Yes” and place it on the circular scanner. 
• If you don’t have one – you’ll pay €1 for paper card

The cardboard-ish paper card is also rechargeable – so make sure to save it! 

We’ll jump a little deeper into specific ticket options further down the article. 

Note: If you have any trouble, most of the metro stations will also have attendants who can help. 

Scan Your Ticket

After you have a card that has an active ticket on it – just walk through the turnstile. 

You walk up, scan your card, and then walk through. 

It’s really that simple. Just don’t lose your card, as you’ll have to scan on the way out, too. 

Take the Right Metro

As you walk in, look for signs to the line you need to take. You should use the Metro Valencia official site to plan which line you need to take. 

All the metro lines are color-coded and numbered. For example, Line 3 is the only red line on the map. 

This makes it really user-friendly and easy to figure out. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure you walk towards the right direction. 

Here’s an example: 

Line 3 goes towards either the Aeroport (Airport) or Rafelbunyol (a nearby town). If you are inside the Xàtiva station, and you want to go to Benimaclet – then you’ll get onto Line 3 via the platform that specifies Rafelbunyol. 

You should see the name of the specific direction (Aeroport or Rafelbunyol) on:

• The electronic timetable panels 
• The panel on the front of the incoming metro

Just pay attention to get off at the Benimaclet station (in this example). You’ll hear an announcement in Valencian, and you’ll also see the name of the current station light up on the panel above the door. 

Likewise, to get back to Xàtiva later on, you’ll jump on Line 3 towards Aeroport. 

This type of example holds true for basically any trip! 

Leave at the Turnstile

After you get off the metro – you’re free to take a different one if needed. Most of the time this isn’t necessary, but if you do need to make a transfer, you don’t need to pay for a second trip. 

To leave, all you need to do is scan your card once again at the turnstile. This is the check to make sure you’ve purchased the correct type of ticket. 

So if you want to avoid any fines – make sure to keep reading to learn which type of ticket you need to buy. 

Valencia Metro Map

Here’s a map of the entire Valencia metro system. Let’s go over how to read the map, so you can plan your trip better. 

The Metro Zones are broken up into 3 different sections: “A”, “B”, and “+”. 

The “+” only refers to the airport. So if you need to go to/from the airport, you have to have an AB+ ticket. 

Then for the majority of tourists, you’ll only need to be traveling within Zone A. That’s because Zone B is almost exclusively for small nearby towns. 

You’ll see that a few lines do overlap and follow a relatively similar path, especially in the city center. This can help make your trip a bit faster, as you’ll have more options. 

I find these are the most important lines to know as a tourist:

• Line 3: Connects the airport, the city center, and Benimaclet
• Line 5: Connects the airport, the city center, and the beach. 
• Line 7: Connects the city center and the beach
• Line 10: Connects Russafa and the City of Arts and Sciences

Of course these are not the only lines – but they are the ones you should know as a tourist. 

Notes about Trams

1. From a practical sense – the trams function as an extension of the metro. In other words – your metro tickets work on the tram. 
2. The outdoor, surface-level entrance onto the tram doesn’t usually have a turnstile. Instead, you’ll have a ticket validation machine you need to scan. 
3. Most tram stops don’t have a machine to purchase new tickets. So make sure you plan for that ahead of time if you need to take a tram. 
4. You don’t pay extra for transferring to a tram after using a metro. For example, you only pay for 1 trip if you take Line 5 from Xàtiva to Marítim, then take the tram 8 to Neptú (although you do need to scan your card to enter). 

Valencia Metro Ticket Prices

Now let’s talk about the most confusing part on how to take the metro in Valencia. 

The ticket prices. 

Because the system has undergone a couple changes within the last decade. In fact, most of the resources I found in English are completely outdated. 

Note: Make sure to check the official page for any updates.

So let me explain the new system, as of 2024. 

As a general statement, you have 5 different categories of tickets:

• Single tickets
• SUMA 10 bundles
• SUMA T bundles 
• Monthly bundles
• TuiN tickets

I’ll dig a bit deeper into each one. But for a quick summary:

• SUMA 10 tend to be the best overall option
• Single tickets are great if you won’t use much public transport
• SUMA T is included within the Valencia Tourist Card
• Monthly and TuiN tickets are only convenient for residents

Single Tickets

This is a convenient option for people who won’t need the public transport too much. In fact, buying a single ticket to/from the airport is much cheaper than getting a taxi, so that can be a great option. 

Here are the prices for single (Senzill in Valencian) tickets:

Within Zone A or B	B+ (From Zone B to Airport)	AB (From Zone A to B)	AB+ (From Zone A to Airport)
€1.50	€3.50	€2.80	€4.80

Those prices do not include the cost of the metro card. You can purchase the €1 paper card at the same machine when buying your ticket. 

The fares work in reverse, as well. So if you go from the airport (+) to the city center (Zone A), it will cost €4.80, plus the €1 if you don’t have one. 

Important to note: you can load multiple single tickets onto the same card. This means if you’re traveling with multiple people, only one of you needs to purchase the paper card. You’ll just scan the same card multiple times at the turnstile.

SUMA 10 Tickets

SUMA is a really convenient option because it is an integrated ticket. This means it is valid for the metro, tram, bus, and local train. 

The SUMA 10 is a bundle of ten single trips. For 90% of visitors, you’ll choose the “A, B, C, or D” ticket type for €8. 

Although there are different options for people that will need to travel in between multiple zones more frequently. 

I highly recommend the SUMA 10 for most people because it’s a more cost-effective way to travel, and it’s not very difficult to rack up 10 trips. Especially because you can use the same card for multiple people. 

It also doesn’t expire, so if you’re staying for a longer period of time – there’s no pressure to use up your metro trips. The only downside is that the €8 ticket does not include the airport. 

From January 1st until July 31st of 2024 – all the SUMA 10 tickets have a 50% discount. 

Note: A single trip is counted when you scan in and out. So if you take a metro, then take a bus – that counts as 2 trips. The only exception is for metro-tram connections. 

SUMA T

This type of ticket allows you to have an unlimited number of trips on the metro, tram, bus, or local train for a specific amount of time. 

Here are the prices:

Title	Base Price (AB)	Airport Included (AB+)
SUMA T1 (24 hrs)	€4.00	€8.00
SUMA T2 (48 hrs)	€6.70	€10.00
SUMA T3 (72 hrs)	€9.70	€12.00

These can be a convenient option if you know you’re going to be using the public transport a lot. 

However, I usually only recommend this type of ticket for people getting the Valencia Tourist Card. This is a discount card that has these transport options included, as well as provides free access to municipal museums. 

But if you don’t want to tourist card, there are 3 reasons why I don’t usually recommend this for travelers:

1. You’re restricted to 1 person per card 
2. Most people won’t use the metro more than twice a day
3. It’s time-sensitive

The timer starts from the second you activate your card on your first trip. In other words, if you go from the airport on Friday at 2pm, the 48-hour ticket will expire at 1:59 pm on Sunday. 

Of course, it really depends on your specific travel group and style. For some people, it can be cheaper! Feel free to do the math and figure out which works out best for your trip. 

And remember – feel free to send me a message if you have any questions!

Monthy and TuiN Bundles

The Monthly SUMA and TuiN options are great for people living long-term in Valencia. 

With the monthly SUMA bundles, you pay €35 for unlimited access for single zones within the city. The price increases as you expand out. 

These bundles are ideal for people who might want to live in another city, but frequently travel to Valencia. Plus, there are discounts for people who are younger than 31. 

Not to mention that residents under 31 who register are currently getting completely free public transport (as of Jan. 2024). 

The TuiN Card is a different approach altogether. This is a personalized card that allows you to charge a specific amount of money onto it. Then, you can take different types of trips for a discounted price. 

This is convenient as you never need to worry about changing the type ticket, you just get charged as you go. Plus, it’s much cheaper per-trip. For example, the AB+ (to the airport) is only €2. 

The downside: you need to make an appointment to pick up the card. And you can’t pick it up at the airport desks. Which makes it really inconvenient for tourists. 

But if you’re staying here for a long time – it’s a great option! 

Valencia Metro Hours

The metro in Valencia is not a 24-hour service. While they sometimes have night-time service, as of January 2024 – it’s not a common occurrence. 

During the week, it’s open from 04:00 to 23:30pm. 

On the weekend, it’s open from 05:00 to midnight. 

If you need to leave earlier or you want to use public transport after some nightlife, you’ll need to either use the bus or taxis. 

Tips on Using the Metro in Valencia

Overall, it’s quite easy to use the metro in Valencia. There isn’t too many tricks to it – especially once you understand how the tickets work. 

But here are a few tips to help make your trip go even smoother:

• Plan your route via the Metro Valencia app – not Google Maps
• Remember it can get fairly crowded 
• Give yourself enough time to buy the tickets

Valencia Tourist Card

The Tourist Card is a discount card that has the SUMA T titles loaded onto them. 

These are super convenient for tourists who are only spending around 3 days in Valencia. You get free access to municipal museums, plus discounted access to the emblematic City of Arts and Sciences. 

So it’s a great way to visit all the major monuments for a cheaper rate – plus it has the SUMA T+ transport tickets already loaded onto it! 

If you’re planning on visiting the most important attractions and you’d like to take advantage of public transport – this is the way to go!

Bon Viatge

I hope this guide has helped you understand exactly how to take the metro in Valencia! If you still have any questions or concerns, just reach out. I’m always happy to help.

Check out these other resources to learn more about the Valencia public transport system:

• Full Guide to Public Transport
• How to Rent a Car
• The Best Way to find Cheap Flights
• How to Take the Bus
• How to Get to the City Center from the Airport
• How to Take a Train in Valencia

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