Here’s my ultimate guide to visiting the Montanejos Natural Pools near Valencia, including everything you need to know about parking, entrance tickets, the best time to visit, and local tips for making the most of your day.

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How to Visit Montanejos Natural Pools from Valencia

Where Is Montanejos?

If you’ve never heard of Montanejos, it’s a beautiful natural area home to the famous Fuente de los Baños natural pools. Located less than 1.5 hours from Valencia and around 1 hour 15 minutes from Castellón de la Plana, it’s one of the best places to swim in the Valencia Region beyond the Mediterranean coast.

Thanks to its natural thermal springs, the water stays at around 25°C (77°F) all year round, making it a fantastic destination in every season.

How to Visit Montanejos

You can visit the Montanejos Natural Pools independently by car or join this organized day tour from Valencia.

If you’re visiting on your own during the summer months, you’ll need to purchase an entrance ticket on the official website. From 9:00 a.m., staff begin checking tickets at the entrance. There’s also a small ticket booth where you can buy them on arrival, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting until then. Montanejos gets very busy in summer, and the local authorities limit the number of daily visitors to help preserve this beautiful natural area.

I’ve visited Montanejos several times over the years, but I’d always avoided coming during the peak summer season because of the crowds. This time, however, some friends could only join us on a Saturday, so I finally experienced it at its busiest.

I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to share a few practical tips that will make planning your visit much easier. You can also watch my full Montanejos vlog embedded below, where I take you along for the day and share even more local tips.

Local tips for visiting Montanejos natural pools

Arrive before 8:30 a.m. (if you visit by car)

This is by far my biggest recommendation. If you arrive before 8:30 a.m., you’ll usually find a parking space right next to the swimming area. The closest car park is a paid blue-zone parking area, where we paid €8 to stay until 1:00 p.m. (at this location).

There is also free parking in the village of Montanejos, but you’ll need to walk at least 15 minutes to reach the pools. After around 10:00 a.m., even the paid parking is normally full, especially on weekends in July and August. There is also a second paid parking area (at this location) a few minutes away from the swimming area, but this one is best if you visit Montanejos for hiking.

Buy your entrance ticket online a few days in advance

During the summer season, you’ll need to purchase an entrance ticket through visitmontanejos.com.

• Adults: €4
• Children: €3.50
• Children under 4: Free

Before 9:00 a.m., there are usually no ticket checks yet, so you’ll mostly see local residents enjoying a peaceful morning swim. Even so, it’s important to buy your ticket, as the entrance fees help maintain this beautiful natural area. The site also provides free toilets, changing facilities, and lifeguards throughout the swimming season.

Keep in mind the rules

The Montanejos natural pools are a protected natural site, so there are a few rules you should know before arriving. Large coolers, picnic setups, tables, and beach chairs are not allowed. Each visitor may bring one liter of water and a sandwich, but large picnics are prohibited. In reality, I saw quite a few locals with beach chairs, but I’d still recommend respecting the rule.

There is also a small bar right by the water for coffee and snacks that opens around 10:30 a.m., which I honestly felt was quite late, as at 9 a.m. there were already lots of people.

Drone flights are not permitted unless you obtain special permission from the Montanejos Town Hall. There is a local person in charge of monitoring all the rules, and he also spoke English, at least during my visit to Montanejos – so you can always ask if you have questions.

Organized tours vs. renting a car

Montanejos is one of the most popular day trips from Valencia, and many companies offer organized excursions. However, I was surprised to see that most tour buses arrived around 12:00 p.m., exactly when the pools were at their busiest. By that time, we were already leaving.

Both driving on your own and taking a tour have their perks. If you go on your own, you’ll need to wake up early to secure a parking spot (which isn’t free either). The drive takes you through the small town of Onda, followed by about an hour on a mountain road. While the road is wide and in good condition, mountain driving isn’t for everyone. On the plus side, going independently means you get to enjoy the pools during the quieter morning hours when they feel truly magical.

Just a quick tip: bring a few extra layers if you get cold easily. Because the area is quite humid, the morning air feels surprisingly chilly – when we arrived around 8:20 a.m., the kids were already complaining about the cold! Luckily, by 9:30 a.m. the sun starts to warm things up nicely.

Hiking & other things to do near Montanejos

If you plan to go hiking in Montanejos, the most famous local trail is Sendero de los Estrechos (you can read more about it in this post), but right at the parking area near the natural pools, you’ll see a list of recommended hikes.

If you’re visiting Montanejos by car and like street art, you can also visit Fanzara, one of Spain’s most unique street art villages. Its colorful murals transform the entire village into an open-air gallery, making it a perfect second stop before returning to Valencia. You can read more about this village here.

Alternatively, on the road between Valencia and Montanejos, you’ll also pass Onda (which has castle ruins and a small ceramics museum) and Sagunto, known for its Roman ruins.

Is Montanejos worth visiting?

Absolutely. Yet, as I share in my YouTube vlog from Montanejos, the area is beautiful all year round, but in summer it gets too busy, and to me personally, loses out to the beautiful beach of Benicàssim (located at the same distance from Valencia as Montanejos).

So personally, I will return to Montanejos next time in the off-season, both for swimming and hiking, and in summer go to the beaches of Costa del Azahar (Castellon), which are way less busy than the beaches that are really close to Valencia city. On the other hand, this is only my subjective opinion; Montanejos is an incredibly beautiful natural setting and it is definitely worth experiencing once.

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