Valencia, a smart destination
Did you know that Valencia is a smart tourist destination? Here, you can enjoy a holiday that is not only unforgettable but also responsible, with the satisfaction of knowing that you are in a destination that cares about the environment, its residents and visitors, and its traditions and heritage. Not surprisingly, the city held the title of European Capital of Smart Tourism in 2022!
What is a smart destination?
Being a smart destination means more than just promoting sustainable tourism, although there is no doubt that this is an important element. In addition to protecting local ecosystems, facilitating eco-friendly transport options and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it also involves ensuring the best possible experience for visitors, utilising innovative technologies and a healthy measure of creativity. And this experience must be accessible to all.
VALENCIA SMART CITY
Find out what makes Valencia a smart destination
Sustainable destination
Valencia is the first city in the world to measure and certify the carbon and water footprint of its tourist activity. The city makes it easy to reduce your impact, with an extensive network of bike lanes and compact historic centre best explored on foot. You can avoid single-use plastics by filling your water bottle at our new fountains. You’ll also want to enjoy the Turia Gardens, a bona fide green lung in the heart of the city, and discover the protected ecosystems of La Albufera Natural Park. And what other city boasts restaurants supplied by a local larder like the farms of La Huerta and the Mediterranean Sea?
Accessible and inclusive city
With land, sea and air transport links, Valencia welcomes all-comers, without distinction, and we are eliminating barriers so that everyone can enjoy the city equally. Our buses are equipped with Navilens technology for the visually impaired; our beaches, attractions and activities are accessible to persons with physical disabilities; and at many spots around the city, you will find pictograms for visitors with autism or intellectual disabilities. Our squares and broad pedestrian spaces are ideal meeting spots where you can mix with the locals and enjoy our culture and lifestyle. Diverse, open and welcoming, Valencia is proud to be a tolerant city, sensitive to all its visitors. It is for this reason that Valencia has been chosen to host the Gay Games XII in 2026, an international sporting and cultural event whose core principles are participation, inclusion and diversity.
Move around Valencia without barriers by bus, metro and tram
Innovative city
Our tourist resources and offices are fully digitalised. You can access any venue simply by using a QR code, without the need for paper tickets. All our guides, maps and brochures are available in digital format, allowing you to download them to your mobile so they're handy during your visit. In addition to tourist information agents available at our offices, on WhatsApp and via the live chat, our tourist offices also offer interactive touch screens where you can look for and download information or buy and pick up your Valencia Tourist Card or other purchases. And in 2022, you will be able to try new immersive experiences: explore the city without moving from that spot. At Visit Valencia, we have made an effort to be as smart as possible in our digitalisation, using sustainable servers to reduce our carbon footprint. This means that when you purchase tourist services on our website, you will be helping to practise smart and sustainable tourism.
A creative city proud of its cultural heritage
The wonderful Gothic building of La Lonja, the unique Water Tribunal that meets every Thursday at noon at the Cathedral’s Door of the Apostles, and Las Fallas, our most international festival, are three icons of the city recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Make sure your visit includes at least one of them! Valencia is teeming with culture: historical monuments, museums, theater, concerts, festivals... Have you visited the new CaixaForum Valencia, in the Agora Building of the City of Arts and Sciences? With an ever growing and varied range of cultural activities, you're sure to find something to your liking!
The legacy of Smart Valencia 2022
In 2022, Valencia was the European Capital of Smart Tourism, an honor that is now commemorated with a special mural in Mossen Sorell Square, next to the Central Market, designed by Virginia Lorente and Martín Forés. Drop by and see it. It's an illustration of vivid colors that reflects the smart tourism options in the city: from its green areas and sustainable transport, to its accessibility and creativity. It not only invites all visitors to reflect, but the little ones can even take chalk and add their own drawings or comments. A legacy that will live on forever.
