7 reasons you should visit Valencia, Spain as a vegan who loves food & excursions

Are you looking for a new place to visit in Europe as a vegan? Don’t look further! Valencia is a great place to visit in Spain as a vegan for food and much more!

In fact, according to those stats it’s one of the best vegan city in Spain.

Let’s me the 7 reasons why you should visit Valencia as a vegan for your next trip to Europe or Spain if you love food and excursions!

1. Valencia has amazing Vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants

a. Valencia Old Town is full of vegan options. Here are my favorite ones:

Açai Almalibre – their rice and tempeh burger with spicy açai sauce is just OMG! Best vegan burger ever! Of course, you should also order for dessert one of their açai bowl (I love it with paçoca, which is made from peanuts) – Directly in the old town near Torre de Serranos

Nomit – the best about this restaurant is that your omnivore / meat-eater friends or family will love it! They offer lunch menu for good prices – In the South of the Old Town in one of the biggest avenue of Valencia

Beirut – my favorite restaurant near City of Arts and Sciences is a Lebanese one! I love their wrap, their hummus and babaganoush and their dessert are not to be missed!

Loving Hut – famous chain of restaurants. They offer a great deal to pay food by weight from their buffet option, or you can eat there and pay for the full buffet. – In the South of the Old Town and very near to Turia park, which is why I always take away there (bringing my own tupper of course 🙂 ) and go eat in the park.

Khambu Food – this place is great if you want some vegan fast food. As a planet lover, I love the fact that their salads are served in eatable dishes! The place is very nice with plants. It’s in the center of the Old Town, so it’s perfect to eat after a tour of Valencia Old Town

b. Best places for vegan breakfast in Valencia

For breakfast, you can either go to Açai Almalibre which opens at 10am for a great açai bowl and smoothy to start your day the best way possible.

You can also ask for a pan con tomate at any terrasse in the city as it’s vegan and typical.

Another typical food which would be perfect for breakfast is Horchata, which is a traditional plant-based milk from tiger nuts. If you don’t want to have sugar in it, make sure to ask for “no azucar por favor”.

On weekend, my favorite place is La Girafe, which offers amazing brunches and has a vegan one! Make sure to call to book beforehand, as it’s usually quite full.

c. Best places to eat near the beach in Valencia

There aren’t many restaurants which are good for vegan near the beach. In fact, there are only 2: La Mas Bonita and La Girafe.

Even though, La Mas Bonita is loved by a lot of people, for me, it’s usual food for higher prices.

That’s why, I always recommend La Girafe instead. Both restaurants are not fully vegan, but they are vegan-friendly and have vegan options.

2. Vegan local food & drinks is great for vegans

a. Tapas in Valencia for vegans

To be honest, Valencia is not the city for tapas, as tapas are usually from South of Spain. However, tapas can now be eaten anywhere in Spain, so here are my favorite ones that we can enjoy as vegan.

• gazpacho (cold tomato soup)
• pimiento del padron (delicious fried green peppers) – it’s usually not spicy for information
• batatas bravas – ONLY if you ask to not have mayonnaise (not vegan!) on top
• aceitunas (olives)

b. Horchata Valencia – a vegan typical drink

As mentioned above in the breakfast section, this local traditional drink is perfect for vegan people as it’s plant-based.

My favorite place to drink it in Valencia Old Town is Horchateria Santa Catalina. It’s a beautiful space.

c. Valencia Vegan Paella

What would be a visit to Valencia without eating the famous Paella? Usually local people will eat it with chicken or seafood.

That’s why as vegan the choices might be a bit limited but still possible.

Here are the places recommended by my vegan friends:

• Alqueria del Pou (option of Vegan Paella)
• El Racon de Meri in the Central Market: go there early as it’s usually sold out at 12.30!
• Restaurant Llevant (option Veggie Paella) on Patacona beach
• La Tavernaire – Only on Sundays

I have to admit that I have never tried some vegan paella in a restaurant, as I prefer to cook it with friends in the countryside! By the way, if you want to have such experience of cooking vegan paella in the countryside in a beautiful place with other vegan people, let me know and I can see if my friend and I can arrange this service for you!

3. Valencia offers a lot of off-the-beaten path activities for outdoor fun & excursions

Here are my favorite places to visit in or near Valencia

Valencia Turia Park

This park is 7km long and go from Park de Cabecera (very nice park that I recommend you to visit) to City of Arts and Sciences. It means you can walk from one point to another of the city walking in a green area! Isn’t it wonderful?!

Valencia Montfort Park

The best place in Valencia to relax and be in a very intimate place as not many people know about it! If you are coming with your partner, you should definitely check it out, as it’s very romantic place!

Valencia Albufera – El Saler National Park

This place is very close to Valencia and you can come for a day and enjoy different things: walk on a beach which won’t be crowded, have a natural walk on the Botanical Walkway full of great info of the flora there and enjoy the sunset on El Saler lake.

You can reach this place easily by bus from City of Arts and Sciences or by bike as it’s quite close by.

Port Saplaya

The little Venice of Spain. It’s a beautiful place off-the-beaten track as not many tourists go there (yet!).

It’s nice to have a walk and to then relax at the beach.

Other places to go to in the region a bit further away

• Montanejos Hot Springs, perfect in summer but also in the other seasons to have a nice hike
• Bunol Caves, river and Castle
• Xativa Castle
• Denia Caves and Castle
• Sagunto Castle
• Chulilla high bridge, waterfall and mountains
• Cullera Castle, beach and caves
• Navajas waterfalls and rivers
• Chera river & high bridge
• El Garbi mountain

If you like adventure and would like to visit those unique places with other vegan people in a safe environment with a guide, private transportation and vegan snacks, check out the next events here (available from April 2020 only)

4. There are so many activities to do near Valencia as a vegan

• Valencia Boat Trips / tours: from Valencia Harbor, there are daily boat tours organized
• Valencia Rock Climbing: the moutains in the surroundings of Valencia are perfect for climbing! The best places are near Alzira – La Murta -, Bellus, Bunol, Chulilla, Gandia, Garbi, Puzol, Montanejos
• Valencia Hiking: all of the places mentioned in the previous session about off-the-beaten path activities in Valencia are perfect for hiking (one of my favorite activity!)

5. Valencia has a lot of Festivals

a. Vegan Festivals, VeganFest, VegFest, Feria Vegana

• Feria Vegana in Las Naves is each year in October
• Ruta de la Tapa Vegana is each year in February

b. Other important events & festivals in Valencia

Valencia is a city with a lot of events. In fact, we have events going on every weekend in the city. The “problem” is usually to find what you want to choose between all of those options!

Dia de los Reyes – day of the kings. It’s essentially a special day with parades for kids on 6th January each year

Las Fallas Valencia – big international event that lasts the whole month of March, with the main events from 15th to 19th March 2020 this year

Easter Holy week – although I don’t like the eating part of Easter around the world. I was quite amazed to see the religious processions in the city and at the beach! It’s nice for the cultural side of it, even as a not religious person, I like to experience such local events

Valencia Marathon and Half-Marathon – in November each year

Valencia GP Moto in November each year

6. Valencia region has amazing beaches

According to me, the best beaches are around Denia and Javea. In Valencia city, I like to go to La Patacona (less touristy) and La Malvarosa (more touristy but very close to my home and closer to the center of Valencia).

7. Why I prefer Valencia instead of Barcelona or Madrid?

Although Barcelona and Madrid have some great offers of vegan food and restaurants, I always recommend people to live or to visit Valencia more than those other places in Spain, because Valencia is smaller, less touristy (but increasing every year), less expensive and has great beaches!

The vegan food and restaurants in Valencia has amazing offers, so I think this is definitely the best place! Moreover, in Valencia, you can do everything walking or by bicycle, which might be more difficult in Barcelona and Madrid

Your turn now! Have you ever been to Valencia or Spain? What’s your favorite Spanish food? Do you feel like you can’t wait to visit Valencia now for your new vegan travel?

Remember to pin it to save all those great tips!