Paella is lunch. Locals eat it between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and the good kitchens do not light the fire at night. Casa Carmela on Malvarrosa beach cooks over orange wood, Monday to Saturday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. only; book, and order the paella when you book, because they make a set number a day. Expect €25 to €35 a head with wine. Paella on a tourist menu at 9 p.m. is usually reheated.
The Tourist Card. From €17 for 24 hours, 10 percent less online, it covers EMT buses, the metro and tram in zones A and B including the airport station, free entry to 14 monuments including the Lonja and the Serranos Towers, and 10 percent off the City of Arts and Sciences. It pays if you arrive by metro from the airport (€4.80 alone) and ride the bus to El Palmar; otherwise skip it.
Bus, metro and tram. EMT buses are €2 and take a contactless bank card at the validator by the front door, with a free transfer for about an hour. The metro and tram do not: buy a SUMA card from a machine, around €1, then €1.50 a single in zone A. Metro lines 3 and 5 reach Xàtiva and Colón from the airport in about 25 minutes. Trams 4, 6 and 8 serve the beach at Platja les Arenes and Doctor Lluch; change from the metro at Marítim.
Tickets. The Lonja is €2, Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free and packed on Sundays. The Cathedral’s cultural visit is €12 with audio guide, Monday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday to 5:30 p.m., Sunday afternoons only; the Miguelete tower is €3 more and 207 steps; both close on March 19 and October 9. The three-venue City of Arts and Sciences ticket, €46 to €51 by season, is about €8 more than the Oceanogràfic alone and valid over three consecutive days, so the Science Museum can wait for rain or a Monday.
Fallas. March 1 to 19, the big days 15 to 19. The mascletà, five minutes of firecrackers, fires in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento at 2 p.m. every day of the festival; be there by 1 p.m. Hotels sell out months ahead and double in price, firecrackers go all night and the Cathedral closes on March 19. Waystop’s hours check flags the closures if your dates land on them.
The day before. Order the paella, carry the SUMA card for the tram, and keep the three-venue QR code in Waystop’s Documents. The Mercado Central shuts at 3 p.m. and is closed Sunday: markets on a weekday, free monuments on Sunday.