# L'Albufera de València and El Palmar

A boat trip with the El Palmar boatmen, sunset over the lake, birds at Racó de l'Olla, Devesa trails and all i pebre, 20 km from Valencia.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/albufera-valencia · Revisado: 2026-11-13

L'Albufera is the largest freshwater lake in Spain, separated from the sea by the Devesa, a strip of pine forest and dunes, and surrounded by rice fields. It begins about 10 km from the centre of Valencia; El Palmar, the fishing village in the middle of the park, is about 20. People come here for three things: to board a lateen-sail boat with a boatman from the village, to watch birds from the observatories and to eat rice where paella was born. It is a natural park, a Ramsar wetland and a Special Protection Area for birds, with more than 300 species recorded. It fits into a morning from Valencia and could fill a whole day without repeating itself.

## A boat at El Palmar or at another jetty?

Most trips leave from the Gola de Pujol jetty, beside the El Saler road; Visit València points out that there are quieter departures from El Palmar, El Saler, Catarroja, Silla and Sollana. In El Palmar the boats are run by boatmen's families. Rosa y Tonet, who have been taking people out since 1978, charge €5 per adult and €3 for ages 3 to 10 for about 40 or 45 minutes on the water and a stop at a barraca (traditional hut); Ernesto Soler does about 50 minutes for the same price. You have everything in the boat trip from El Palmar. The most requested outing is the sunset at the Lluent, for €7, and some people prefer to eat on the boat: the boat with paella on board costs €50 per person, with a minimum of six.

## How do I get there from Valencia?

By bus, no problem. EMT line 24 goes from the centre to El Palmar and the 25 to El Perellonet, both in under an hour; the stop for the boats is Embarcadero or El Palmar (EMT buses 24 and 25). By car you go down the CV-500, the El Saler road; in El Palmar, park in the hospitality association car park. By bike, the cycle path from the Ciudad de las Artes is 15 km and reaches the Devesa, but not El Palmar: the last stretch by road is narrow and Visit València recommends the bus.

## What can I do besides the boat?

Watch birds. The Racó de l'Olla Interpretation Centre, on the El Palmar road, opens every day from 9:00 to 14:00, with a lookout tower, an observatory and a lagoon of about 5 hectares. Autumn is the season with the most birds. On the other side of the road begin the Devesa del Saler trails, from 300 m to 4 km, among pines, dunes and malladas (damp dune hollows). In El Palmar, between October and April, the fish market of the Fishermen's Association sells the lake's wild eel, the one used in all i pebre.

## Where do I eat?

In El Palmar almost everything is a rice restaurant. The Bon Aire has a long menu of paellas and soupy rices, eel all i pebre and a €30 weekday menu; paella valenciana is ordered in advance. The Nou Racó, on the road into the village, opens Tuesday to Sunday at lunchtime and has free parking. The rices are made to order: ask for it when you book and you will save yourself a wait.

## And sleeping nearby?

In El Palmar there are no hotels we have been able to verify. Inside the park, on Pinedo beach, is the Camping Coll Vert, with bungalows and pitches and the bus at the door. For a hotel, the four-star Hotel Albufera is in Alfafar, next to the park, with free parking. Most people sleep in Valencia and come for the day.

## Dónde está
- Cerca: Xàtiva (a 48.4 km), Chulilla (a 55.8 km), Bocairent (a 74.3 km), Montanejos (a 76.2 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Boat trip on the Albufera from El Palmar** (45 min · For everyone; babies free and pushchairs allowed with Rosa y Tonet · Desde 5 € per adult): A flat-bottomed boat, like the fishing boats
The barca albuferenca is the lake's traditional boat, the one used by the fishermen of El Palmar, which in spring and summer still goes out under lateen sail in the village's displays. You set off from a canal in El Palmar, pass between reeds and rice fields and enter the open lake. The boatman talks as you go: what is grown in each season, how eels used to be caught, who still lives in the barracas.
There are several families in El Palmar who do this. We have checked two, with their own websites and published prices.
Rosa y Tonet: since 1978
Rosa y Tonet have been taking people out on the Albufera since 1978 and the third generation is now involved. The trip lasts about 40 to 45 minutes on the water and ends with a quarter-hour visit to a fishermen's barraca next to the jetty. It costs €5 per adult, €3 for ages 3 to 10 and nothing up to 2 years. They say they do not raise prices in high season.
They sail every day from 10:30 until sunset, with a morning shift until 14:00 and an afternoon one from 15:30. The boats are shared, with 15, 20 or 30 seats. They take people without a reservation, but if you want a specific time, book. If it rains, they sail anyway and hand out ponchos; if it is windy, they switch to a more sheltered route. For a small group, a private boat costs from €50 for one to five people and €10 per extra person.
Ernesto Soler: by reservation, with parking
Ernesto Soler sails from the car park of the El Palmar restaurant, at calle del Santíssim Crist de la Salut, 36, where you park for free if you have booked a boat. His trip lasts about 50 minutes and costs €5 per adult and €3 per child. He publishes indicative departures at 12:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 17:00, always by reservation by phone or WhatsApp. He has three boats, with 16, 20 and 32 seats. You pay in cash; on his sunset page he adds Bizum. The commentary is in Spanish, with a little English.
How to get there and when to go
By bus, EMT line 24 runs from Valencia to El Palmar in under an hour; see the listing for EMT buses 24 and 25. By car, take the CV-500 and the El Palmar turn-off; if you are not going with Ernesto, park in the village car park.
The trip works all year, but the landscape changes. From May to July the rice fields are flooded and green; from November to January they flood again and more birds arrive. In March and April the fields are dry. At midday in summer it is hot on the water: the first trip or the afternoon one is more pleasant. If you can choose, the sunset on the Lluent is the most beautiful, and costs €7.
- **Sunset boat trip on the Lluent, the middle of the lake** (1 h · For everyone; book your time in advance · Desde 7 € per adult): The sun sets behind the rice fields
It is the outing most requested in El Palmar, which is why Visit València advises booking it. The boat leaves in the afternoon light, crosses the canals and heads into the Lluent, the central part of the lake, whose name in Valencian roughly means mirror. There the boatman stops the boat and you wait for the sun to sink over the water, with the rice fields and the mountains behind. Then you head back in the last light.
Two boatmen, the same price
With Ernesto Soler it takes about 60 minutes, a little longer than a normal trip, with a stop in the middle of the lake. It costs €7 per adult and €4 per child, paid in cash or by Bizum. He only sails by reservation, by phone or WhatsApp. You park for free at the El Palmar restaurant, which is also the jetty. If you like, add a tasting snack on board.
With Rosa y Tonet it is also €7. They leave about 60 minutes before sunset and stop at a viewpoint. You book on their website, by phone or by email.
What time it leaves
It depends on the month. Ernesto Soler publishes approximate golden-light times: from 17:00 at the end of December, from 18:30 around 21 March, from 19:15 at the end of September and from 20:45 at the end of June. Confirm the time when you book, especially in the weeks when the clocks change.
In winter the sun sets early and it is cool on the water: bring an extra layer. In summer, the sunset trip is the coolest of the day. If you are coming by bus, check the time of the last one back before you book; otherwise come by car and stay for dinner.
- **Boat trip with paella on board on the Albufera** (2 h 30 · Groups of 6 or more · Desde 50 € per person): Eating in the middle of the lake
Paella was born in the rice fields of the Albufera, and here you eat it in the very landscape where the grain is grown. Rosa y Tonet take it a step further: the table is on the boat. You leave from the jetty at El Palmar, take a first trip to see the lake and the canals and, when the time comes, the boat becomes a dining room. You spend about two and a half hours on the water, and the return with the boatman ends with a visit to a Valencian barraca next to the jetty.
What you eat and what it costs
The menu is prepared by Restaurante La Albufera. It starts with bread with tomato and allioli, seasonal salad, homemade croquettes, esgarrat and a cheese board. For the main course you choose a rice dish for the table: paella valenciana, seafood paella, black rice, arroz a banda, rice with lobster, fideuà or arroz del senyoret. For dessert, chocolate cake, and one drink per person: wine, beer, soft drink or water.
Rosa y Tonet publish €50 per person from Monday to Friday and €5 more per person at weekends, with a minimum of six people. Elsewhere on the same page there is a rate of €165 for two and €50 per extra person: confirm the price when you book. You choose the time, normally between 12:00 and 15:00.
Who it is for
For a group of friends or a large family who want to celebrate something without a restaurant table. It works well with children: there is space, and you can look at the water between courses. If there are fewer than six of you, the alternative is the 45-minute boat trip and lunch afterwards at Bon Aire or Nou Racó.
- **Birdwatching at the Racó de l'Olla Interpretation Centre** (1 h 15 · For everyone; bring binoculars): The place to watch birds without knowing about birds
The Racó de l'Olla is the interpretation centre of the Albufera Natural Park, on the El Palmar road, between the lake and the Devesa. It has an information point, a viewing tower overlooking the lake and the rice fields, a lagoon of about 5 hectares with the park's vegetation and wildlife, and a bird hide. A short trail explains the ecosystems of the Devesa and the Albufera: fixed and moving dunes, and lagoons. Behind it lies a strict reserve that you cannot enter.
What you see from the hide depends on the season. Visit València lists herons, flamingos, cormorants, gulls, terns and several species of duck as regulars, and notes that more than 300 species have been recorded in the park. Autumn is the time with the most birds.
Opening hours and how to get there
It opens every day from 9:00 to 14:00. It closes on 1 and 6 January and on 24, 25 and 31 December. It has parking for cars and coaches. By bus, EMT lines 24 and 25 stop at 2169, Pinars – Carretera del Palmar, at the entrance. For groups, the centre organises visits by reservation on 96 386 80 50 or at raco_olla@gva.es.
How it fits into the day
Come in the morning: it closes at 14:00. With children, the tower and the hide are good for a long hour; then cross to the Devesa trails or continue to El Palmar for the boat and lunch. If you want to go out with a birdwatching guide, Visit València refers you to the guides' association Birding Comunitat Valenciana.
- **Devesa del Saler trails, among pines and dunes** (1 h 30 · 4 km · For everyone; flat and sandy · Free): The strip that separates the lake from the sea
The Devesa is a narrow tongue of pine wood and dunes between l'Albufera and the Mediterranean. Visit València groups six short, waymarked trails there, all flat, which can be linked in a morning. They are good for children and for anyone who wants to see the park on foot, away from the road.
Six walks, from 300 metres to 4 kilometres
The Botanical trail is 800 m long and shows the plants of the Devesa: heather, Aleppo pine, mastic, rosemary and honeysuckle. The Senses trail, at 300 m, invites you to smell aromatic plants, touch pine bark and sand and listen to the birds. The El Saler Historical trail, at 600 m, tells where the village's name comes from and how natural resources were used. The Gola de Pujol Historical trail, at 730 m, explains how the golas are formed, the sluices that regulate the lake's water, eel fishing and rice growing.
The two longest head for the sea. The Beach Leisure trail, of 2 km, passes through the restored dunes and the shoreline. The Landscape trail, of 4 km, crosses the malladas, the depressions between dunes that flood in winter, and passes the Casa del Forestal and the old Venta de Toros. There are audio guides in Spanish and English to download.
Where to start
The Gola de Pujol jetty, at avinguda dels Pinars, 89, is a good starting point: the historical trail begins there and many boats leave from it. The Racó de l'Olla is next door, on the El Palmar road. If you come by bike from Valencia, the bike path comes all the way here.
- **Cycling from Valencia to the Albufera on the El Saler bike path** (45 min · 15 km · For anyone who cycles; the long loop, if your legs are good · Free with your own bike): From the centre of Valencia to the lake, without a car
From the City of Arts and Sciences a 15 km bike path heads south to the Albufera Natural Park, reaching the Gola de Pujol viewpoint. Visit València estimates about 45 minutes. It is flat, easy to follow and comfortable on any bike, including a hired one. When you arrive you have the Devesa, its trails, the Gola jetty and the Racó de l'Olla.
The path reaches the Devesa, but not El Palmar. The last stretch to the village is on the road and is narrow, single-car in places, so Visit València advises getting to El Palmar by bus. If you are with family, stay in the Devesa and come back.
Routes from El Palmar
If you take your bike by car to El Palmar, there are routes along the tracks through the rice fields. From El Palmar to Portet de Sollana it is 16 km there and back, and the Mília viewpoint is 400 m from the Portet. The Na Molins route runs 25 km from El Palmar to the Muntanyeta dels Sants, with one of the best views in the park. To start with, the one from El Palmar to L'Estell is under 6 km there and back.
The full loop: 78 kilometres
The loop around the Albufera from Valencia is a 78 km circuit through rice fields, coastal woodland, fishing ports and villages. It is not waymarked and mostly follows farm tracks, which change with the rice cycle: download the track before setting out. There is no shade, so take a cap, water and sun cream and avoid the hottest hours.
If you would rather go with company, the Visit València shop sells a guided bike tour of the Albufera lasting 4 h 30 min, on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30, from €35, with horchata and fartons; it does not say which company runs it.
- **El Palmar Fishermen's Community Fish Market** (30 min · For anyone who wants to see the lake being fished and take home some eel): The lake that is still fished
El Palmar is not all tourism: the lake's fishermen still go out, organised in the Fishermen's Community, which sells what it catches in its own fish market. This is where the eel for all i pebre comes from, the eel stew with garlic and paprika served in the village's rice restaurants. Seeing the fish market is understanding why the village is where it is.
What is sold and when
The star is the wild maresa eel, sold from October to April; the rest of the year there is farmed eel. In their fishing season sea bass, mullet and carp are also sold. The fish is sold on ice, in plastic baskets or polystyrene boxes of 6 to 8 kilos, and the community also has a daily network selling to wholesalers and prepaid shipments.
The fish market opens Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 14:30 and on Saturday from 8:00 to 13:00. To place an order, Visit València gives the phone number 96 162 03 47. It is a real fish market, not a shop for visitors: go with the idea of buying or of looking without getting in the way.
A tradition decided by lottery
The Community keeps an ancient ritual: every second Sunday in July, at its headquarters, it draws lots among the fishermen for the redolins, the fishing stations on the lake. If you are in the area that day, ask in the village. In August, on the 4th, the village takes to the lake in boats for the pilgrimage of the Cristo de la Salud.
After the fish market, head to a rice restaurant in the village: Bon Aire serves all i pebre as a full or half portion.

## Dónde comer
- **Bon Aire Restaurant** (Restaurant, El Palmar, €€). Qué pedir: a half portion of all i pebre to start and, as a main, a paella valenciana ordered when you book or the arròs allipebrat
- **Nou Racó** (Restaurant, El Palmar, €€). Qué pedir: a wood-fired rice dish ordered when you book; from Tuesday to Friday, the set menu of the day

## By car: By car along the CV-500, the El Saler road
From Valencia you head south on the CV-500, the El Saler road, which crosses the Devesa between the lake and the sea. By car you can link the Racó de l'Olla, the Gola de Pujol and El Palmar in a morning, and the sunset boat is still there for the afternoon without depending on the last bus.
Presupuesto orientativo: 50–100 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Camping Coll Vert** (Campsite): Between Pinedo beach and El Saler
In the strip of pine wood and dunes that separates the lake from the sea, south of Pinedo and already inside the Albufera Natural Park, Coll Vert is at number 486 carretera del Riu. El Saler beach is, according to the campsite, about three to five minutes on foot. It is one of the few ways to sleep inside the park: El Palmar is a few minutes by car to the south and central Valencia to the north, along the same road.
Without a car, EMT lines 24 and 25 link central Valencia with El Saler and El Palmar along that road; ask at reception for the nearest stop. By bike, the path from the City of Arts passes through this area, and 15 flat kilometres take you back to the city.
Five bungalow models
There are five accommodations with their own names. The Altea and Cullera bungalows are simple, for four people at most, with one double bedroom and one twin, a sofa, a kitchenette, a bathroom with shower, climate control and a porch with a table. The Peñíscola is similar, also for four, and the Denia has one double bedroom and two twin ones, for six. The Calderona cabin, also for six, adds a living room with television and its own parking space.
Electricity, water and gas are included in all of them, as are sheets and towels, which are changed once a week. Check-in is at 15:30 (at 16:00 in the Altea and Cullera) and check-out at 11:00. Animals are not allowed in the bungalows.
Shaded pitches, and here dogs are welcome
Tent pitches are dirt, with plenty of shade and 10 A electricity; caravan and motorhome pitches are dirt or stone, with 6 A electricity. You can arrive from 13:00 and must leave before 12:00. On pitches, animals are allowed, on a lead and provided they are not dangerous breeds.
What is on site
A pool with slides from June to September, a bar-restaurant, a supermarket, laundry facilities, paella cooking areas and a children's playground. The bar and the supermarket are open all day in July, August and Easter week; outside those dates the supermarket closes at weekends, except during Fallas, Easter week and summer. In low season the minimum stay is two nights.
Paying and cancelling
You book online on its website and pay 100% of the stay when you book. If you cancel up to 30 days before, you get everything back; between 29 and 15 days, 25%; between 14 and 10, 10%; with fewer than ten, nothing. Any cancellation deducts a €15 handling fee. The website does not publish prices.
From here you are close to the Devesa trails, between the pine wood and the dunes, and the Racó de l'Olla for birdwatching first thing.
- **Hotel Albufera** (Hotel, desde 64 € / night): In the Albufera Shopping Park in Alfafar
Hotel Albufera is on plaza Alquería de la Culla, in Alfafar, inside the Parque Comercial Albufera, the large area of shops and restaurants in the south of the metropolitan area. It is a four-star hotel designed for people who get around by car, far from the lake shore and without views of the natural park. According to the hotel, central Valencia and the City of Arts and Sciences are about ten minutes by car, and Valencia airport about fifteen. El Saler, Pinedo and the El Palmar road are a few minutes away. Without a car, Metrovalencia line 1 and metropolitan buses link it with the city, but for the Albufera you will need a car.
Three room types, from €64
The 99 rooms are renovated, with parquet floors, air conditioning, a 55-inch television, a desk, a paid minibar, a free safe, wifi and a bathroom with a walk-in shower. There are three types: the standard, for two, with two beds or a king-size bed depending on availability; the same for single use; and the triple, with three beds. In low season, from 22 November to 22 May, the website advertises the standard from €64 a night and the triple from €83; ask whether the price includes breakfast.
Check-in is from 16:00 and check-out until 12:00. If you book on its website, it offers early check-in and late check-out subject to availability, and a better price on breakfast. There is a 24-hour reception.
Two pools, a gym and a sauna
The indoor pool is heated and open all year; the outdoor one only in summer. The gym, on the second floor, is open every day from 9:00 to 21:00, and there is a sauna. The padel court is temporarily closed. The car park is underground and free, with cameras, direct access to the hotel and an electric-car charging point; there is no need to reserve a space.
Breakfast and L'Alquería
Breakfast is a buffet from 7:00 to 10:30 every day. The restaurant L'Alquería, also open to non-guests, serves Mediterranean and Valencian cooking with rice dishes every day: a midday menu from Monday to Friday from 13:30 to 15:30, and an evening menu from 20:30 to 22:30, Monday to Thursday in winter and every day in summer. On winter weekends, then, you will have to dine out. For a rice dish beside the lake, Bon Aire in El Palmar is a short drive away.
How it fits into a visit to the Albufera
It works as a base for doing the Racó de l'Olla first thing, lunch in El Palmar and getting back in time for the sunset boat on the Lluent without crossing Valencia. The website does not publish its pet or children policies: ask before you book.

## As a family: A boat, a bird hide and flat trails among the pines

The Albufera is an easy day with children: the boat trip lasts under an hour, the bird centre has a tower and a hide, and the Devesa trails are flat and short. Everything is about 20 km from Valencia, and you can get there by bus too.

### What works best
The boat with Rosa y Tonet: €3 for ages 3 to 10, free up to 2, with a visit to a barraca

The tower and hide at the Racó de l'Olla, in the morning

The Senses trail (300 m) and the Botanical trail (800 m) in the Devesa

The sunset boat, if they can last until dinner time

### Where to sleep
Camping Coll Vert bungalows, with a pool from June to September

Hotel Albufera, with a seasonal pool

### Where to eat
Rice at Bon Aire: the menu is charged for children over 6

Nou Racó, with spacious dining rooms and parking

### Bear in mind
Rosa y Tonet accept pushchairs at the jetty

There is no shade on the lake: cap and water

Insect repellent: it is a wetland

The Racó de l'Olla closes at 14:00

### Qué hacer as a family
- Boat trip on the Albufera from El Palmar
- Sunset boat trip on the Lluent, the middle of the lake
- Boat trip with paella on board on the Albufera
- Birdwatching at the Racó de l'Olla Interpretation Centre
- Devesa del Saler trails, among pines and dunes
- Cycling from Valencia to the Albufera on the El Saler bike path
- El Palmar Fishermen's Community Fish Market

## Consejos

### Order the rice
In El Palmar the rice is made to order; asking for it when you book shortens the wait.

### Sunset boat, with a reservation
It is the busiest time; Ernesto Soler only sails with a prior reservation.

### Insect repellent
It is a wetland: at sunset, mosquitoes keep you company.

### Binoculars for Racó de l'Olla
The observatory and the tower are at a distance from the birds.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does a boat trip on the Albufera cost?
In El Palmar, €5 per adult and €3 per child with Rosa y Tonet or with Ernesto Soler. At sunset, €7.

### How long does the boat trip last?
Between 40 and 50 minutes. The sunset one lasts around an hour.

### How do you get to El Palmar by bus?
On EMT line 24 from the centre of Valencia, in under an hour.

### What is the best time to visit the Albufera?
From May to July and from November to January, when the rice fields are flooded. In autumn there are more birds.

### Where can you eat all i pebre?
In the rice restaurants of El Palmar; the Bon Aire serves it as a ración or half ración.

### Can you cycle from Valencia?
Yes, as far as the Devesa along a 15 km cycle path. To El Palmar the last stretch is on a narrow road.