The Valencia Tourist Card can be one of the most economical options for visitors to the Mediterranean city. Free unlimited transport, discounts at major attractions, and even some free food – the tourist card is a tempting deal. But is the Valencia Tourist Card worth it? Keep reading to find out if it’s the right option for you. 

What is the Valencia Tourist Card?

The Valencia Tourist Card is a pass you can purchase to get access to public transport, municipal museums, and discounts at restaurants and other attractions. For travelers who plan on visiting plenty of attractions – this can be a great way to save money. 

Instead of paying for entry tickets and public transport separately, the Valencia Tourist Card lets you use one card to cover it all. 

And while not absolutely everything is included in the tourist card, Valencia’s most popular attractions are included at a free or discounted rate. 

There are 3 different tourist cards in Valencia (for the most part):

• 24-hour Card (€15)
• 48-hour Card (€20)
• 72-hour Card (€25)

So, is it worth the price? 

The short answer: Yes, if you’re staying for 1-3 days. 

But the long answer is that it depends on what your travel habits are. So let’s dive a bit deeper into the details to find out if it’s worth it for you. 

What’s Included in the Valencia Card?

The Valencia Tourist Card includes a ton of different freebies and discounts for travelers. As a quick summary, it includes:

• Unlimited public transport within zones AB+ 
• Free entry to municipal museums
• Discounts at major tourist attractions
• Discounts at some restaurants and activities
• 2 tapas and 2 free drinks

So for around $20 per person, you can get a lot of value out of this tourist card. But there are some caveats for each of these, so let’s go look at them a little deeper.

Unlimited Public Transport

This is one of the biggest perks of the tourist card. You get unlimited public transport for the duration of your card (i.e. 24/48/72 hours). 

If you’re coming to Valencia from the airport, then the card already starts to become a huge discount, since it normally costs around €5.80 for the metro. 

The Valencia Tourist Card includes the metro, bus, tram, and trains within the AB+ zone of Valencia. That means you can practically go anywhere with the city buses and metro, including the airport, which is a huge plus. 

For the train, you could go on a day trip to Sagunt or Sueca with the tourist card. However, you could not go to Xàtiva, Cullera, or Gandia, all of which are outside Zone B. 

Here are a few examples of popular destinations you could go to with the Valencia Tourist Card:

• Literally anywhere within the city (Metro/Bus)
  • City of Arts and Sciences
  • The Beach
  • Russafa
  • Benimaclet
•  Nearby outdoor destinations (The yellow Metrobus)
  • El Puig
  • L’Albufera
  • El Saler
  • Pinedo
• Nearby towns (Renfe Trains or Metro)
  • Sagunt (C6 Train towards Castelló)
  • Sueca (C1 Train towards Gandia)
  • Castelló (Line 1 Metro)
  • Manises/Airport (Lines 3 or 5 Metro)

Free Entry to Municipal Museums

With the Valencia Tourist Card, you also get free entry into municipal museums. The keyword here is municipal, as privately owned/operated museums and attractions are not included for free. 

Luckily, some of the most popular attractions are municipal museums. Here are some great museums that are included with the tourist card:

• La Llotja
• Torres dels Serrans
• Torres del Quart
• Museu Faller
• L’Almoina
• Casa Museu José Benlliure
• Casa Museu Blasco Ibáñez
• Museu del Arròs
• Palau de Cervelló 

There are also about a dozen other museums included, but I don’t really recommend them. If you’re only here for a few days – then these are the most important, especially the first 5. 

Please note: Most of these attractions usually only cost €1-2 to enter without the card, so keep that in mind when calculating whether the Valencia tourist card is worth it. 

Discounts at Attractions

Besides the municipal museums, there are tons of popular attractions that offer a discount. Some of these are much bigger discounts, as the ticket price for these attractions are usually higher. 

Here are the most popular attractions that get a discounted rate:

• L’IVAM Art Museum – 50% Off
• La Seu Valencia Cathedral – 20%
• Jardí Botànic – 10%
• Ceramics Museum (Palau de Dosaigües) – 50%
• San Nicolau Church – Reduced Ticket
• Valencia Bus Turistic – €5 Off
• Albufera Bus Turistic – €5 Off
• Museu de les Ciències (City of Arts and Sciences) – 10%
• Hemisfèric – 10%
• Oceanogràfic – 10%

For most of these, I’d actually recommend purchasing your tickets in person if you decide to get the Valencia Tourist Card. 

The reason is that these attractions usually offer multiple types of discounted rates. So you’re safer just showing up with your Valencia Card and buying a ticket, rather than risking buying the wrong non-refundable ticket. 

Note:  These discounts sometimes vary. This is going off of the rates as of April 2024. 

Discounts at Restaurants, Shopping, and Recreation

Let’s look at some other discounts that are included in the tourist card. Valencia has a ton of restaurants, gift shops, and even spas that participate in the program, so you can keep getting your money’s worth out of the card. 

Here are just a few of the most notable shops and restaurants that participate:  

• Megastore Valencia Football Club  – 10% 
• City of Arts and Sciences Gift Shops – 10% 
• Hard Rock Café Gift Shop– 5%
• Original CV (Valencian Products) – 5%
• Teatro Olympia – 10%
• Teatre Talia – 10%
• Olhöps Brewery – 10%
• Café de las Horas – Free Tasting with Purchase
• Olympia Hotel Spa – 10%
• Spa Parador El Saler – 10%
• Spa Hotel Las Arenas – 10%
• Destino Puerto Restaurant – 10%
• El Garaje Foodie – 10%
• El Corte Inglés Cafe – 5%
• Sagardi Valencia – 5%
• Charcutería Amparo – 5%

Plus, you get 1 free glass of wine and 1 free tapa from any of the café’s in the Corte Inglés after 5pm. You’ll also get 1 free beer and 1 free tapa from any of the participating restaurants. 

So if you do take advantage of this discount card, this is one of the biggest ways you’ll save money while traveling! 

Different Types of Tourist Cards

Depending on your travel needs and duration of stay, you can choose from several types of Valencia Tourist Cards:

• 24-Hour Card (€15)
• 48-Hour Card (€20)
• 72-Hour Card (€25)
• 7-Day Card* (€12)

The first three cards include everything we just went over. The free transportation, the free entry to some museums, plus the discounted tickets and shopping. 

The only difference is how long they work for. So for example, the 24-hour card works for 24 hours after being activated. 

In other words, if you get to the airport, grab your tourist card, and activate it to enter the metro at 3:45pm on a Tuesday – then you can keep using all the benefits until Wednesday at 3:44pm. 

However, there is another tourist card that’s great if you’re staying for longer – the 7-day card. 

This card does NOT include public transport, but it does include free entry into the Cathedral. Considering the Cathedral usually costs around €8, this means that the card practically pays for itself. 

So if you don’t plan on using public transport, then this is a great alternative.  

Where To Get the Valencia Tourist Card

You can purchase the Valencia Tourist Card here.

Just go ahead and choose the dates you’ll get here, and then choose which you’d like (24/48/72 hours). 

You can either get a digital code for the card, or have it shipped to you physically. Personally, I recommend going for the digital code. Once you get to the airport, there are a few kiosks where you just type in your code, and it prints out the card for you. 

I find this to be more reliable than dealing with shipping. 

Alternatively, you can also pick it up from any of the tourism offices within the city. You’ll just tell them the digital code or show them your purchase confirmation. 

The tourism offices are:

• Carrer de La Pau 48
• Plaça de l’Ajuntament 1
• Joaquin Sorolla Train Station
• Manises Airport
• Avinguda del Mediterràni at the Cabanyal Beach 

How to Use It

Using the Valencia Tourist Card is super easy. This is a physical card that you can scan, you can use at the public transport scanners or hand it to the staff at museums/shops/restaurants. 

Here’s how to use the Valencia Tourist Card: 

1. Purchase Your Card: I suggest buying your card online. 
2. Get Your Copy: For most people, I suggest going to a kiosk or the Tourism Office. There are a couple kiosks in the arrivals terminal at the airport, so you can use it right away. You can also request it be shipped to your house, but I find it unnecessary. 
3. Activate It: The first time you use it, it will become “activated” and the timer starts. For most people, this will happen when you scan your card to get onto the metro at the airport. 
4. Keep It Handy: Carry your tourist card with you. This way you can present it to staff for the museums and attractions.
5. Recycle/Keep It: You can give your card back to staff at the Tourism Office and they’ll recycle it! Or if you plan on coming back to the city, you can reload the card at a kiosk. 

Valencia is the Green Capital of Europe for 2024, so make sure you recycle or reuse your card! 

Pros and Cons

So while I do think the Valencia Tourist Card is worth it for some travelers – it’s not perfect. It’s not going to be the most economical choice for everyone. 

Let’s look at some of the pros & cons of the tourist card. 

Overall, I would say that if you’re planning on taking the metro and want to see as many attractions and museums as possible, then it’s a great option. 

But the restaurants that participate in the program are kind of touristy/inauthentic in my opinion. And one big complaint I have is how the hours work. 

For example, if you get here on a Friday morning, and you’re leaving on a Sunday evening – you have to make sure you buy the 72 hour card, not the 48-hour one. Because otherwise, the card expires and you’ll need to buy that €5 ticket to get to the airport! 

So while it can be a great option for many travelers, for some people – it might be better to buy everything separately. 

Final Word – Is the Valencia Card Worth It?

Overall, I would say that the Valencia Tourist Card is worth it. Here’s what I’d say:

• If you are a solo traveler or a couple – then yes, it’s worth it. 
• If you are a family – I’d buy the card for the adults, but not the kids. Many attractions will offer discounted rates for kids anyway. 
• If this is not your first time – It’s probably not worth it, unless you plan on visiting everything again. 
• If you don’t plan on going in museums OR plan on walking everywhere – it might not be worth it. I’d make a quick spreadsheet and see if it’s better for you. 
• If you plan on visiting for longer than 3 days – It could be worth it, if you want to see the museums/attractions within the first couple days. This depends on your travel style. 

Every traveler is different, so I can’t speak for everyone. For most people, it pays itself off – especially if you’re coming from the airport. 

If you have any questions – feel free to send me a message. I’ll be happy to give you advice! 

Otherwise, check out these resources and guides to help you calculate whether the Valencia Tourist Card is worth it:

• How to get to/from the airport
• Public Transport Guide
• Best Valencia Restaurants
• Neighborhood Guide
• What to Do in 3 Days

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