🇪🇸 Same-country drive · Spain
Driving from Palma to Valencia
Essential guide for the trip from Palma de Mallorca to Valencia, covering ferry logistics and the mainland drive into the capital of the Valencian Community.
- Drive time
- 7h 12m
- Distance
- 357 km
- Same day?
- Yes, doable
- under 8 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €41
- petrol · diesel ≈ €37
- Tolls
- ≈ €32
- per-km
- EV charging
- Unknown
- not yet surveyed
On this page
Route map
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
7h 12m
357 km · €41 fuel
See details ↓
16h 15m
347 km · Climb 34 m
55.5 km on EV8 Mediterranean Route
See details ↓
No direct service
Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on April 25, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
You leave the port of Palma by ferry across the Balearic Sea, and once the vessel docks in the industrial harbor of Valencia, you pick up the V-31 directly into the city center. This route requires coordination with maritime schedules, as the drive itself is a short, urban-focused sprint compared to the transit across the Mediterranean. Upon landing, you are immediately immersed in the dense traffic patterns characteristic of Spain's third-largest city, so remain vigilant as you navigate the transition from the ferry ramp to the urban grid. The V-31 provides a direct corridor, but be prepared for heavy commuter volumes if you arrive during morning or evening peak periods. Once you are clear of the port area, you will find Valencia to be a city that rewards navigation with patience, particularly around the historic old town and the newer architectural landmarks. Spain follows a standard 120 km/h limit on motorways, but inside the city limits and on approach roads, speeds drop significantly and are strictly enforced by cameras. Tolls are not a concern on this specific urban entry, but ensure your vehicle is prepared for narrow, one-way streets if your destination lies within the Ciutat Vella. Keep in mind that Valencia is a popular destination, and finding street parking is notoriously difficult; aim for designated underground garages to avoid unnecessary stress. Coastal weather plays a significant role in the comfort of this journey. While the sea crossing is usually calm, sudden mist or intense humidity can affect visibility on the final approach into Valencia during the autumn and winter months. The road infrastructure is well-maintained, and signage is clear, but the sheer density of mopeds and cyclists weaving through traffic requires constant observation. Once settled, the city is best explored on foot or by bicycle, so consider parking your car early and utilizing the extensive public transport network to enjoy the local character of the Valencian Community.
Route highlights
- The ferry arrival offering views of the Valencia coastline
- Navigating the V-31 corridor into the heart of the city
- The architectural contrast between the historic old town and the City of Arts and Sciences
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Consider splitting over two days
Technically a one-day drive, but it is a slog. Splitting overnight halfway makes it a much better trip and lets you see the middle, not just the endpoints.
A natural overnight stop near the halfway point: Xeraco (es).
- Distance:
- 357 km
- Duration:
- 7h 12m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Santa Eulària des Riu 🇪🇸 es
≈119 km≈ 6 km detour from the main route
-
Javea 🇪🇸 es
≈238 km≈ 28.8 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Tolls on motorways in ES
Budget for motorway tolls — France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal charge per-km, Croatia and Greece by section. Contactless cards work almost everywhere; have one loaded.
Long rural stretch on Gandia - Eivissa
Plan for about 149 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Long rural stretch on Palma - Eivissa
Plan for about 130 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla now run ZBE low-emission zones
Must knowSpain's Zonas de Bajas Emisiones (ZBE) cover central Madrid (24/7), Barcelona inside the Rondes (weekdays 7:00–20:00), Sevilla, Valencia and a growing list. Foreign plates need to register at the city portal in advance — your Euro emission class determines whether you get in. Without registration, cameras log entry and the fine reaches your home address.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Most Spanish tolls were abolished in 2024
TipThe AP-1, AP-7 (Bilbao stretch) and most of the Mediterranean coast highways are now toll-free. A handful remain: AP-9 (Galicia), AP-66 (León–Asturias), Catalonia's C-32/C-16 tunnel approach. Spain is no longer a high-toll country for cars — your fuel + a few specific bridge fees is the realistic budget.
Driving rules & habits
Plan your stops, not just your finish time
UsefulOSRM gives you free-flow drive time. Realistic add: 10% on motorway-heavy routes, 25% if you're crossing two cities. Eat at off-peak hours (11:30 lunch, 18:00 dinner) — service-area queues at noon kill 20 minutes. EU fatigue research is consistent: 15-minute break every 2 hours, full 45-minute break before 6 hours. The drive between hours 7 and 9 is where avoidable accidents cluster.
Fuel stations
Off-motorway stations close late evening
TipSpanish provincial fuel stations often close 22:00–07:00, especially in the south. Motorway services (Cepsa, Repsol on the autovía) run 24/7. If you're routing through an Andalusian backroad, fuel before sunset and don't bank on a small-town pump.
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
AP-7 Autopista de la Mediterrània / Autopista del Mediterráneo44 km
-
V-31 Pista de Silla10 km
-
Ma-1 Avinguda de Gabriel Roca3 km
-
A-38 —3 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Rural-road drive — narrow roads, small towns, patience required.
- Motorway
- 14%
- Secondary
- 1%
- Other / rural
- 85%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Challenging
Long day with at least one complicating factor. Split into two days or share the driving.
- Long drive: 7h 12m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
- About 290 km on non-motorway roads where speeds and conditions vary.
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €41
26.8 L × €1.54 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €37
21.4 L × €1.72 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €40
63 kWh × €0.64 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €32
- ES — €0.09/km on the motorway network (≈ 357 km in-country ≈ €32) Toll-free on the A-network; charged only on AP roads.
Prices last refreshed 2026-05-11.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇪🇸 Palma
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16°
9°
|
16°
8°
|
18°
11°
|
21°
12°
|
24°
15°
|
29°
20°
|
32°
23°
|
32°
23°
|
28°
20°
|
25°
18°
|
20°
13°
|
16°
9°
|
| 35mm | 68mm | 76mm | 42mm | 53mm | 37mm | 16mm | 34mm | 62mm | 42mm | 51mm | 34mm |
hot mild cold
🇪🇸 Valencia
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17°
8°
|
17°
8°
|
20°
10°
|
22°
12°
|
24°
15°
|
28°
20°
|
31°
23°
|
32°
23°
|
27°
20°
|
25°
17°
|
21°
12°
|
17°
8°
|
| 14mm | 23mm | 62mm | 10mm | 35mm | 15mm | 17mm | 19mm | 105mm | 114mm | 44mm | 45mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Valencia
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Thu 21
☀️
28° / 16°
—
-
Fri 22
☀️
28° / 17°
—
-
Sat 23
☀️
28° / 17°
—
-
Sun 24
⛅
27° / 18°
—
-
Mon 25
☀️
28° / 19°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 20 manoeuvres
- Carrer de la Cadena
- Plaça de la Reina
- Avinguda de Gabriel Roca (Ma-1) 3 km
- —
- —
- Palma - Eivissa 130 km
- Gandia - Eivissa 149 km
- Carrer de la Goleta
- Carrer del Palangre
- Carrer dels Degans
- (N-337a)
- Carretera de Cartagena a Valencia (N-332) 0.7 km
- (A-38) 3 km
- —
- — 0.5 km
- Autopista de la Mediterrània / Autopista del Mediterráneo (AP-7) 44 km
- Pista de Silla (V-31) 10 km
- Pista de Silla (V-31) 2 km
- Avinguda d'Ausiàs March 0.1 km
- Plaça de la Ciutat de Bruges
Cycling from Palma to Valencia
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 347 km
- vs 357 km driving
- Riding time
- 16h 15m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 34 m
Routed on the BRouter trekking profile — balanced for paved leisure tourers; gravel and fast-bike profiles produce different lines.
On the EuroVelo network
Sections of this route follow signed EuroVelo cycle routes — well-maintained, signposted, and bike-friendly:
- EV8 Mediterranean Route · 55.5 km
Total: 55,5 km on EuroVelo (16% of the route).
Show route on map
Frequently asked
Do I need to pay road tolls for the drive from the port to Valencia city center?
No, the short drive from the ferry terminal into the city center of Valencia via the V-31 does not involve toll roads.
What is the speed limit once I leave the ferry terminal?
You will initially travel on urban approach roads where limits vary between 50 and 80 km/h. Always follow the posted signage, as speed cameras are common in these transition zones.
Is it easy to drive and park in Valencia?
Driving in the historic center can be challenging due to narrow streets and pedestrian zones. It is highly recommended to book a hotel with parking or use one of the many secure underground parking facilities.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, BRouter for the bicycle route, EuroVelo GPX (ODbL) by the European Cyclists' Federation for the cycle-network overlay, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.