Valencia Airport: getting to the city centre and resorts
Valencia Airport is one of those airports you actually want to say nice things about. Small, calm, and only 11 km from the centre. The metro leaves right from the terminal: head down to the lower level, ride for twenty minutes, and you're in town. If only every airport were like this.
But people often fly to Valencia not for Valencia itself but for the sea: Cullera, Gandia, Denia, Benidorm. And this is where it gets interesting. There's no direct transport from the airport to any of them, and the route map makes the changes look so harmless that you're tempted to believe it. Not so fast.
At first glance it's simple: a small airport, the sea close by. We've gathered the key travel facts in a table: distances, changes, prices. The red herrings and the real catches we'll unpick below, destination by destination.
Where you can go from Valencia Airport
| Destination | Distance | Public transport | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Valencia | 11 km | metro, no changes, 20-25 minutes | ~21 min, from €28 |
| Cullera | 54 km | metro, C1 commuter train, then you still have to get to the beach | ~45 min, from €81 |
| Gandia | 78 km | metro, C1 commuter train, bus or taxi to the beach | ~56 min, from €109 |
| Denia | 113 km | no direct train, bus | ~1 hr 16 min, from €152 |
| Benidorm | 148 km | metro to the centre, then bus | ~1 hr 36 min, from €193 |
| Alicante | 177 km | metro to the centre, then train or bus | ~2 hr, from €228 |
Central Valencia: the rare case where the metro really is your new favourite
Aeroport station is on the lower floor of the regional flights terminal. Lines 3 and 5 take you to the centre in 20-25 minutes, with trains every 15 minutes on weekdays and every 20 at weekends. A ticket costs €4.80, plus €1.10 for the SUMA card the first time you buy one. Carrier fares as of October 2026.
One catch: the airport is a separate fare zone. The city ticket you so thoughtfully bought in advance won't work here.
There's also bus 150. It takes about 45 minutes and seems to drop in on every suburb along the way, and on Sundays and public holidays it doesn't go to the airport at all. A taxi is quicker, but at night, at weekends and on public holidays the meter runs at a higher rate.
Two of you with backpacks? Take the metro. With children, a pushchair and three suitcases, the metro also looks like the obvious choice: twenty minutes and you're in the centre. But look closely at the wording. "In the centre" means at a station, not at your hotel door. From there it's a few more blocks on foot, and you'll remember them better than the City of Arts and Sciences. So for this crew a car is the easiest option: the driver drops you right at the door.
Cullera and Gandia: the map isn't lying, it's just keeping quiet
Let's open the map. The C1 commuter train, "Gandia" station, a little over an hour's ride. Looks perfect. A no-brainer, right?
Except it isn't quite as simple as it looks at first glance. First you take the metro to Xàtiva station. Then you walk to the North Station, Estació del Nord. A stunning station, by the way: Modernisme, oranges on the façade, you stand there with your head tipped back and forget about your suitcase. Your suitcase, however, doesn't forget about you.
Then the train: a little over an hour to Gandia, roughly every half hour during the day. You arrive and discover that the station is in town, while the beach and most of the resort hotels are a few kilometres away. Only three trains a day go to the beach. Three! So most people do the last stretch by bus or taxi.
All in all: two changes, more than two hours, and a suitcase that by now hates you as much as you hate it.
The most annoying part is that the map didn't lie about anything. There really is a "Gandia" station on it. You were simply looking for a station and found one; you weren't looking for the beach, so you didn't notice it's still a long way off. That's how the brain works: it sees what it's looking for. So look at the whole map.
Cullera, by the way, is the same story: from the station you still have to get to El Racó beach.
By car it's ~45 min to Cullera and ~56 min to Gandia. No changes. No station draped in oranges either, admittedly, but that's your call.
Denia: the town everyone overlooks, and shouldn't
Ferries leave the port of Denia for Ibiza and Mallorca, and most people are just passing through: land, drive, sail. Which is a shame. A castle stands on a hill above the harbour, and the town is small and very quiet. If your schedule allows, stay at least a day.
Now about the ferry. The first time you look at the route, it seems you won't need any time to spare: how far can it be, really? There's no direct train from Valencia to Denia, which leaves the bus or a car. But from the airport to Denia it's about 1 hour 16 minutes by road, and the ferry won't wait.
So choose a pick-up time that leaves you a good buffer before the ferry sails.
Benidorm: look at the map first
From Valencia Airport to Benidorm is 148 km. From Alicante Airport it's 63 km. More than twice as close. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, just compare flights into both airports.
And if you already have? Oh well. Then your brain is already scrambling for excuses. The good news: they're usually genuine. From the outside it looks as if you picked the wrong airport. But the facts are on your side: the flight to Valencia was cheaper or arrived at a better time. And the extra kilometres really just mean an extra hour in the car: that's the price of a convenient flight.
From Barcelona to Valencia
Barcelona and Valencia often go together in one trip, and it's a great idea. The high-speed train between them is fast, no question. But it's fast only from station to station. With children and luggage you have to add two more taxi rides: to the train and from it. That's why we offer transfers to Valencia both from central Barcelona and straight from Barcelona Airport.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Valencia Airport to the city centre?
The most affordable way is the metro: lines 3 and 5 take you to the centre in about 20-25 minutes. A ticket from the airport costs €4.80, plus €1.10 for the card. Bus 150 and taxis are the other options.
How far is Valencia Airport from the city centre?
Valencia Airport is 11 km from the centre. By car the journey takes about 21 minutes.
How do I get from Valencia Airport to Gandia or Cullera?
By public transport, take the metro to Xàtiva station, then the C1 commuter train from Estació del Nord. In both towns the station is a few kilometres from the beach, so you'll need one more change. A transfer takes you straight to your hotel.
Is there a train from Valencia to Denia?
There is no direct train from Valencia to Denia. You can get there by bus or by car.
Which airport is closer to Benidorm, Valencia or Alicante?
Alicante Airport is closer: it's 63 km from Benidorm, compared with 148 km from Valencia Airport.
You book in the Let's GO app or on the website: enter the pick-up address and the destination, and the price appears straight away, before you confirm.
Photos: Diego Delso (delso.photo), Echiner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA