Is the Valencia tourist card worth it in 2027?
Most visitors buy the Valencia Tourist Card assuming a city tourist card is automatically good value, the way it often is in other European cities. Here, the honest maths only works out for a specific kind of trip — dense sightseeing hitting several paid attractions. This is what the numbers actually look like for 2027.
| Price (2026-2027) | 24h ~€15, 48h ~€20, 72h ~€25, 7 days ~€40 |
| Covers | Metro, EMT buses, airport metro, discounts at ~30 attractions |
| Doesn’t cover | RENFE regional trains (Albufera, Xàtiva, coast day trips) |
| Buy where | Airport kiosk, Turisme office, hotels, or online |
| Break-even | Roughly 3-4 paid attractions plus regular transit use in the card’s window |
What the Valencia Tourist Card actually includes
The Valencia Tourist Card (Tarjeta Turística Valencia) comes in 24-hour, 48-hour, and 72-hour versions. Since 2024 there’s also a 7-day option for longer stays. The core inclusions are:
- Unlimited public transport: metro, EMT city buses, and the airport metro line
- Discounts at major attractions: Oceanogràfic, Bioparc, Science Museum, Hemisfèric, the hop-on hop-off bus, and about 30 other museums and attractions
- Free admission to a small number of sites (varies; confirm current list on the official Valencia Turisme site before buying)
Prices for 2026–2027 hover around: 24h ~€15, 48h ~€20, 72h ~€25, 7 days ~€40. These have increased incrementally in recent years.
The full detailed breakdown of included attractions is in the Valencia Tourist Card guide, and the tourist card attractions list has the current venue-by-venue discount percentages.
The honest maths
The tourist card is a reasonable deal if you plan to use it aggressively. Here’s the problem: most visitors don’t.
A typical honest accounting for a 48-hour card (roughly €20):
- Metro from airport to centre + back: ~€4 total (L3/L5, ~€2 each way)
- Oceanogràfic entry: adult ~€33, card holder gets 20% off = save ~€6.60
- Bioparc entry: adult ~€24, discount ~10% = save ~€2.40
- Various bus trips you’d have taken anyway: ~€3–4
Running total savings: roughly €12–13. You paid €20 for the card. Net loss: ~€7–8.
This is the most common scenario. The card works mathematically if you’re visiting three or four major paid attractions in 48 hours AND taking significant metro or bus journeys. That requires a fairly dense sightseeing schedule.
If your Valencia trip looks like: morning at Central Market, afternoon at the Turia Gardens (free), paella lunch, evening in Russafa (free), most of the next day at the beach (free) — you’re not hitting the break-even threshold.
A second scenario: the attraction-heavy weekend
Compare that with a genuinely attraction-heavy 72-hour weekend: Oceanogràfic (€33, 20% off = save €24, save €6.60), Hemisfèric (€9, similar discount), Bioparc (€2.40), plus the hop-on hop-off bus (€22 full price, a meaningful discount on the card) and daily metro/bus use for three days (~€10-12 in fares you’d otherwise pay individually). Stack those savings and the 72-hour card at ~€25 comes out clearly ahead — often by €15-20. The difference between this scenario and the break-even-negative one above isn’t the card itself, it’s how densely you pack paid attractions into the window.
When the card is clearly worth it
You’re going to the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias seriously: the Oceanogràfic alone costs €33 adult. Add the Hemisfèric and the Science Museum in a single day and the card math flips heavily in your favour. A full day at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias with three of the main venues easily clears €60 per adult at gate prices; the 72-hour card at ~€25 is a clear win.
You’re flying in and out: both airport metro trips (L3/L5) cost around €2 each. If you’re also taking buses and metro regularly, the unlimited transport component adds genuine value.
You have 72 hours and a dense itinerary: a structured 3-day Valencia itinerary hitting multiple paid attractions — Bioparc, Oceanogràfic, the Cathedral tower, a hop-on hop-off bus lap — makes the 72-hour card a net positive. The how many days in Valencia guide helps calibrate whether your trip length suits this pace.
When to skip it
Short trip focused on free activities: the Turia Gardens, the beach at La Malvarrosa, El Carmen street art, Russafa — these cost nothing. If your itinerary is predominantly free activities with one or two paid attractions, pay-as-you-go is cheaper. The Valencia on a budget guide has the wider picture of free and low-cost options across the city.
Day-trip focused trip: if you’re spending significant time at Albufera or on a day trip to Xàtiva or the coast, those transport costs are typically not covered by the tourist card (it’s limited to Valencia metro and EMT buses, not RENFE regional trains).
Budget traveller with a Mobilis card: the monthly Mobilis transport card (or even a 10-trip Bonobus) covers transport much more cheaply if transit is your main concern and you’re not interested in attraction discounts. The Mobilis card guide explains how it compares fare by fare.
The seven-day card: for extended stays only
The 7-day tourist card at ~€40 is only logical if you’re in Valencia for a full week AND plan to visit multiple major paid attractions. Most visitors spending a week in Valencia mix paid attractions with free sightseeing and day trips to the coast or inland towns. For extended stays, the unlimited transport component may justify the price even if you use fewer paid attractions.
Buying the card
The tourist card is available at the airport (arrivals hall kiosk), at the Valencia Turisme office in Plaza del Ayuntamiento, at some hotels, and online through the official Valencia Turisme site. Buy it when you arrive or in advance online — the airport kiosk is convenient if you want to cover your airport metro journey from the first moment.
The card is activated when you first use it (first metro tap or first attraction entry), not when you buy it. So buying it the day before departure and using it for the airport metro is a legitimate final use.
For the full attraction-by-attraction breakdown and current prices (which change seasonally), the Valencia Tourist Card complete guide is the reference, and the honest tourist card review goes deeper on the value proposition.
FAQ
Does the tourist card cover the Albufera boat tour or trip to Xàtiva? No — it covers Valencia city metro and EMT buses only. RENFE regional trains and buses to Albufera, Xàtiva or the coast are not included and are paid separately.
Is the 24-hour card ever worth buying? Only for a very packed single day — for example, arriving by airport metro and visiting two major paid attractions the same day. For a lighter single day, pay-as-you-go is usually cheaper.
