Albufera de Valencia
a complete visitor’s guide

The Albufera de Valencia is a freshwater lagoon next to the Mediterranean, about 10 kilometres from the city. It is the centre of a 21,120-hectare Natural Park where the lake, the rice fields and the Devesa del Saler sit side by side. Here you will find what to see, when to go, how to get there and what time the sun sets each month.

It is signed by Luis Marco Bru, “El Roig”, founder of Paseos El Roig and a lifelong resident of El Palmar. The figures that are not his come with their source at the end.

Contents of this guide

21,120ha

of Natural Park

23.94km²

of lake, ringed by 223 km² of rice fields

< 1m

average lake depth

3channels

link the lake to the sea

~50springs

(ullals) feed the lake

1986

declared a Natural Park

What the Albufera is

The word albufera comes from the Arabic al-buhayra, “the small sea” or “the small lagoon”. The name fits: it is a coastal lagoon closed off from the sea by a sandbar and connected to it by three channels, the golas of Pujol, Perellonet and Perelló.

It is a protected wetland. The Valencian government declared it a Natural Park on 8 July 1986. It is also part of the European Natura 2000 network and the Ramsar list of wetlands.

How the park is organised

The park is not only water. It splits into four zones:

• The lake. Shallow: the average depth is under one metre and some points reach 130 centimetres. This is what you see by boat.
• The marjal. About 14,000 hectares, the largest part of the park and mostly rice fields. It works as a temporary lagoon that floods and dries with the farming cycle.
• The Devesa del Saler. The old coastal spit that closed off the lagoon: dunes, pine forest and beach between the lake and the sea.
• The monte. Small wooded islets inside the marjal.

Inside the marjal there are also about 50 ullals, springs of clean water that feed the lake and shelter endangered fish such as the fartet and the samaruc.

A short history

The lake has changed a lot in size and ownership. The milestones that have a source:

Blasco Ibáñez portrayed the life of the lake’s fishermen and rice farmers in Cañas y barro.

Wildlife

The Albufera is above all a bird wetland. Among the ducks, the red-crested pochard (up to 10,000 birds), the northern shoveler (up to 20,000) and the mallard stand out. There are also herons, including the grey heron, cattle egret and squacco heron, plus common tern, Sandwich tern, black-winged stilt and marbled teal. For many migratory species the lake is a stopover.

Underwater live endangered fish such as the fartet and the samaruc, which depend on the springs of the marjal.

What to see, place by place

Six places worth having on your map. For opening hours and conditions of anything public, always check the official website: they change.

The lake

It gives its name to everything and is best seen from the water. It is shallow and has three outlets to the sea, the golas of Pujol, Perellonet and Perelló. From the shore you see a flat horizon; by boat you enter the channels between reed beds. Classic boat trip.

El Palmar

The village sits on an island surrounded by irrigation channels and the lake itself, and about 760 people live there today (INE, 2022). It is the place to eat rice and start your visit.

Racó de l’Olla

This is the Natural Park’s information centre, where El Roig worked for many years, and it has two observatories, one of them in the building itself. From there you see gatherings of ducks, herons and cormorants in autumn and winter. A black-headed gull colony breeds in the reserve. Opening times and visits are on the Valencian government’s website (in Spanish).

The Devesa del Saler

A strip of dunes that closed off the lagoon: an old coastal spit with dunes and a sandbar, between the lake and the beach. It is the most open and least built-up side of the park, good for walking or cycling.

The rice fields

The marjal covers about 14,000 hectares, almost all of it rice. It changes with every season: dry before sowing, a mirror of water in summer, golden at harvest. See the rice calendar to know what to expect.

The ullals

These are the springs of the marjal, about 50 of them. According to Wikipedia, some, such as the ullal gros or the one at Baldoví, are in good condition, while those of the Huerta Sur are heavily degraded. The regional government sometimes runs guided visits to the Laguna del Samaruc; the calls are on its website.

Half-day and full-day itineraries

These are suggestions, not official timetables:

• Half a day (three to four hours): a boat trip, a walk around El Palmar and lunch.
• A full day: morning at Racó de l’Olla or among the rice fields, lunch in El Palmar and a sunset boat trip. The departure time depends on the month: use the sunset table further down so you do not arrive late.

When to go, season by season

Each season brings something different. Tap yours:

What time the sun sets at the Albufera

The time changes by almost four hours between December and June, so check the month before planning your visit:

To see it from the water, there is the sunset boat trip.

Rice and paella

Rice fields cover a large part of the park. According to Wikipedia, mostly bomba-type rice, variety Bahía, is grown. We only have sourced dates for three moments of the year:

JFMAMJJASOND

Sowing · Late April to mid-May

Flooded fields · From mid-May

Harvest · From September

That rice ends up in the paella, and El Palmar is where it is usually eaten.

Things to do

1. Take a boat trip on the lake and channels. It is the main plan, and the boatmen of El Palmar still go out in traditional boats. Classic boat trip.
2. Watch the sunset, best from the water. Sunset boat trip.
3. Eat rice in El Palmar. There are restaurants all over the village.
4. Watch birds, with binoculars from the boat or from the Racó de l’Olla observatories.
5. Cycle through the rice fields. There are flat tracks between the fields; in summer, bring water and sun protection.
6. Walk the Devesa del Saler, between the lake and the sea: dunes, pine forest and beach.
7. See a Valencian barraca, the traditional house of mud and reed. There is one at our pier.

Getting there from Valencia

• By car: take the CV-500 towards El Saler and the turn-off for El Palmar. It is about 15 km, 15 to 20 minutes from the centre. There is free parking next to our pier.
• By bus: EMT line 24. Timetables change: check them on the EMT website.
• By taxi or ride-hailing app: from anywhere in the city.
• By bike: the terrain is flat and there are cycle lanes towards the area.

Pier address: Carrer del Santíssim Crist de la Salut, 27, El Palmar (Valencia). More details on how to get here.

Which plan suits you

Photos

Photos of the lake and the El Palmar pier.

Frequently asked questions about the Albufera de Valencia

Sources

Figures on area, depth, park zones, golas, ullals, wildlife, history and declaration dates come from Wikipedia, “Albufera de Valencia” (Spanish). Distance to the city, the name and recommended seasons come from Turespaña (spain.info). For rice sowing we used the DOP Arroz de València specification and Valencia Plaza. On black-headed gull breeding, Valencia City Council. For Racó de l’Olla, the Natural Park on the Valencian government site and Turisme Comunitat Valenciana.

Sunset times are an astronomical calculation for the coordinates of our pier, not a figure from any website. One discrepancy to know about: the lake’s surface varies by source (23.94 km² versus 2,800 hectares). We used the first and mention the second.