Valencia

[orla56]

Hi could anyone tell me if there is a hop on hop off bus that leaves from the cruise port.

[karma11]

On 3/21/2024 at 7:50 PM, orla56 said:

Hi could anyone tell me if there is a hop on hop off bus that leaves from the cruise port.

We were there in the fall of 2023 and there was a Hop on Hop Off bus then. 

[orla56]

Thank you for your reply karma11.

Could you tell me if it was just as you leave the ship.

[edinburgher]

On 3/21/2024 at 11:50 PM, orla56 said:

Hi could anyone tell me if there is a hop on hop off bus that leaves from the cruise port

You may find that the HOHOs are not suited to viewing much of Valencia historic centre as many streets there are either too narrow for buses, or are totally pedestrianised, so I would read HOHO reviews (Tripadvisor?) very carefully before deciding if a HOHO is the best way to visit this wonderful city of two halves, the historic area and the futuristic area.

 

It is flat so easy on the feet and very easy to walk around especially as a number of sights are in close proximity to each other and there are many many restaurants, bars and cafes throughout. 

Ships dock a few kilometers from the central area, but you could take a taxi or a local bus to Placa Ayuntamiento from where the historic area is easily explored on foot, or to any other location of your choosing.   Or go in the opposite direction, again by bus or taxi, to the futuristic area, explore on foot then either take a public bus or taxi to the historic centre to explore there. Should you decide to visit both, a day ticket may be a good option for you.

 

The bus stop near the port is really quite close and  across a main road. I have a vague(very vague!) memory of some markings on the ground from the terminal exit, but you should ask. The Tourist Info people at the terminal were very helpful and the official visitvalencia.com website is a wonderful research tool to help you plan your day to suit your own interests and should  be the starting point for your research before you arrive there. The more you look into that website, the more you will find. It even used to show bus routes and numbers, fares etc.  And of course use other research tools such as Tripadvisor, YouTube, and any guidebooks you could borrow from a library, plus other websites such as Frommer's, Fodors, Rough Guides etc which appear when you google eg "Valencia tourist Information".

 

We have visited twice.  Second time we took the public bus to P. Ayuntamiento at one end of the historic centre, walked the historic area and when finished sightseeing at the opposite end of the historic centre, we took a differently numbered bus back  from a stop beside an ancient tower to the stop at the cruise terminal. I think you will have a really enjoyable day there as Valencia has much to offer and is the third largest city in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona.  We really liked it as it is not entirely given over to tourism and we thought it had a better balance between working city and tourist city..

 

Edited March 29 by edinburgher

[Zana711]

I was in Valencia in February this year, so I can provide instructions on where to find the bus to Old Town. The stop is called "Manuel Soto Enginyer - Comandància Marina" (click on it to find it on Google Maps). The port shuttle bus will take you to the terminal - "Trasmed-Grimaldi". 

 

You can see that the bus stop is about 3 minutes walk away. Hop onto Bus #4. You can now pay with a contactless card on the bus and a single ticket is €1.50 to Old Town. 

If you're interested to read how I did a DIY excursion in Valencia, here's the link to my blog post:

 

https://diycruiseports.com/diy-port-guides/valencia-cruise-port-diy-shore-excursion-guide

Edited March 29 by Zana711

[orla56]

Thank you Edinburgher and Zana 711 for your very helpful replies.

My husband has Parkinsons and thought a hoho would have been easier for him as sometimes his mobility isn't so good.

I really want to see the Arts and Science area as I had seen it on tv.

Its funny when I have seen it  I thought for some reason it would be in the city near the beach 🤦🏻‍♀️.We will get either the bus or a taxi to there and see how we get on for time to visit the beach or the old town.

Could you tell me when you are coming off the ship at the port do you go into a  terminal suitable for a wheelchair or is it just like a gangplank you walk off.

Thanks again for your helpful information.

[Zana711]

@orla56 There is one of those covered "air-bridges" like walking an airplane. See the photo in the link for what I mean - https://www.valenciaport.com/en/ports/passengers/services/

 

But Valencia cruise port is more of an industrial port, so it does depend on where the ship is being docked. (A new cruise terminal is being built right now). But as with all ports, those with reduced mobility can request assistance, so I'm sure that it won't be a problem getting off the ship. 

 

I really loved the Arts and Sciences complex! Hope you enjoy your port in Valencia! 

Edited April 2 by Zana711

[alserrod]

I partially disagree.

 

Spanish ports hasn't passenger traffic EXCEPT Algeciras (for Ceuta and Morocco) and Barcelona (for cruises), and obviously those located in Canary and Balearic islands.

Other ports in Spain hasn't traffic at all. Maybe some ferries to England from Northern ports, some ferries to Balearic islands from Valencia and mainly Barcelona and some other ones to Melilla, Ceuta and Morocco from southern ports, but nothing relevant except from Algeciras.

 

In terms of cruises, Valencia is in Top25 among all Mediterranean ports.

Not good, not bad.... but just 300 km away you have the most crowdy port out of Florida state. Barcelona has more passengers than Nassau, New York, Rome, Venice, Southampton...  so hard to compare.

 

and.... in terms of industry, Valencia port is the second in Spain for freight.

First one is Algeciras. For any ship coming from/going to any Mediterranean port it is strongly easy to stop and do a "go-through", leaving some freight, taking other one and continuing without doing a detour thanks to Algeciras location.

Valencia is the second one, Barcelona is the third one.

 

 

 

So, just expect to find an industrial port close to a big city (Valencia is the third in Spain).

 

 

BTW, I have not posted yet about Valencia. I think I haven't enough information to make recommendations but if I can help with some tips I would try

[orla56]

Thank you both for your helpful replies.

Zana711 hopefully that is what we will get when we go there.

[rhiannon84]

Orla56, see if your cruise line is offering a shuttle service. When we visited Valencia, the shuttle was to Arts & Sciences anyway. It’s a pleasant area to walk around (flat and comfortable) with museums and shady park areas. You won’t see all of Valencia by going there, but a taxi to the old centre was very cheap (less than 10 euro) if you decide to go further. 

[edinburgher]

On 3/29/2024 at 3:03 PM, edinburgher said:

  Or go in the opposite direction, again by bus or taxi, to the futuristic area,

The journey to the futuristic area is really quite short, and I would expect that for a party of 2 (if you are indeed 2) two tickets for the nearby public bus or the short taxi ride with 2 sharing would be less costly than 2 shuttle tickets, especially if you don't intend to only shuttle between the terminal and the futuristic area.  If you venture further the shuttle may be of no further use to you, meaning it would only be an expensive one way ride.

[ollienbertsmum]

On 4/2/2024 at 11:36 AM, orla56 said:

Thank you Edinburgher and Zana 711 for your very helpful replies.

My husband has Parkinsons and thought a hoho would have been easier for him as sometimes his mobility isn't so good.

I really want to see the Arts and Science area as I had seen it on tv.

Its funny when I have seen it  I thought for some reason it would be in the city near the beach 🤦🏻‍♀️.We will get either the bus or a taxi to there and see how we get on for time to visit the beach or the old town.

Could you tell me when you are coming off the ship at the port do you go into a  terminal suitable for a wheelchair or is it just like a gangplank you walk off.

Thanks again for your helpful information.

We went a few years ago.   We took the shuttle to the old town - I wanted to visit la lonja de seda (worth it) then we took a public bus to the beach.  It was a Sunday in the middle of summer, it was easy to see which buses were beach bound.  I recall being really impressed by the beach.  I’m not a big fan of the pool deck on a cruise ship, it was nice to get cool with room to breathe.  

[ollienbertsmum]

Does this help.  I was looking for beach photos but didn’t see any.  It is a strange picture because it looks like the ship is on a car park.  It is 2012 so things could have changed.  We were just about to sail away, no idea what I was trying to capture in the photo.