Valencia on mobile data: the metro from the terminal, the beach and the Fallas
Valencia is one of the easiest Spanish cities to arrive in, because the metro leaves from the terminal. The phone's harder days come later: during the Fallas, when one square fills for the mascletà, and on the ferry to the islands, hours away from any mast.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Spain?
- Yes. It connects to Orange, Movistar (5G).
- Price
- From 4,29 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,29 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Spain is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Spain. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Manises airport: lines 3 and 5 from the terminal
Metrovalencia lines 3 and 5 start at the airport and run to the centre, with Xàtiva and Colón as the usual stops for the old town. Taxis wait outside arrivals. The metro is the simple option, and the phone helps with what comes after it: which exit to take at Xàtiva, which way to walk to the flat, and the message to whoever has the keys.
From Madrid, the AVE arrives at Joaquín Sorolla, south of the centre. Metro lines 1 and 5 stop there, and a free shuttle bus runs to Estació del Nord for passengers holding a train ticket.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
The beach tram, EMT buses and Valenbisi
Tram lines 4 and 6 run out to the sea, to La Malvarrosa, Las Arenas and the Marina. For buses, the EMT Valencia app shows arrival times and plans routes that combine bus, metro, tram and Valenbisi, the city's shared bikes. The Turia gardens, laid out in the old riverbed, cross the city from end to end and are the easiest way to walk or cycle from the centre to the City of Arts and Sciences.
For the Albufera and El Palmar, about 20 km south, an EMT bus goes out through the rice fields. Look up the return times in the app before you sit down to a paella there: the last bus back is the one thing you want to know in advance.
Fallas: the day the square fills up
During the Fallas, the daily mascletà fills the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Orange counts between 150,000 and 170,000 people in the square at the busiest moment, with mobile traffic well above a normal day and a sharp rise in uploads, as everyone posts the same video at once. The operators bring in temporary mobile stations to cope.
Even so, a crowd that size is where messages arrive late and videos take ages to send. Agree a meeting point with your group before you go in, have any tickets or reservations saved on the phone, and leave the uploads until you are a few streets away from the square.
Ferries to Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca
Baleària, Trasmed and GNV sail from Valencia to Ibiza and Palma, and Trasmed also to Mahón, many of them overnight. The Balearics are part of Spain, so the Spain pack keeps working once you land. The crossing is the gap: out of reach of the coast, the phone has no land network, and some ships offer their own mobile network by satellite, which neither your home plan nor a land eSIM covers. Keep data roaming off at sea, or the phone in airplane mode, until you are in port.
More on the islands themselves in the Mallorca and Balearics guide.
How much data for Valencia
Spain packs come in 3, 5, 10 and 20 GB. A long weekend of old town, beach and the Turia fits in 3 GB, valid for 15 days. A week with the Albufera, a day in Xàtiva or Sagunto and plenty of photos is a 5 GB trip; during the Fallas, if you film every mascletà, lean towards 10 GB. If you carry on to Ibiza or Mallorca, the same pack goes with you. The plan starts when the phone first connects in Spain, so you can buy it weeks before the flight, and a top-up adds data without reinstalling.
Is there a metro from Valencia airport to the centre?
Yes. Metrovalencia lines 3 and 5 leave from the airport and stop at Xàtiva and Colón, in the centre.
Will my phone work at the mascletà?
Usually, but it is one of the busiest moments of the year for the networks, with the square packed. Expect slow messages and uploads, and agree a meeting point beforehand.
Does the Spain eSIM work in Ibiza and Mallorca?
Yes, the Balearics are part of Spain. There is no signal for part of the crossing, though, and the ship's own satellite network is not covered.
How do I get to the beach without a taxi?
Tram lines 4 and 6 run to La Malvarrosa, Las Arenas and the Marina. The EMT Valencia app shows the bus options too.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
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