Off the beaten path in the Barcelona/Valencia area

If you're going to want to go to a place that is off the beaten path for both hiking and biking I strongly suggest renting a car. Driving in car actually in Spain is quite stress-free and probably very similar as in the US.

I think it is a easy misconception that Americans make when traveling to Europe that the public transit system here is so developed you can go anywhere at any time using only a bus or train. Often the schedules or routes don't line up with your timetable, especially considering you only have so little time on the ground.

I was going to suggest the Matarraña region between Valencia and Barcelona, I think it's exactly what you're looking for, however you're going to need a car to access it. I did a road trip in that region this summer and it was spectacular, here's my trip report - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/undiscovered-spain-mediterranean-roadtrip-2023

Thanks Carlos, I’ll read your report! We aren’t really opposed to cars, just had various issues with them in England, Italy and most recently in Germany in December. We decided it added so much stress that we would try to avoid if at all possible. The right destination might convince us otherwise though!

Valencia day trips by train

Castellon de la Plana 1 hour by train

Albufera National Park 51 minutes by train

Xativa 1 hour by train

Cuenca 52 minutes train

Sagunto 32 minutes train

I have never found the need and have no desire to rent a car. I have always been able to go wherever I want anywhere in Europe by train and occasionally bus. A few times I have taken a taxi to the rare place that I have an interest in not served by train or bus.
Taxi typically less than a rental cost per day with none of the hassle and stress of driving and all the parking etc. Issues that a car incurs

I have to disagree with the bruja. There are definitely places in Spain where a rental car makes the most sense, especially those locations nowhere near a town. Once outside of the cities driving is relatively stress free since there are few cars on rural roads.

While it is possible to get to most places using bus, train, or taxi, their frequency of service might make using them impractical, especially when holiday time is finite. For those really remote locations, as car is best.

I do agree with Carlos overall, but Cuenca would make a fine choice. You can hike right into the gorge that the towns sits astride. The dining there was superb. You could also do a day rental or pay a driver to take advantage of some of the great parks in the vicinity. It's a long train trek from BCN though the one-hour trip to Valencia may make up for it.

I had another trip that got cancelled, but we were planning to stay in Tarragona and drive to Parc Natural del Delta de l'Ebre, which looks great for biking.

Another Cuenca fan here. I want to point out that the fast trains to Cuenca (from either Madrid or Valencia) can be quite costly if tickets are purchased at the last minute.

think that it's wonderful that this forum allows opinions to be shared. I have discovered some places that were not on my travel radar. But they are still opinions based on experience but also preference and travel style. I would never go to Spain ,Portugal or Italy in July or August, I go to Scandinavia instead .
As a female travel sola by preference I love the freedom to make my own itinerary and make adjustments if I want.
I have been traveling in Europe for 15 years so lots of experience.
I was in Valencia 10 years ago and liked it. The river bed that has been turned into a park for walks and the Horchata sold from small vendors around the city were wonderful.
Day trips such as Xativa for me met my preferences: great aerobic walk up to the castle, small town, no other tourists, great lunch with local wine.
Alicante was not appealing to me at all.
I'm returning to Spain in from October 22 to November 15 and will spend time in Valencia and then go to Girona for a few days. I will not return to Barcelona.

I don’t know whether I’m really adding much to the above, but I feel I must offer a word of support for “cafetista-bruja,” only because her comments above appear to come closer to my own approach to travel that most of what I read in this forum. Among several trips to Spain, I myself have “specialized” in quaint, historic towns and cities off the tourist trail (Zamora, Zafra, Teruel), and the Bruja’s pleasure in a great lunch with local wine in a small town with no other tourists, is my source of travel pleasure as well. (I'm a little suspect of her disinterest in Alicante, which I haven't seen yet but which seems to get generally good reviews; but I'm willing to overlook this detail!)

Like the Bruja, I don't rent cars (except maybe when with a group), and contrary to the common opinion, when travelling I feel more liberated without a car, than with one. For one thing, I always feel a need to be in peak condition when I drive, and I feel the obligation all the more when I’m in someone else’s country. I know that not all tourists are as concerned about this as I am; but the circumstances of travel — drinking, night-time activities, the confusion of heavy traffic in thousand-year-old cities, the general weariness of rushing about on long drives — all conspire against being in good driving condition. Without a car, I can cruise tapas bars as late into the night as I want, or enjoy good local wine with my lunch, without having to worry about whether I can safely drive later, or about how bad the traffic is going to be.

Furthermore, I don’t have to worry about the many scams, and near-scams, that occur often in the rental-care world. In many quaint medieval Spanish towns, driving in the historic center is challenging, and in the wiser of those towns, illegal. You may have to leave your car in a cramped lot or garage, in which case I would worry constantly about the extra costs I might have to pay if I return to find the car all scratched up.

Rather that worry all the time about such things, I prefer get about in comfortable, worry-free trains, watching the Spanish landscape pass by through the window.

Thank you everyone for all of the thoughts and opinions! I have researched/am researching all of the locations and ideas you provided. Since it is our first time to Spain, I think we will opt for the no car options since it certainly seems there is plenty to see using public transport. We can save the car sights for our next trip. Thank you again!

Being your first time to Spain staying with places you can reach via public transportation makes sense. It’s always difficult making decisions on where to go when it’s your first time and there are so many places you could go.

My wife and I enjoy staying at Paradors when there’s one near where we’re going. Many are off the beaten path in towns that don’t see a lot of tourists. If you don’t make it to one on your trip, keep them in mind for your next trip.