Best neighborhoods in Valencia, Spain
Looking for the best neighborhoods in Valencia? Keen to know where exactly you should live? In this handy where-to guide, your good buddies Homelike have covered it all!
Consistently among the best places to live in Spain, Valencia can be a brilliant place to build a life, and offers an excellent quality of life.
The third-biggest city in Spain, it’s the home of great green spaces, fantastic year-round weather, incredible architecture, non-stop nightlife, and what might just be the most drool-inducing cuisine in the entirety of Spain (controversial, we know).
So, in short, Valencia is a great place to live… and if you’re thinking of making the move yourself, we totally recommend it. But because of its sprawling size (more than 800,000 people live in the city!), choosing exactly where to live can be a hefty task. Made up of 88 neighborhoods and 19 districts, it’s a surprisingly big place, and navigating its different areas and regions can be difficult… especially if you’re not familiar with the city or its structure.
So in this helpful guide, your reliable relocation experts Homelike have brought you facts and information on the best neighborhoods in Valencia—along with handy details on which neighborhoods are right for which types of people.
Moving with kids? Looking for lots of parties? On the hunt for a low-key life? Looking for apartments rentals in Valencia to spend your summer holidays? No matter what you’re seeking in Valencia, there’s a perfect neighborhood for you—and in this quick blog post, we’ve covered the best of them. We’ve included the following ten.
Lots of these neighborhoods are beside, inside, and part of one another… and all but one of the districts we’ve chosen are very central. But don’t let any of that confuse you, because we’ll get to all of those details soon.
Want to know all the best places to live in Valencia? Read on!
10 Valencia neighborhoods at a glance
North Ciutat Vella
South Ciutat Vella
Russafa
El Carmen
Gran Via
Pla del Remei
El Pilar
La Xerea
El Botanic
El Cabanyal
1. North Ciutat Vella
Best for: Lapping up the major sights, dwelling in the heart of history-ville, and living like a long-term tourist.
With a name that translates to ‘old city,’ Ciutat Vella is the central part of Valencia, and it’s where most tourists and short-term-stayers spend basically all of their time.
The northern part of Ciutat Vella is where you’ll find most of the city’s main sights, including Torres de Serranos, Torres de Quart, La Lonja de la Seda, and Valencia Cathedral. If your priority is seeing all the city’s history and heritage (and living right beside it!), North Ciutat Vella is where you want to be.
One of the most charming and romantic neighborhoods in the whole of Spain, it’s impossible not to fall in love with this place. If you’re only staying in Valencia for a short while and you want to live like a long-term tourist, you should definitely consider basing yourself in North Ciutat Vella.
But if you’re going to be hanging around for a while, or if you’d rather be a little more removed from all the visitors, you might want to look elsewhere.
2. South Ciutat Vella
Best for: Chewing, chomping, endless great restaurants, and embracing busy bustle
While the northern part of Ciutat Vella is crammed with iconic sights and must-visit locations, the southern part of the city center is most famous for its excellent eateries and hip venues.
Because there are so many places to hang out in the neighborhood, it’s actually a little busier than its northern counterpart, and it bustles around the clock. In South Ciutat Vella, you’ll always find somewhere to be, something to do, and someone to do it with.
In lots of ways, Valencia is pretty traditional—but South Cuitat Vella is hugely hip, happening and cosmopolitan, and there are countless ways to have fun and make friends.
Because it’s a popular district, and lots of tourists stay here, it can be hard to find a long-term home in the traditional way. Instead, it’s usually easier to find a apartments/ flats in this part of Valencia.
3. Russafa
Best for: Excellent nightlife, hanging with hipsters, and living in the trendiest part of the city
Russafa (or ‘Ruzafa,’ as some people prefer to call it), is Valencia’s biggest and best nightlife hub.
Just south of Ciutat Vella, it’s a pretty small area, but there’s plenty of frantic fun crammed into its diminutive confines. Like most of the planet’s biggest hipster hangouts, it was once a humdrum neighborhood with little to do, but its rapid gentrification has turned the place into one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Spain.
If you want to spend your nights (and days!) drinking, dancing and partying, you won’t find anywhere better than Russafa.
Aside from all the excellent clubbing and partying, you also get markets, vintage stores, coffee shops, bakeries, galleries, chic boutiques, tapas places, events spaces, and lots of indie hangouts. If you want to spend your time lounging around with other bonkers bohemians, this is one of the best neighborhoods in Valencia.
It’s also a pretty creative place, perfect if you have an arts-based job and you’re looking for some inspiration—the whole district is crammed with start-ups, small businesses, artistic opportunities, and lots of kooky creators.
And on top of all that, you’re never more than a 15-minute walk from the center of the city!
4. El Carmen
Best for: Narrow lanes, cobbled streets, romantic vibes, and learning about the city’s history and heritage
El Carmen is the northern part of North Ciutat Vella, and it’s the most charming part of Valencia by far. If you want to feel like you’ve traveled not only to the heart of traditional Spain, but also back in time, this is where you want to be.
The oldest part of the city, it’s packed with cobbled lanes, crooked homes, and a million reasons to fall in love. Its labyrinthine lanes are home to lots of tiny bars, tapas joints and cafes, and they’re all as alluring and endearing as the last.
The neighborhood is also home to some great museums and galleries, where you can learn all about the city and its people, both past and present. Some of the most popular include the city’s cultural center, the modern art museum, and the unique and unusual tin soldier museum.
All of this said, El Carmen is easily one of the priciest parts of the city—so if you’re on a budget, you might want to look elsewhere.
5. Gran Via
Best for: Chic boutiques, high-end hangouts, and splashing some serious cash
East of Russafa, you have Gran Via, which (sort of) translates into English as ‘great street.’
One of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city, you’ll need a pretty lofty budget to live here—but if you like the finer things in life, you’ll be among your own people and places, and you probably won’t want to live anywhere else.
It’s most famous as a pricey shopping neighborhood, with a huge range of enticing boutiques, high-end fashion stores, expensive jewelers, prestigious antique sellers, and plenty more.
You also get lots of classy places to eat and drink, including cocktail bars, pricey restaurants, and other expensive hangouts.
Because homes are often hard to come by in Gran Via, it can be very difficult to find a place to live. Because of that, it’s a good idea to consider getting a serviced apartment or serviced flat in the neighborhood. If that’s your plan, here’s some good news: we have lots of welcoming homes in the district—and they’re all ready to move into right away!
6. Pla del Remei
Best for: Eating, drinking, living just on the outskirts of the center, and shopping ‘til you drop
A small neighborhood sandwiched between Gran Via and Ciutat Vella, Pla del Remei is most famous for all its shopping opportunities.
But unlike Gran Via, the selection is a little more mixed—yes, you get high-end places with pricey possessions, but you also get some cut-price retailers too. In short, if you like shopping, this is without doubt one of the best places to live in Valencia.
Pla del Remei is also home to Mercat de Cólon, a huge indoor public ‘gastro market’ with lots of trendy places to eat and drink. It’s all housed in one of the city’s most impressive buildings, a sprawling art nouveau marvel.
And this isn’t the neighborhood’s only great gastronomic spot. Pla del Remei is an excellent place to be if you like good food—there are lots of authentic eateries in the area, dishing out hefty portions of traditional fayre.
And as a brilliant bonus, the location couldn’t get much better—in Pla del Remei, you’re in prime position for walking to all of the neighborhoods we’ve already featured.
In lots of ways, Pla del Remei is a great compromise between all of the different things that central Valencia has to offer. So if you’re not sure where to start your hunt, this is one of our top suggestions!
7. El Pilar
Best for: A relatively quiet life, hanging with young people, and learning all about silk
The central section of the western part of Cuitat Vella, El Pilar is a small district. Popular with quiet couples, it feels a little less chaotic than some other parts of the old town.
Because of that, it’s a great place to be if you want to live centrally while enjoying a slightly more peaceful life.
Once Valencia’s silk quarter, El Pilar is home to the city’s silk museum, some decidedly laid-back bars and cafes, and a lot of the city’s younger population.
In short, for a laid-back life, it’s one of the best places to live in Valencia.
8. La Xerea
Best for: Great green spaces, a residential zone in the heart of the city, and a decent family life
If you head east from El Pilar, to the opposite end of Cuitat Vella, you’ll find yourself in La Xerea. The eastern extreme of the center of the city, it’s just north of Pla del Remei.
It shares a lengthy border with some of the city’s best green spaces. The winding green belt that runs through the entirety of Valencia is all very pretty and appealing—but the area running east of La Xerea is one of its finest stretches.
Of all of Valencia’s central districts, La Xerea feels the most residential, perfect if you want the ‘real’ Spanish experience. It’s right in the center of the city, but few tourists wander here, and it’s not a particular busy place.
Because of that, it’s pretty popular with families, older people, and those who don’t always want to be surrounded by busy bustle.
In short, it’s one of the best places to live in Valencia if you want an authentic experience—or if you want to find a cozy home in a relatively-residential neighborhood.
9. El Botanic
Best for: Countless green spaces, raising kids, and living close to some of the city’s most impressive attractions
Bordering Ciutat Vella to the west, El Botanic is a beautiful (and very underrated!) place to live.
Unsurprisingly, it’s named after the brilliant botanic garden which takes up a large part of the district. Since 1802, it’s been one of the best botanic gardens in Spain, and it’s now brimming with almost 5,000 different species of fantastic flora.
But there’s way more to the district than just its eponymous garden. You’re also close to some other great green spaces (both to the north and the west), the city’s museum of modern art (which we’ve already covered), and some excellent public transport links.
Because it’s a little more laid-back than some other parts of the city, El Botanic is great for people with kids—it’s one of the best neighborhoods in Valencia for raising little ones.
If you want to avoid Valencia’s crowds and nightlife, and your priority is family over fun, El Botanic is a great place to live.
10. El Cabanyal
Best for: Excellent beaches, cut-price food, living close to the port, and rubbing shoulders with the locals
Just north of Valencia’s lengthy port, and right on the furthest eastern outskirts of the city, you have El Cabanyal. Mainly a residential area, it’s bordered by a strip of lovely beaches, and it’s far removed from the city’s big tourist spots.
Of all the neighborhoods we’ve listed, this is absolutely the best choice if you want a taste of ‘authentic’ life—if you stay here, you’ll largely be surrounded by locals. In El Cabanyal, you get affordable housing, traditional food, and lots of opportunities to practice your Spanish.
Compared to every other neighborhood we’ve featured on this list, it’s a pretty leftfield option. While all of the other neighborhoods are in the central zone, El Cabanyal proudly lingers away from all the action. If you plan to spend a lot of time in Valencia, and you want to make a real home for yourself, you’ll probably love it here.
And best of all, it’s the top location in Valencia for embracing the city’s great weather. During the warmest months, we can’t think of any better places to be.
Finding apartments in Valencia that meet your requirements
For more information on moving to Valencia, check out our guide on things to know when moving to Valencia
Finding apartments in Valencia that meet your requirements
