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Great Rail Journeys · Escorted tour

Flavours of Valencia

Spanish Mediterranean rail journey from London to Valencia with food and culture

Illustration of Flavours of Valencia

Great Rail Journeys' Flavours of Valencia is an eight-day escorted tour departing London St Pancras and concluding in Valencia, Spain. The journey runs through Paris and the Catalan city of Girona before settling into Valencia for six nights of food, history, and nature-based activities. You travel by Eurostar Plus (First Class) and Spanish First Class rail, alongside coach and boat excursions. Days blend guided discovery with leisure: Day 3 takes you through Valencia's Old Town to the Gothic cathedral and UNESCO Silk Exchange before free time; Day 4 combines a boat cruise through Albufera Natural Park's rice fields with a paella-making class; Day 5 includes a boat ride through illuminated underground caves and a visit to Sagunto Castle with Iron Age origins. Day 6 is entirely free for museums or plaza wandering. Day 7 visits Huerto Ribera, a family-owned orange farm in Carcaixent, with a vermouth workshop. The tour suits food-and-wine travellers, history lovers, and couples seeking guided comfort with paced leisure; a UK Tour Manager accompanies you throughout.

What to know before you look closer

  • The single-room supplement is substantial at GBP 900 (USD 1200) against a double price of GBP 2699; solo travellers pay a 33 percent premium
  • Three lunches are independent; you arrange meals on days 3, 5, and a self-guided picnic or restaurant choice on day 4 afternoon
  • UK rail connections to London St Pancras are booked separately; the price covers the package from London St Pancras station onward

Day by day

  1. Day 1railovernight: Girona

    London to Girona

    Your Mediterranean holiday begins at London St Pancras, where you meet the Tour Manager before boarding the Eurostar to Paris. A light meal is served in spacious Plus class seats. Upon arrival in Paris, transfer to a First Class service to the Catalan city of Girona. Arriving late-evening, take a short walk to the hotel to check in. Located in the heart of the city, the hotel is modern and well-appointed, nestled among cobbled streets and medieval architecture, with nearby restaurants for independent dining.

    Meals: Light meal (Eurostar)

  2. Day 2railovernight: Valencia

    Arriving in Valencia

    After a buffet breakfast, walk to the train station to take a First Class service to Valencia. From Valencia train station, head to the hotel overlooking Plaza de l'Ajuntament. Enjoy free time to relax or explore the plaza. This evening, reconvene at the hotel for a welcome drink and canapés featuring Valencian vermouth and Iberian ham.

    Meals: Breakfast, Light Dinner

  3. Day 3overnight: Valencia

    Guided tour of Valencia with sweet treats

    Morning tour of the Old Town led by a knowledgeable guide, visiting the Silk Exchange (UNESCO World Heritage site) and Valencia Cathedral, home to a chalice believed to be the Holy Grail. Stop at a local vendor for horchata and fartons. The rest of the day is at leisure for independent exploration and dining.

    Meals: Breakfast

  4. Day 4overnight: Valencia

    Albufera Natural Park with cooking class

    Relaxed breakfast followed by a morning at leisure (hotel sauna or roof terrace available). In the afternoon, travel by coach to Albufera Natural Park, touring the lagoon and wetlands, visiting a traditional barraca (fisherman's hut) and cruising the rice fields with birdwatching opportunities (300+ species). As the sun sets, enjoy a paella-making class; the paella serves as dinner. Coach back to the hotel.

    Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

  5. Day 5railovernight: Valencia

    Ancient San Josep caves and Sagunto Castle

    Coach to Vall d'Uixo for a boat ride along the ancient underground river in the San Josep caves, with illuminated rock formations and palaeolithic cave paintings. Free time for independent lunch in Vall d'Uixo. Transfer to Sagunto to visit its historic castle, dating to the Iron Age and built over centuries by Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians. Board a train back to Valencia for dinner at a local restaurant. Note: San Josep caves excursion is weather dependent.

    Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

  6. Day 6overnight: Valencia

    Day at leisure in Valencia

    A free day to visit Valencia's museums. Options include the City of Arts and Sciences (planetarium, interactive science museum, Europe's largest aquarium), the Museo de Bellas Artes (Spain's second-largest art gallery), or the IVAM (Spain's first modern-art museum).

    Meals: Breakfast

  7. Day 7overnight: Valencia

    Touring Huerto Ribera orange grove

    Breakfast at the hotel before a coach to Carcaixent, the 'cradle of the orange'. Tour Huerto Ribera, a palatial modernist orange farm built in 1870 and still owned by the Ribera family, with sprawling citrus orchards. Enjoy a citrus-themed tasting menu for lunch. Afternoon vermouth workshop: sample local vermouths and create an artisanal variety. Transfer back to Valencia; rest of the day at leisure.

    Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

  8. Day 8

    Homeward bound

    After breakfast, transfer by coach to Valencia Airport for the flight to London Gatwick. Your Spanish holiday draws to a close on landing in the UK.

    Meals: Breakfast

The moments this trip is built around

  • Day 2Arrive in Valencia by First Class rail and relax at the hotel overlooking Plaza de l'Ajuntament before a welcome drink and Iberian ham canapés
  • Day 4Cruise through rice fields in Albufera Natural Park, visit a traditional barraca fisherman's hut, then make paella as the sun sets
  • Day 5Boat through the illuminated San Josep caves along an underground river, then climb Sagunto Castle dating to the Iron Age
  • Day 7Tour Huerto Ribera, a modernist orange farm owned by the Ribera family since 1870, and attend a vermouth workshop in Carcaixent

Included

  • Expertise of a UK Tour Manager from start to finish
  • 7 nights' 4-star hotel accommodation
  • Eurostar Plus (First Class) rail travel
  • All rail, boat and coach travel throughout the tour
  • Flight from Valencia to London Gatwick
  • Eurostar light meal
  • Breakfast each day
  • 1 lunch
  • 3 dinners
  • All guided tours and excursions

Not included

  • Dinner on Day 1 (independent)
  • Lunch on Day 3 (independent)
  • Lunch on Day 5 (independent)
  • Optional London hotel stays
  • UK rail connections (available to book separately)
  • Travel insurance

Questions travellers ask

Is train travel included?
Yes. Great Rail Journeys includes Eurostar Plus (First Class) from London St Pancras to Paris, TGV First Class from Paris to Girona, First Class rail from Girona to Valencia, and a train from Sagunto back to Valencia. All other transport (coach, boat, and the return flight to London Gatwick) is included.
Is this an escorted tour?
Yes. Great Rail Journeys provides a UK Tour Manager from London St Pancras through to your return flight in the UK. All guided tours and excursions are led; however, you have free time on days 3 and 6 for independent exploration.
What hotels will I stay in?
One night in a four-star hotel in central Girona, and six nights at the Meliá Plaza in Valencia, overlooking Plaza de l'Ajuntament.
What meals are included?
Breakfast each of the eight days, a light meal on the Eurostar, three dinners (Day 1 is independent; evenings on days 2, 4, and 5 are included), and one lunch (Day 7). Lunches on days 3 and 5 are independent.
When does this tour run?
Great Rail Journeys operates departures in April, May, September, and October 2027.
What is the price?
From GBP 2699 (USD 3605) per person in a double room. Single rooms start at GBP 3599 (USD 4800).

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