Valencia is a wonderfully lively city in which you can find plenty of interesting museums, historical sights, and innovative architecture.

At lunchtime, the colours and smells of seafood and ice-cold beers fill the air. At night, the city puts on a different dress, one quilted with street lights and colourful drinks, and it dances to the rhythm of live music. But what if you need a break? We can help with that too.

We’re going to give you a list of seven peaceful and quiet places in the city, plus one just a short bus ride away. Some of them hidden between buildings and behind thick hedges, some others vast and open. In them, you are sure to find refuge from the noise and hectic rhythm of the city.

Here, you’ll find a bit of solitude, a moment to relax with a soft breeze blowing through the leaves and lightly caressing the grass. You’ll be in peaceful silence, except for the gentle gurgling of water and the birds chirping in the background.

Whether you want to be completely removed from the city, or you’d like to do some physical activity out in the open and away from the traffic, or even if you’d like a romantic garden, we have what you’re looking for.

Turia Park

This is the serpentine urban garden that hugs the city of Valencia, known as Jardín del Turia. This large park is one of the most beloved and popular green spaces in the city, and luckily enough, it’s also extremely close to the city.

Just walking down a few stone steps, you’ll be able to disconnect completely from the city rumble and chaos. On your outing you will enjoy small wooded areas, flower gardens, or large lawns, depending on the section you find yourself in. Along it are small artificial lakes and shallow water pools that help create a relaxing atmosphere.

The park is perfect if you’re an active type: here you’ll find open-air gyms, running tracks and bike paths. But if you’re looking for slower activities instead, fear not. In the leisure areas there are benches and tables, as well as beautiful monuments (like Palau de la Musica), art installations, cafés, and playgrounds for kids.

Jardines del Real

The Jardines del Real, also called Viveros are one of the largest and most beautifully maintained gardens in the city. They too are ideal if you want to get away from the noise of the city without having to go too far.

The garden’s different areas can accommodate all tastes. Closer to the city you’ll find a more structured, romantic part, with arranged tree promenades, aviaries, small fountains, and gravel footpaths. This is the perfect spot to read a book in the shade.

Getting further in you’ll find a few venues, including Valencia’s Natural Science Museum (Museu de Ciències Naturals), the Meteorological Centre, a seasonal Book Fair, as well as several sitting areas and a café.

If you want so simply lay down in the grass, we recommend going to the other end of the park. There you’ll find beautiful open spaces, vast lawns where people like to play informal, open-air sports, and some large, shady trees to sit under. Either way, the Royal Garden is definitely worth a visit.

Jardí de Montfort

If there’s such a thing as a hidden paradise in Valencia, this is it. This small, quiet park is a beautifully cared for and elegant ornamental garden. This is a little-known romantic gem that can provide a break from the summer heat, especially if you need a bit of quiet and alone time.

The MontfortGarden is an extremely curated green space, with plenty of water fountains and shady areas. Above all, it is not very well-known, so you can visit the orange tree orchard without too many tourists around you.

The careful landscaping gifts the area with hedge mazes adorned by elegant statues, delicate floral displays, wooden bridges, and flower tunnels. All this gives the garden a Midsummer Night’s Dream vibe, perfect if you want to take beautiful pictures. In fact, this green heaven is a local favourite for wedding and traditional costume photography.

Jardí Botànic

Valencia’s lush Botanical Garden, belonging to Valencia’s University, is a living museum that preserves the city’s legacy of cultivation with thousands of flora species, including medicinal and exotic ones.

This gorgeous space is a peaceful oasis where you can learn about and enjoy a multitude of exotic and interesting plants. You’ll find yourself walking among ancient species of giant trees, flowering shrubs, and a variety of desert cacti.

Towards the inner section of the garden, you can also find greenhouses with carnivore plants and small gardens with a collection of edible plants. If you have an artistic vein, the Botanical Garden is a great place to bring a notebook and sketch the flora and even the fauna (lots of local cats find refuge here).

Parque de Cabecera

The CabeceraPark is one of the biggest and quietest parks in Valencia. With its vast and unpretentious slopes, it is a family favourite.

This suggestive, bucolic scenery is ideal if you want to feel completely removed from the city and in contact with nature. You’ll find that a canal of the Turia river goes through this park and forms an internal lake, where the aquatic fauna are left undisturbed - it’s not unusual to see swans, turtles, and large fish in the waters.

Parque de Cabecera is a space with no refined or precise landscaping. Rather, the park tries to recreate the original geography of the Turia riverside, with natural peninsulas, ample grassy spaces, native vegetation, and small islands on the water. The park’s hills and slopes also offer panoramic viewpoints over the whole complex.

On the grounds, you’ll find plenty of child-friendly activities, like boat rentals, playgrounds and especially the nearby Bioparc (Valencia’s zoological park).

Central Park

The Parque Central is one of Valencia’s newest green additions. It is more structured than other parks in the city, and its well-organised recreational areas have something for everyone.

Valencia’s Central Park’s futuristic layout is intentionally designed to provide entertainment and activities together with relaxation. Its area is a masterful balance of abundantly green spaces, recreational areas, facilities, walking routes, and fountains.

Water paths connect the different sections, some of which are dedicated to children (with slides and water games), some to sports, some others to dogs, and others yet to decoration or leisure and rest.

Beaches

Valencia enjoys about 7 km (more than 4 miles) of continuous, broad, golden beaches, and the excellent weather allows visitors to enjoy this part of the city almost year-round. Unlike other major Spanish cities, they are not as close to the historical centre as you might think, so they don’t feel cramped at all.

The beaches are one of Valencia’s prides. There are four of them off the city’s coast: Platja del Cabanyal, Playa de la Malvarrosa, Playa de Les Arenas and Playa Patacona.

The sand is kept clean and the beaches’ size and spaciousness make it so that they never feel crowded, even in high season.

You can sunbathe, read a book, or listen to music on the more quiet Patacona Beach, or practice beach and water sports or relax at a cocktail bar by the busier beaches, Malva-rosa, Cabanyal, and Les Arenes.

Albufera Natural Park

The Parc Natural de l’Albufera is a natural reserve just a little south of Valencia. You can visit the lagoon, as well as the Natural Park itself.

This protected area is a beautiful lagoon surrounded by woods, reed beds, and rice fields. The dense vegetation helps maintain a lush aquatic habitat for the many species of birds and fish. In some parts, you can even find natural dunes and pine woods.

If you are an active type, you’ll love hiking the Natural Park and being immersed in nature. If you want to take it up a notch, you can get on your bike and try the Vuelta a l’Albufera tour. You’ll enjoy a suggestive route through Albufera’s marshes, fishing villages, and ports.