I have been to Valencia a few times, but never for more than a week. This city is beautiful, there is so much to see and so much to do. The beautiful beach, the graffiti all over the city centre, and the paella – oh, dang that paella.  My life is on the road, so I live on a super strict budget when I am being a tourist. Here are five things to do in Valencia, Spain, for under €5:

1. Do a free walking tour

The best way to see a city is walk around it, but sometimes, it is more fun to have stories accompany the views. I am a huge advocate for free walking tours. The guide works on tips, so you decide how much they deserve at the end of the tour. I normally think €5 is good (because I am traveling for an extensive period of time and have a SUPER tight budget), but it’s up to the attendees what they pay. I like that. (Check their website here: https://freetourvalencia.com/en/)

Cost: €5 (or whatever you feel like!)

2. Drink Horchata at the Horchateria Fabian

Horchata is a delicious Spanish milk-like drink made from tiger nuts. No, not tiger’s nuts, tiger nuts. They are a delicious, naturally sweet nut and when pulverized into milk, make a delightfully light, super sweet drink. One of the best, sweetest hochatas we had was here, at Horchateria Fabian. It looked like Pop’s Chocolate Shop straight out of Archie Comics and the couple working was so lovely.

Cost: €2 for a cup of horchata, €1.50 for a farton pastry for dipping!

3. Climb St Michael’s tower

If you’re like me, you like seeing cities, but LOVE seeing them from a tall place. St Michael’s tower offers a beautiful, panoramic view of the whole city. From here, you can see everything, the market, cathedrals, and even as far as the City of Arts and Science! It costs money to go into the cathedral underneath the tower, but the climb to the top is only €2 for an adult. The climb is hard, but fast. Prepare to sweat a little bit, but don’t let it scare you from doing it.

Cost: €2 for a climb to the top!

4. Wander around the City of Arts and Science

The City of Arts and Science is an architectural marvel. I am not an architect, so I don’t actually know if it’s a ‘marvel,’ but as someone who knows nothing about buildings, this place is total magic. There are four different areas: a science museum, an arts theatre, an aquarium, and a IMAX theatre. It costs a heck of a lot to go into any of them, but if you are a cheapskate like me, you can wander around the grounds for free and check out all the stunning buildings from every angle.

Cost: FREE!  (Check their website https://freetourvalencia.com/en/ for pricing about entrance to events)

5. Rent a bicycle and cycle through the park!

Running just north of the city centre is an ancient river bed that dried up a long time ago. Instead of trying to make it a river again (can you even do that?), the city of Valencia turned the riverbed into a beautiful park. Now, it has playgrounds, fields for sport, and beautiful, uninterrupted bicycle paths. Renting bicycles for a whole day, or for multiple days can be kind of expensive, but for an afternoon activity, you can rent a bicycle and cruise around the park for an hour.

Cost: €5 for an hour from Valencia Bike Rentals (their website http://www.valenciabikes.com/en/bicycle-rental/)

 

Heading to Madrid? Check ten things to do in Madrid for under €10 here!

Heading up north? Check ten things to do in the north of Spain here!