Where to stay in Valencia

Valencia is small enough that an area is chosen by what you want to do in the morning: climb the towers and buy fruit on foot, ride a tram to the sand, or be at the aquarium when it opens. The old town and Ruzafa both sit on the same metro lines that serve the airport, so the first night is easy wherever you land.

Ciutat Vella and El Carmen

The historic core is more than 2,000 years old, and it is the only area where the Lonja, the Mercat Central and the Serranos towers all fit into a stroll from the front door. El Carmen adds walls covered in murals along Calle de Moret, the Centre del Carme for contemporary art, and small squares where the vermouth bodegas put their tables out. It suits a first visit, and anyone without a car who would rather not pay for a taxi after every meal. Metro stops at Xàtiva and Colón lie on its edge. It does not suit a traveller who wants silence in the evening, because the squares fill up and stay that way.

Ruzafa and the Ensanche

Ruzafa is an eclectic district where restaurants, vintage shops, galleries and bars share the same streets, and the Ensanche around it is known for its modernist buildings. Couples and groups of friends who plan to go out each night will like it, particularly on a second or third visit, when the main sights are already behind you. A light sleeper should think twice, since the street outside the window is a lively one. The old town and the metro are reached on foot, with Colón and Xàtiva at its edge.

Cabanyal and Malvarrosa

Cabanyal is the old fishing quarter behind the beach, famous for the tiled modernist façades on Calle Progreso and Calle de la Reina and for its covered market, the Mercat del Cabanyal. Beyond it lie about 4 km of sand and the Paseo Marítimo, the seafront promenade. Tram 4 or 6 runs to the stop at Platja Malva-rosa, and the page on getting around explains the rest. This is the area for people who came for the sea and plan a longer stay. It suits less well a visitor who spends all day in the old town, because each trip out becomes a tram ride. The quarter itself, listed as a heritage site in 1993, is covered on the page of hidden corners, and the page on food explains why fish is eaten here.

Around the City of Arts and Sciences

The complex stands on the Turia, beside the Bioparc, the Cabecera park and the Roig Arena. Tram 10 serves it, and the Nou d'Octubre metro stop is next to the Bioparc. Families with children get the most from it, since the Oceanogràfic can be reached at opening time before the queues build, and so do people with a ticket for an event at the Roig Arena. Anyone who wants the old town in the evening will find this side of the city quiet once the day visitors leave.

If you stay one night

Choose the old town. Metro 3 or 5 from the airport reaches Xàtiva or Colón in about 20 minutes, and the Lonja, the cathedral and the Mercat Central are then on foot.

Area descriptions are general; distances depend on the street.

3 daysOnce an area is chosen, the itinerary turns it into three days by the hour.Valencia in 3 days →

FoodThe food page says where to eat in each area, from Ruzafa to the fish houses of Cabanyal.What to eat in Valencia →

Hidden gemsCabanyal and the Nord station show up again there, seen from another angle.Valencia off the main axis: gates you can climb and the frescoes of San Nicolás →

Getting aroundThe tram to Cabanyal and the metro from the airport are laid out on the page on getting around.Getting around Valencia →

When to goMarch and August are the months when rooms vanish, and the page on when to go explains why you book early.The best time to visit Valencia →

Day tripsAnyone sleeping in the city can plan day trips by train and metro from the page on excursions.Day trips from Valencia →