For a day out from the city, take the AP-7 south to Gandia, Benidorm and on to Alicante and Elche. Gandia is an interesting town, a smaller version of Valencia, it has its own Falles Festival. Gandia has a delightful beach too which is around a mile away from the town. Continuing on down the coast you’ll pass Benidorm, now much more upmarket than in the seventies, and continue on to Alicante and Elche with its Roman aqueduct.
You can also journey on the AP-7 north to Sagunto, a former Roman city whose iconic Tower of Hercules was needlessly destroyed as target practice by Napoleon’s army. Southwest of Valencia along the A-35 is Albacete, whose provincial museum exhibits some interesting artefacts from the region as well as art from around Albacete.