How to visit the Albufera of Valencia on a traditional barge

Perhaps you are not aware, or even unaware, that in your tourist trip to the city of Valencia can visit a natural park.

Indeed, just 10 kilometers south of the city, and within the same municipality, is the Albufera of Valencia, a natural enclave during whose visit you can relive some of the traditions of this land.

Go to the Albufera from Valencia It means completely changing the chip. It means passing in just a few minutes from the urban environment of a city like Valencia, to the natural environment of this place that was declared parque natural in 1986.

The Albufera It is the largest lake in Spain, which currently occupies 21.000 hectares, although when it was formed during Roman times it extended around 30.000 hectares.

This large lake has a depth of just one meter across its entire surface, and is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land with dunes and pine forests.

Over the past centuries, land has been reclaimed from the lake, known as marshes, to be covered by rice fields.

At first they were the inhabitants of the then town of Ruzafa, now a neighborhood of Valencia, those who went to the Albufera to fish every day, but it was the king james i the one who in 1250 granted the right to fish to the inhabitants of the Palmar Island, which then began to be populated, and the towns of Silla and Catarroja.

Talk of the Albufera of Valencia is to talk about the Palmar Island.

Nowadays El Palmar It is a small district of the city of Valencia, with a census population of about 400 inhabitants, but above all it is a tourist enclave where visitors go to Get to know the Albufera.

Albufera by boat

And the best way is to navigate the lake in a traditional boat, and to complete the day, eat a paella, plenty of rice, Allipebre (Albufera eel stew) or a Llisa with salt in one of the numerous restaurants in Palmar.

On one of my last visits to Valencia I have had the opportunity to navigate the Albufera in the traditional boat with Latin candle, traditionally propelled with spars (long poles used to push from the bottom of the lake) or oars, and now powered.

On this pleasant excursion you navigate among the large clumps of reeds, while you can see the birds that live in the Albufera, especially in winter, specifically, the herons. You will also learn that the lake is mainly fished for eels and mullets.

During the summer the most common activity is to take this excursion to to see the sunset.

These traditional boat excursions can include the visit of a traditional Valencian hut of those that are still preserved in The Albufera, specifically, one that is a hundred years old.

As a curiosity, I will also tell you that currently during the year various events are held in the Albufera. sailing regattas Latina.

Bus Albufera

If you do not have your own vehicle, get to Albufera by bus from Valencia, you can catch it at the starting stop located on the Avda. Germanías 34 (corner of the c/ Sueca) 5 minutes from the North Train Station, with intermediate stops in Plaza de Cánovas (Marqués del Turia) and in the Oceanogràfic.

This bus will take you to the Palmar pier.

The price of the boat excursion through the Albufera with the company Albufera Parc, with a duration of an hour and a half, is 20 euros with capacity for up to six people.

Photos Albufera Valencia

Here you have more photos of the Albufera of Valencia.