Valencia builds a 1.3 km bike-and-walk path to the sea

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Valencia has started building a 1.3 km cycle-and-pedestrian corridor that will connect the end of the Turia gardens to the city's maritime front, according to the Ajuntament de València.
• The city faces a hot, fully overcast day with highs of 33 degrees in Valencia and up to 34 degrees inland around Utiel, Open-Meteo reports, with no rain expected.
• Metrovalencia carried 6,679,343 trips in July, a 6.22 percent rise on July 2025, according to Valencia Extra.
• A public-finance tribunal has ruled that the Diputació de València may demand C2-level Valencian in some public contracts, elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana reports.
• The wildfire near Soneja in Castellón remains active after burning 150 hectares and forcing 500 residents from their homes, according to Libertad Digital Comunidad Valenciana.

Today's essentials

Valencia builds a 1.3 km bike-and-walk path to the sea. Valencia is building a 1.3 km cycle-and-pedestrian route, between 3 and 6 metres wide, to join the far end of the Turia gardens to the Pont dels Astilleros and the seafront, according to the Ayuntamiento de València.

The project was awarded on 28 May 2026 for a budget of 1,874,423.25 euros (co-financed with the Generalitat Valenciana), with an expected build time of eight months, per the Ayuntamiento de València. Work started on the ground in mid-June 2026, and on 17 August the acting mayor and councillor for Urbanism, Juan Manuel Giner Corell, toured the site to check on progress, according to Hortanoticias. (For the record, the exact investment figure varies slightly across press write-ups, from '1.8 million' to 'over 2 million'; the official number is 1,874,423.25 euros.)

Here is what the route actually stitches together, so you can picture it. It runs across three districts, Camins al Grau, Poblats Marítims and Quatre Carreres, and threads through the neighbourhoods of Penyaroja, Nazaret and La Punta. The starting point is the final landscaped stretch of the Jardín del Túria on the Parc de Cabecera side, and the finish line is the Pont dels Astilleros, right on the maritime façade. In practice it fills one of the last missing links between the green heart of the city and the coast on that southern flank.

The centrepiece is a 54-metre metal footbridge that will cross the old Turia riverbed, according to Valencia Plaza and the Ayuntamiento de València. Design supervision falls to Urbinsa and the build to Orthem Servicios y Actuaciones Ambientales SAU, per Valencia Plaza. Local press coverage in August 2026 reports that the footbridge is currently being fabricated, with installation pencilled in for the end of 2026 and a fitting phase of roughly two months.

What this means for you: once the corridor is finished, expected around the first quarter of 2027 (eight months after the 28 May award, per the Ayuntamiento de València), you will be able to ride or walk in a continuous, traffic-free line from the Turia gardens all the way to the seafront on this side of the city, instead of weaving through the Grau's streets. If you cycle to the beach or commute by bike toward Nazaret and La Punta, this is the missing piece. Next milestone to watch: the fabrication and installation of the 54-metre footbridge, planned for the end of 2026 according to August press coverage.

Weather today

Today's weather in Valencia. Expect a hot, fully overcast day in Valencia with a low of 25 and a high of 33 degrees, no rain (0 percent) and light winds up to 14 km/h, according to Open-Meteo.

In the city itself the sky stays grey all day but it stays dry, so it will feel muggy rather than bright: keep water on you and dodge direct sun in the early afternoon. Inland, Utiel runs a touch hotter at up to 34 degrees (low of 20) with breezes reaching 20 km/h, while the southern coast around Gandia is a shade milder, from 24 to 32 degrees with a gentle 13 km/h wind. Wherever you are, the sea or an early start is your friend, since highs at or above 34 degrees inland make midday the moment to slow down.

Transport & traffic

• A new direct air route lands in Valencia by end of 2026. Valencia Secreta reports that a new direct air link, connecting the city with what it calls one of Europe's 'greenest capitals', is due to arrive by the end of 2026. The addition fits a clear trend: visitor traffic through Valencia has kept climbing, and each new direct route makes weekend trips and business travel easier for residents here too. Valencia Secreta frames it as another sign the city is firmly on the map, though the full timetable and fares are yet to be confirmed.
• Metrovalencia tops 6.6 million trips in July. Metrovalencia's metro and tram network recorded 6,679,343 trips in July, a 6.22 percent increase on July 2025, according to Valencia Extra. Across the wider FGV system, the operator logged 8.38 million movements when the TRAM d'Alacant is included, per Valencia Extra. For daily riders the takeaway is simple: trains and trams are carrying more people than a year ago, so peak-hour carriages, especially on the busiest lines and summer beach routes, are fuller than they were last season.

What's changing for you

• Public contracts may now demand C2 Valencian. A public-finance appeals tribunal (the TARC) has upheld that the Diputació de València can require a C2 level of Valencian in its contract tender documents, according to elDiario.es Comunitat Valenciana. The ruling came after a company tried to halt a contract, arguing the language requirement was discriminatory; the tribunal backed the C2 demand but struck down several other conditions of the process. If you run a business or freelance and plan to bid on Diputació contracts, factor in that a high-level Valencian requirement can be legally enforced, so check each tender's language clause before you invest time in an application.
• Valencia's General hospital adds brain radiosurgery. Valencia Plaza reports that the Hospital General de València has introduced brain radiosurgery to treat tumours and other intracranial lesions. For patients in the public network, this means a non-invasive, high-precision option is now available locally for certain brain conditions, without needing to be referred elsewhere for it. If it is relevant to your care, it is worth asking your specialist whether this technique fits your case.

Local news to know

• Soneja wildfire still burning after 150 hectares. The wildfire near Soneja, in Castellón, remains active after scorching 150 hectares and forcing the evacuation of 500 residents, with more than 220 ground crew and drones battling the flames, according to Libertad Digital Comunidad Valenciana.
• Storm risk rises as a DANA crosses Spain. Storm risk will climb again over the coming days as a DANA (an isolated pocket of cold air at high altitude) moves across the Peninsula between Wednesday and Thursday, following rainfall that topped 100 litres in parts of Castellón, according to Valencia News.
• Free 'Benestar i Vida' days in the Alt Maestrat. Valencia Bonita is flagging 'Benestar i Vida', a set of free sessions built around nature, local produce and gastronomy to discover the Alt Maestrat in the interior of Castellón.
• Charlotte de Witte brings techno to Marina Sur on 31 October. Belgian DJ Charlotte de Witte will headline a large electronic-music production at Marina Sur on 31 October, a Halloween show aimed at cementing Valencia as a techno destination, according to Valencia Extra.

Tonight and tomorrow, Valencia

• Utiel-Requena wine fair, 50 minutes from Valencia. Valencia Secreta is pointing to a big wine fair in the Utiel-Requena area, about 50 minutes from Valencia, with fireworks, concerts and free tastings. It sits in the heart of the Utiel-Requena Denominación de Origen, the province's wine capital, and is an easy drive inland if you fancy a day of tastings; check the fair's own programme for the exact dates and times before you head out.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow