Typical race-weekend conditions
Mild & dry- High / Low
- 17° / 9°
- Humidity
- 68%
- Rainy days
- 16%
Averages from ~10 years of history around race day.
Know before you go
- Distance
- 42.2 km (26.2 miles)
- ✈️ From London
- ~2h17
- 🕐 Time
- +1h vs UK
- 💷 Money
- £1 ≈ €1.17
- 🗣 Language
- Spanish
- 🌫 Air quality
- Fair
- 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+
- Very welcoming
- 🛡 Safety
- Safe
Country-level indices: LGBTQ+ via Equaldex · safety via Global Peace Index 2025 . Air quality is recent PM2.5; money is indicative.
The route
The Valencia Marathon is 42.2 km, not the October SuperHalfs half. It starts at Plaça de la Marató and finishes on the footbridge over the water at the City of Arts and Sciences. Completely flat, sea level, wide avenues through the historic centre.
Start time
First wave 08:15 on 6 Dec 2026 for sub-2:50; later waves run through 09:35 by accredited time. Your wave is on the bib and in the organiser email. Confirm on the official start information.
Course elevation
Completely flat and at sea level. The organiser markets it as a PB course: wide avenues, no invented hills.
Entry fee
Indicative entry is £155 per runner. Confirm the current bib price on the official site; ballot, charity, and tour prices can differ. 2026 ballot bibs were €180 (about £155); waiting-list bibs €200. Loyalty-period prices can be lower. Confirm the current edition on the official site.
Registration
2026 is sold out after a loyalty window and a notary ballot. 2027 typically repeats that pattern after the December race: a short loyalty window for the previous edition, then a general ballot. Official tour-operator bibs are the other path. Confirm dates on the official registration page.
Where to stay
The start and finish are both by the City of Arts and Sciences, so stay somewhere you can walk back to. Hotels around the City of Arts give the shortest race morning; Russafa is roughly 15–25 minutes on foot with better food; Eixample (Pla del Remei, Gran Via) is 1–2 km away; Ciutat Vella (old town) is about 3 km away via the Turia Gardens. Skip hotels near Feria Valencia or the airport. Valencia has no tourist tax.
Getting there
VLC airport is ~20 min by Metro line 3/5 to the centre. On race morning in 2025, trains and trams started around 06:00, with extra Line 10 trams to the stop by the start; many bus routes were suspended, tram Line 4 was partly cut, and Line 6 stopped until about 11:20. From central hotels it is usually easier to walk.
That weekend
Expo 42K at Feria Valencia (Thu 3 Dec 17:00–21:00, Fri 4 Dec 09:00–21:00, Sat 5 Dec 09:00–19:00; tram Line 4; avoid 12:00–14:00 and 17:00–19:00), an easy Turia Gardens shakeout, and paella in Russafa afterwards. December is jacket weather, not October half heat.
Who it's for
The December full: Europe’s flagship PB marathon for UK runners who want a pancake, sea-level 42.2 km and can live with a ballot. 2026 is sold out; this page is for trip logistics if you already have a bib, and for 2027 entry planning. Couples: non-runners still get old town and tapas, but December is cooler than the October half. Skip it if you wanted the SuperHalfs Valencia Half, a guaranteed open sale, or a warmer autumn city break.
Sample 4-day trip
Arrive, explore, race, then head home. A proper weekend, not a rushed fly-by.
-
Day 1: Arrive
Fly into Valencia (VLC). The airport sits close to the city: Metro lines 3 and 5 reach the centre in about 20 minutes, so public transport works well even with luggage. Book a private transfer if you land late, have a group, or want a door-to-door ride before race weekend.
Check into a hotel near the City of Arts, in Russafa, or in the old town , drop your bags, and keep the evening easy. December evenings are cool; an old-town tapas walk beats a long sightseeing march on tired travel legs.
-
Day 2: Shakedown Run and Explore the City
Collect your bib at Expo 42K at Feria Valencia . It runs Thursday to Saturday; go outside the 12:00–14:00 and 17:00–19:00 peaks, and budget tram time from the centre on a 36,000-runner marathon. Before or after, jog an easy shakeout along the Turia Gardens: a former riverbed turned into a ~9 km linear park that is flat and shady.
Keep the rest of the day light. The central market, Ruzafa, or Oceanogràfic tickets if you want something booked. Pin the bib, check your wave (08:15–09:35), and eat an early dinner. This is 42.2 km tomorrow, not the October half.
-
Day 3: Race Day
The start is Plaça de la Marató, by the City of Arts. From Russafa or the old town it is a walkable warm-up; otherwise take the early Metrovalencia service, which runs Line 10 trams towards the start. Arrive early: nine waves, bag drop, and toilet queues on a Platinum Label marathon. First gun is 08:15 for sub-2:50; later waves go through 09:35.
Finish on the City of Arts footbridge. Shower, then a long paella lunch in Ruzafa or the old town. Keep the afternoon gentle: Calatrava architecture from a bench beats another walk. Browse more to do in Valencia only if the legs allow, and skip a big evening.
-
Day 4: Final Day
If your flight is afternoon or evening, you have a proper morning: Malvarrosa at recovery pace, the central market for breakfast, or one last coffee in the old town. Leave a comfortable buffer for Metro back to VLC . Tired marathon legs make it easy to cut it too fine. Prefer door-to-door? Book a transfer to the airport .
Three nights covers expo, the 08:15-shaped morning, and a calm exit without limping through security.
What drives the cost
The bib is the line that jumped: 2026 ballot places were €180, not the October half’s modest entry. Flights into VLC still look Ryanair/easyJet-shaped from several UK airports; December hotels in Eixample on the course are what blow the total. Three nights (arrive–expo–race–home) is the shape the calculator assumes. Tour-operator bibs cost more than the official ballot price. Fly midweek shoulders, stay a walkable 3-star, and eat neighbourhood tapas; last-minute 4-stars next to Plaça de la Marató are the upgrade.
Ballot, charity, and weekend maths: Athens Marathon cost & logistics from the UK .
