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Gandia (Spanish: Gandía) is in a city in Valencia.

Understand

Gandia is the capital of the county of La Safor, between the mountains and the beaches of The Mediterranean. Like its much larger neighbour Valencia, Gandia greets the arrival of springtime with a spectacular pyrotechnic festival known as Las Fallas. Various events and entertainments take place over the period of a few days, culminating in the Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March. All the hard work put into the creation of giant figures of wood and paper go up in smoke in the great bonfires that take place in the evening as part of the Gandia Fallas celebrations.

The city of Gandia is situated some 65 km south of Valencia and 116 km north of Alicante and is one of the largest coastal towns and a rather well kept secret. Traditionally Gandia's tourism is Spanish based with a major part of it coming from Madrid. It seems though that the cat may be out of the bag with more and more foreign tourism coming to the area. With the foreign tourism, we have also seen a rise in the amount of people coming to live. Gandia is a thriving centre of commerce, and as such does not rely solely on tourism. The beach and the town are actually some 4 km apart which succeeds in separating the summer tourism from day to day living. Imagine, in the middle of August being able to visit the bank in Gandia without fighting through hoards of people waving travellers checks and smelling of suntan lotion, to then be able to visit the beach and be right in the thick of it all. The same advantages also exist in the winter time. Unlike many coastal towns which become deserted as the colder months approach, Gandia itself stays populated and open.

Oranges are a considerable source of income, but also onions, tomatoes, peppers and many other natural crops in La Conca de la Safor, handled and packed in the many local stores, contribute to the obvious wealth of the area, together with the industries that make the most varied of goods, the shops that sell them and the tourism, which has an important hotel infrastructure distributed along the coastline.

All these products were exported, up until recently, via Gandia harbour, inaugurated in 1893 due to an English company that built the narrow-gauge railway from Alcoi to Gandia, where the company boats unloaded the coal that heated the factory boilers. The harbour was for many years the main point of export of Valencian oranges and, though it has not the traffic that it used to have in the sixties, Gandia harbour still has a fishing fleet of some importance, while land transport has replaced transportation by sea. This has generated the appearance of many transport companies owning long-distance truck fleets that travel the roads and motorways of Europe and carry the name of Gandia everywhere in the world where it deserves to be known.

Get in

Map
38°58′4″N 0°10′59″W
Map of Gandía

By plane

Two major airports are close enough: Valencia and Alicante, at a distance of 70 km (the former) and 110 km (the later).

By train

By car

Major roads get you to the center of the city. The main A7 motorway is directly adjacent to Gandía.

By bus

  • 2 Estación de Autobuses de Gandía (Bus Station), Avda Marques de Campo, 12 (behind the train station), ☏ +34 962 871 064. A large bus terminal with direct links to Madrid and other major city in Europe. Within the region, Alsa operates a route connecting all major coastal settlements between Valencia and Alicante, including Cullera, Gandía, Oliva, Dénia, Calpe, Altea, Benidorm, and Villajoyosa. (updated Jan 2016)

By boat

The marina at Gandia has 120 moorings up to 30M. No visitor moorings are available (typical med marinas) but turn up or book and you should get in.

Get around

By bus

La Marina Gandiense (tel. +34 962 871 806) operates seven bus routes within Gandía and connecting the city to the surrounding pueblos. L2 and L6 connect the train station directly to the city beaches. A single journey costs €1-€1.80, depending on the route, and is payable directly to the bus driver on entry.

By taxi

See

  • 1 Palau Ducal dels Borja (Palacio Ducal de los Borja / Borja Ducal Palace), Carrer del Duc Alfons el Vell, 1, ☏ +34 962 871 465, . Nov-Mar: M-Sa 10:00-13:30 15:00-18:30, Su and holidays 10:00-13:30; Apr-Oct: M-Sa 10:00-13:30 16:00-19:30, Su and holidays 10:00-13:30. Built in the 14th century by the Borja family, the largely Gothic palace was renovated in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. €6 (adults), €5 (seniors/children 12-17), €4 (disabled/children 7-11); 20% discount for visitors who arrived by train (must show Renfe ticket). (updated Dec 2015)
  • 2 Museu Arqueologic De Gandía - MAGa (Museo Arqueológico de Gandia / Gandía Archaeological Museum), C/ de l'Hospital, 20, ☏ +34 962 959 540, fax: +34 962 959 569, . Sep-Jun: Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00 15:00-19:00, Su 10:00-14:00; Jul-Aug Tu-Sa 10:00-14:00 15:00-20:00, Su 10:00-14:00. This museum is devoted to the history of the area, and displays items dating from the Paleolithic to the Iron Age. €2 (adults), €1 (concessions), free on Su and holidays. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 4 Museu Faller (Museo Fallero / Fallas Museum), C/ Sant Martí de Porres, 29, ☏ +34 962 966 819, . Winter: Tu-Sa 10:00-13:00 17:00-19:00, Su 11:00-14:00; summer: Tu-Sa 10:00-13:00 18:00-21:00, holidays 11:00-14:00. This ethnographic museum is dedicated to illustrating and preserving traditions of the Fallas celebration. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 5 Castell de Bairén (Castillo de Bairén / Bairén Castle) (3km N of the centre of town). 24 hrs. This ruined hilltop fortress was probably originally established by the Romans; the current structure dates to the Moorish period. In 1097 it was the site of a battle between the Almoravids and El Cid, and in 1240 it came under Christian control. The castle can be accessed by an easy hike of just over 1km, and has great views of the sea and the surrounding countryside. Free. (updated Jan 2016)

Do

Buy

Eat

Fideuà

Fideuà, a paella-like dish with thick, short noodles and seafood, is originally from Gandía.

  • 2 Restaurante Kayuko, Carrer Asturies, 23 (Platja de Gandia), ☏ +34 962 840 137, . Tu-Su 13:00-16:00, 20:00-23:30. In addition to fish and seafood the restaurant serves traditional Valencian cuisine, including fideuà and rice dishes. €20 set menu. (updated Feb 2016)

Drink

Sleep

  • 1 Hotel Borgia, Avda de la República Argentina, 5 (town centre), ☏ +34 962 878 109. Check-in: 12:00-24:00, check-out: 07:00-12:00. Nonsmoking throughout the building, has free wifi and luggage storage, no parking. Doubles €51+ including breakfast. (updated Jan 2016)
  • 2 Hotel RH Riviera, Passeig Marítim Neptú, 28 (Platja de Gandía), ☏ +34 962 845 042, . Check-in: after 16:00, check-out: before 12:00. Located across the street from the beach, the hotel is completely nonsmoking and has a pool as well as onsite restaurant and bar. Luggage storage available, free wifi, parking €10/day. Doubles €50+ including breakfast. (updated Jan 2016)

Connect

Stay safe

Cope

Go next

This city travel guide to Gandía is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.

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