Valencia is built around rice, and that is a good thread to follow when you are on your own. The city's tourism board describes a cuisine shaped by the orchard, the sea and the Albufera lake, and you can trace it in a morning: a weekly court at the cathedral door, a market, a sit-down snack, a sunken river garden and a city bus to the lake itself. Here is how to do that alone, with the times that matter.
For the general how-to, see things to do alone in a new city. If eating alone is the hard part, how to eat alone in public is a short guide. All cities are on the things to do alone in cities hub.
Valencia runs on fixed times
Plan around a few anchors and the rest of the day can stay loose.
| When | What | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 12:00 | Water Court, Plaza de la Virgen (Wednesday if Thursday is a public holiday) | Visit Valencia |
| Monday to Saturday 7:30 to 15:00 | Mercado Central | Mercado Central |
| 9:00 to 12:00 | Esmorzaret, the mid-morning snack | Visit Valencia |
| Tuesday to Sunday | IVAM, 10:00 to 19:00, closed Monday | IVAM |
| Wednesday afternoon | Free entry to the Hortensia Herrero Art Centre with prior reservation | Visit Valencia |
Eat the Valencian way
Start with esmorzaret. The tourism board describes it as a hearty snack between 9:00 and 12:00 that combines a small plate of appetizers, a sandwich and a drink. It lists the almussafes sandwich (sobrasada, caramelised onion and melted cheese) and the blanc i negre as examples, and cremaet, a coffee with rum, sugar and spices, as the classic drink. It is a sit-down meal with a clear start and finish, which suits one person well. (Visit Valencia)
Mercado Central (Old Town). The market's directory lists stalls for fish, cheese, cured meats, fruit and vegetables and a "para tomar o llevar" category for eating there or taking away. It is open Monday to Saturday from 7:30 to 15:00. (Mercado Central) Browsing stalls gives you something to do with your hands, and asking for what you want is a small exchange you can practise.
Mercado de Colon (Eixample). The opposite rhythm: it opens at 7:30 and runs late (until 2:00 Monday to Thursday and Sunday, until 3:00 Friday and Saturday). Its listings include two horchata bars, Casa Orxata and Horchateria Daniel. Horchata is the tiger nut drink the tourism board names among the local drinks, with designation of origin. Metro lines 3 and 5 stop nearby. (Mercado Colon)
Ruzafa (south of the centre). The tourism board calls it the best neighbourhood for "tardeo", early-evening drinks on its terraces, and points to Ruzafa Market for fresh produce and international food. (Visit Valencia)
El Cabanyal (by the sea). The old fishermen's quarter has tiled facades, a 150-stall market, and the Rice Museum in the historic Moli de Serra, which shows rice processing with restored machinery. (Visit Valencia)
Walk the river that became a garden
After the floods of 1957 the Turia river was diverted south of the city, and its old bed became the Turia Garden: over nine kilometres of green space, crossed by 18 bridges from the 15th-century Trinity Bridge to Calatrava's Assut d'Or. It is a place to walk, run or cycle with no timetable, and the tourism board notes marked running routes. The Serranos Towers, a former city gate, stand beside it. (Visit Valencia)
Within the garden you can also end the walk with music. The Palau de la Musica publishes its concert programme with date and start time for each event, so check the calendar for the evening you want. (Palau de la Musica)
If you have a bike, the tourism board says bicycles travel on the metro at no extra charge across the whole network on weekends, and on other days only on surface sections. (Visit Valencia)
Rooms to sit in when it is grey
- IVAM (Carrer Guillem de Castro 118). Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 19:00, closed Monday. The exhibition "Only one thing was strange, to keep thinking like before" by Melanie Smith runs from 7 October 2026 to 10 January 2027. (IVAM)
- Hortensia Herrero Art Centre (Calle del Mar 31). Contemporary art in a 17th-century palace with Roman circus remains in the basement. Seventeen rooms can be visited independently. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday 10:00 to 15:00, closed Monday and on 25 December, 1 January and 6 January. Wednesday afternoons are free with prior reservation. (Visit Valencia)
- La Filmoteca (Edifici Rialto). The regional film archive screens films in their original version with Spanish subtitles (listed as "VOS castella"). The programme lists each screening with its date and time, so check it for the day you go. (Filmoteca programme) See going to the cinema alone.
A half day at the Albufera
The Albufera is a Ramsar-listed lake ten kilometres from the city, bordered by rice fields, with more than 300 bird species. The tourism board says autumn has the highest concentration of birds, and you can see them from viewpoints and observation hides. A traditional boat trip lasts around 40 minutes. To get there, take EMT bus line 24 or 25 and get off at stop 2169, Pinars - Carretera del Palmar. In El Palmar village, restaurants serve rice dishes. (Visit Valencia)
Getting around
The tourism board says the city has 60 bus routes, 6 metro lines and 4 tram lines, with 180 metropolitan routes to the airport, the beach and the Albufera. The centre is flat and much of the old town is pedestrian. (Visit Valencia) The Water Court is reached by buses 4, 6, 11, 26, 28, 31, 94, C1 and C2 to Plaza de la Virgen.
First solo outings in Valencia
- Easy: Thursday at 12:00, stand at the Apostles' Door and watch the Water Court. It is conducted in Valencian and can be brief, so arrive early and you need not understand a word.
- Medium: A morning esmorzaret, then a lap of Mercado Central before it closes at 15:00.
- Bold: Take bus 24 or 25 to the Albufera on your own, book the boat when you arrive, and stay for sunset or a rice lunch in El Palmar.
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era (an iPhone app) has an everyday mission at level 2 worded "Buy your food at a market where you have to ask for it." Mercado Central fits it well. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.
FAQ
When does the Water Court meet?
Every Thursday at 12:00 at the Apostles' Door of Valencia Cathedral, per the tourism board. If Thursday is a public holiday it meets on Wednesday. It is held in Valencian.
What is esmorzaret?
A mid-morning snack between 9:00 and 12:00: appetizers, a sandwich and a drink, according to the tourism board.
Is Mercado Central open on Sundays?
The market's site lists Monday to Saturday from 7:30 to 15:00 and gives no Sunday hours.
How do I get to the Albufera without a car?
The tourism board names EMT bus lines 24 and 25, stop 2169 Pinars - Carretera del Palmar. The boat trip is about 40 minutes.
Is any museum free?
The Hortensia Herrero Art Centre lists free admission on Wednesday afternoons with prior reservation. Check the page for current terms.
Sources (checked 2026-11-01)
- Visit Valencia: Water Court
- Visit Valencia: local gastronomy
- Visit Valencia: Turia Garden
- Visit Valencia: L'Albufera
- Visit Valencia: Ruzafa
- Visit Valencia: El Cabanyal
- Visit Valencia: Hortensia Herrero Art Centre
- Visit Valencia: getting around
- Visit Valencia: by bike
- Mercado Central
- Mercado Colon
- IVAM
- La Filmoteca programme
- Palau de la Musica
Details change; check the venue before you go.
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.
