Half-Day Highlights
Experience Essential Valencia with a private guide during our four-hour highlights tour
Located on the sunny Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a perfect icon of life on the Iberian peninsula. Discover the history and culture of Spain’s third largest city with a local, private guide on our Half-Day Highlights Tour, perfect if you’re visiting for a short time or if you want to get a feel for our wonderful city. Our half day tours give you the opportunity to explore with a local guide while leaving plenty of time for food, shopping, or simply getting lost in the winding streets of the Ciutat Vella – the Old City.
Your private, bilingual guide will pick you up from a destination of your choosing and take you to Malvarossa Beach, where you’ll see the vast expanse of sandy Mediterranean coastline. Take some time to walk along the boardwalk, learning the history of one of Ernest Hemmingway’s favorite places in the world, possibly even dipping your toes in the water. But don’t stray too far, as your tour has just begun!
Your guide will show you the secrets of the famous City of Arts and Sciences and take you past the original, medieval city gates before you enter the bustling, pedestrian historic city center where you’ll find ancient Roman ruins, Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the Central Market, and La Lonja Silk Exchange, our prized UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s greatest examples of gothic architecture. This tour includes entrance into one museum of your choice, and we at Valencia Private Tours cannot recommend La Lonja enough!
No tour of our city would be complete without taking some time to explore several of our town squares, or plazas, where locals come together to chat, have a coffee, and watch travelers poke around the shops and cafes. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a fallera, a local young woman dressed in a traditional 18th century costume. Falleras are a common sighting during our annual Fallas festival, but occasionally they come out during other parts of the year to perform symbolic duties and, of course, take photos with our welcome visitors!
We love our four-hour Highlights Tour because we can introduce travelers to the best parts of our city. If you’re already itching to spend more time exploring with us, have a look at our Full-Day City Tour or even a City and Countryside Tour.
Duration: 4 hours
Meeting Point: Train Station, Bus Station, Port, Hotel, or Destination of Your Choice
We are happy to arrange a meeting point that is most convenient for you. We will gladly collect you and drop you off free of charge anywhere in the vicinity of the city center, port, beach, or City of Arts and Sciences. We would also be delighted to pick you up or drop you off outside of the city center or at the airport for a small fee.
***For Port Pick Ups Only: Your private guide will meet you at the ‘Acciona Transmediterranea terminal’ at the cruise ship port, where your ship might be docking anyway. If you dock elsewhere, you will be at a pier a bit further away with restricted access for vehicles and private pick-ups. In this case, the port authorities will provide a shuttle bus, free of charge, that takes about 5 minutes to get to the Acciona Transmediterranea Terminal, which is the only place private pick-ups are allowed. Your guide will be waiting for you at the terminal with a sign in your name.
Private, Comfortable Transportation:
We provide private transportation in well-maintained, modern vehicles. For smaller groups (up to 4–6 people), your guide will often also serve as your driver in a clean, comfortable car or minivan. For larger groups, we arrange high-quality pre-booked minibuses or spacious taxi-vans with professional drivers. While we cannot guarantee a specific brand or model, you can always expect vehicles that are tidy, reliable, and suited to your group size for a smooth, enjoyable journey.
IMPORTANT NOTE (for groups of 6): In my larger touring car, the middle two seats are spacious and comfortable, and the back seat is a three-person bench seat that might be a tight squeeze for some. Before I can confirm a booking for six people with this vehicle, I will need confirmation that you understand this arrangement before I accept the booking. If you prefer, I would be happy to arrange a private coach and driver in addition to your guide. Please let me know that this is your preference when you submit your pre-booking form.
Monuments/Museums:
Your choice of monument is up to you! Here are some of our suggestions:
- La Lonja Silk Exchange (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
- L’Almoina Archaeological Museum
- The medieval Serrano or Quart Towers
- Marques de Dos Aguas Palace (Ceramics Museum)
- The Cathedral of Valencia
We also offer a 6-hour version of this tour, which includes 2 entrances into monuments/museums of your choice, and we end the tour with a traditional lunch in the city or down at the beach (the price of lunch is not included in the tour price). Please let us know in your pre-booking form if you would prefer this option.
Inclusions:
- Private, fully bilingual and local guide
- Private, air conditioned transportation, including all driving expenses (parking costs, fuel, etc.)
- Entrance into one (1) museum or monument of your choice
- Small, local snack(up to 6 people)
- Energetic, passionate and involved descriptions to get you totally immersed in our history and culture.
- Commitment to total client satisfaction and American-style pre-tour, touring and post-tour service
Exclusions:
- Additional museum or monument entrances
- Food and beverages
- Souvenirs
- Gratuity (optional)