At first glance in Valencia I didn’t fall in love with the city in the same way I did Sevilla. But once you start to get to know this vibrant place it has so much to offer, and by the time we had to leave we were desperate to stay. It really is somewhere you could see yourself living a great lifestyle and it is a foodies heaven!
Ruzafa
One of our favourite areas was Ruzafa. This area is a very hip and buzzing place, with a great food market and tons of late night bars, restaurants and cute boutique shops to explore. If you want to be in the middle of the night action this is the place to stay. Plus our favourite restaurant – Canalla Bistro, by one of Valencia’s most loved chefs (Ricard Camarena) is also here.
El Cabanyal
If you want to be closer to the beach then head down to El Cabanyal. This is the ideal place to combine a city and beach break, which has to be one of the biggest attraction of coming to Valencia. The beach goes on for miles and is lovely and sandy. It has great facilities and if you want an authentic paella the walkway is lined up with restaurants. A perfect way to spend a relaxing Sunday afternoon eating and people watching. Check out Casa Montana as well, the best tapas place we went to and recommended on James Martin.
El Carmen
El Carmen – is set in the old town, within the old walls, this is the second place to go if you’re looking for great nightlife and historical architecture. It’s mainly set around a long street with a few little streets off it filled with amazing artwork to admire. This area is full of cafes, bars and restaurants all winding down into the cathedral and leading into the main Plaza’s in Valencia – Plaza de la Virgen. It is more touristy than Ruzafa, but it has some great cute spots to go to and there are lots of live music venues and it’s the LGBTQ+ area. If you love Vermouth then head to Bocatin – this place is a hidden gem.
Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències – The City of Arts and Sciences
If you want to do lots of the tourist attractions and be near the park this is the area to be close to. Architecturally it is very eye-catching, as a modern, beautiful spot with the setting of the park and the water intertwined between the very large, various museums. These include the Science Museum, Oceanogràfic- the Aquarium, Hemisfèric – Imax theatre, Palau de les Arts – for shows and concerts and the CaixaForum València – event forum.
Patraix
We stayed further out in Patraix which was a great place to really live amongst the locals and offered a more affordable option than a lot of the areas in Valencia. It was a great way to immerse ourselves in the local culture and we loved it. I’m still getting over the fact there was a whole shop dedicated to just selling the most amazing eggs and another one that had buckets and buckets of different varieties of olives. It really was a foodies heaven and very close to local transport for the metro and buses to easily get around and explore.
For more tips on where to go in Valencia and what to see, check out our Spritzy Snapshot here… https://spritzinguplife.com/hidden-gems-of-vibrant-valencia-a-spritzy-snapshot/
