Day trips from Valencia questions

For potential day trips or side trips from Valencia:

Via Train or Bus:
Cuenca - cliff side medieval town surrounded by pine forests with good hiking, on AVE line to MAD.

Alicante - port town south of Valencia, with a castle and nice old quarter.

Tarragona - good for a few days, port town close to Barcelona with excellent Roman ruins.

Madrid - accessible via the AVE definitely stay a few nights

Teruel - northwest of Valencia, Aragonese town known for Mudéjar Architecture.

Only via Car
Albarracín - voted the prettiest village in Spain, know for it's mix of Moorish and Christian buildings.

Peñíscola - Knights Templar castle on a rock that juts out into the sea, with a nice whitewashed old town.

I want to second Carlos in vouching for Teruel, which gets very few foreign tourists because it's awkward to reach from Barcelona and Madrid. The town's motto is "Teruel Exists", which gives you an idea of how non-touristy it is. Teruel's Mudejar towers are striking, and there are some interesting early-20th century buildings as well. It's accessible by rail from Valencia (and also from Zaragoza). If you arrive by car, don't miss the large outdoor staircase over near the train station. It's modern but very in keeping with the town's architecture.

With time and patience once can visit Albarracin by bus from Teruel. There's once-a-day bus service between the two--I think Monday-Saturday, with the Saturday schedule being a bit different from the weekday schedule. However, you have to overnight in Albarracin and would be there far less than 24 hours. In high season there are some guided walks in Albarracin, but I had a truncated visit driven by the bus schedule and primarily wandered around by myself. If I had it to do over again I'd spend two nights there so I wasn't so rushed. I don't know that there's much going on in February in terms of tourist services, though.

I urge you to find time for Teruel and Albarracin since Valencia positions you so well to see them and they are difficult otherwise. However, I am clueless about the probable condition of the roads around Albarracin in February. If locals advise that there are no road worries, you could combine Teruel, Albarracin and Cuenca in one foray, but that would be a chunk of days away from Valencia at one time. Since you're staying in Valencia, you can visit the towns separately if it's more convenient.

The reason I'd prioritize Teruel and Albarracin over Cuenca is that the latter is on the AVE line from Madrid to Valencia, so it's easy to include in a later trip to Spain. The rail connection is fast from either direction. Note that the AVE tickets can get pricey if not bought early. The AVE station for Cuenca is too far from town to walk. There's bus service (I think probably not on Sunday, and perhaps infrequent on Saturday), but I don't know how well coordinated it is. Best to budget for a taxi just in case.

For timing purposes you should know that Cuenca has two good, small, modern-art museums. Allow extra time there if the museums are of interest. Otherwise, one full day should be adequate for most visitors. I saw posted notices in 2016 for a local walking tour but didn't have a chance to take it. I don't know whether it operates in February. Aside from the museums I think the major indoor sight is the cathedral. There's an English-language audio guide. I believe that's the place I remember as being quite cold inside even though it was very hot outdoors. Bundle up in February! In fact, I think the entire town could be sort of chilly, positioned as it is on a hill.

Are you sure you want to go to Majorca for "a night or two"? I haven't been there yet, but I've researched it extensively for (I hope) inclusion in next year's trip, and I have it penciled in for 6 or 7 nights since I'll be depending on public transportation. That would include no beach time. The island seems to have lovely scenery and some picturesque villages, and Palma sounds really enticing--definitely not a single-day city. To get there you'll have to fly (in which case you could about as easily visit Majorca on a trip to France or Germany) or take a ferry, so the travel time will be substantial. I would stay longer or skip it on this trip. It's not like you're short of possible side-trips from Valencia.

Thanks so much for this!

I definitely wouldn't want to just spend a night or two on Mallorca in February. February will be dead, and one day is not enough to explore properly. Stay on the mainland, which has more to offer at that time of the year.