Valencia, Spain’s third largest city by size, is rich in history and life in its historic center. Finding a good place to stay in Valencia is pretty simple, in fact, this guide will be particularly short!
Valencia is truly a “human-scaled” city, especially when it comes to its large historic center. In fact, within the center, despite it being open to traffic, you can still walk everywhere with extreme ease: even the pedestrian traffic lights seem synchronized so pedestrians won’t waste time! 🙂
Besides, Valencia is a city full of young people out and about at all hours of the day, and this is one of the things that will strike you most if you’re young too.
So, you’ve probably already guessed that the center is one of the best places to stay in Valencia. In fact, by getting a room in the center, you can experience the city both day and night just by taking a short walk from your accommodation: then, thanks to Valencia’s convenient and cheap public transport, you can easily move elsewhere during the day, like to the beach.
You may like: Metro and Tram in Valencia, a user’s guide
What are the best areas to stay in Valencia?
- Ciutat Vella : the most recommended choice for staying in Valencia is the historic center, represented by the area outlined in red on the map below.
- Ruzafa or the outskirts of the center: if it’s a busy period or you find special offers, you can also consider the outskirts of the center (like the Ruzafa district), colored yellow on the map: from here you can still reach the center in just a few minutes’ walk.
- The beach area: The last option is to stay near the beach, which is about 4 km from the center, and is served by metro and tram lines that you’ll find shown on the map for convenience.
Let’s start with a map of the area to understand the most convenient areas to stay in Valencia and let’s look at both solutions in more detail.
Staying in Valencia in the historic center
Valencia’s historic center is the most recommended area to stay without spending a fortune and to be in the true heart of the city, both from a historical point of view and to “experience the city” day and night.
Almost all the historical attractions to visit are located right in the center, in the red area of the map, which roughly corresponds to the perimeter of the ancient city walls.
Of these ancient walls, two majestic gates still stand, Torres de Quart and Torres de Serrans, which you definitely shouldn’t miss visiting to be enchanted by their majesty and feel small when you look up at them from the base or try to fit them into a single photo, and fail.
You might be interested in: Torre de Miguelete – where to see the entire city from above
A good number of accommodations are found in the southernmost area of Valencia’s center, developed near the city’s train station.
Some activities you may like, before going on with the article:
Be careful, this proximity to the station shouldn’t make you sceptical, as you may be in other countries where the station is often synonymous with a rundown and unsafe area. In Valencia, in fact, the train station itself is a historical monument worth visiting, and its surroundings are definitely clean and peaceful even in the evening.
Moreover, many of the busiest pedestrian streets, with outdoor bars and restaurants, are located right near the station.
I recommend staying in Valencia’s historic center to anyone without a car, which could be difficult to park. You can go out on foot in the evening, reach other points of interest by metro, and accommodation costs are also generally cheaper than on the seafront, so why not? 🙂
- The River Hostel : Budget-friendly and well-kept hostel near the Turia gardens (east);
- El Cid Hostal : Hostel with private rooms right in the historic center
- Pension Alicante : Very cheap guesthouse with rooms with private or shared bathrooms; run by Italians, suitable if you’re traveling alone or on a limited budget and aren’t too demanding;
- Hostal Venecia Hotel : Private rooms for 1 to 4 people with private bathroom opposite the city’s most beautiful square;
- Color Rooms : Really cheap hotel, has rooms for 2 that stand out for their wooden floors and colorful walls. Perfect location for those who want to go out at night;
- Cathedral Suites Hotel : stepping up a level, an elegant 4-star hotel with suites for 2 people with a view of the cathedral;
- Hotel Boutique SH Inglés : 4-star hotel housed in an 18th-century palace in the heart of the city and costs less than average;
- Soho Valencia, Apartments in the Ruzafa area, accommodating 2 to 5 people, with a kitchenette;
- NWT Central station apartments : 65 sqm apartments for 6 people with balcony, kitchen, bidet.
University housing or long-term stays in Valencia
For university students or those looking for longer-term accommodation, an interesting area is Benimaclet, shown in green on the map above. Many young people, especially students, live and hang out in Benimaclet due to its proximity to the institutes, and there’s nightlife too. However, I wouldn’t recommend it for short stays, as you’d always need to take a metro or tram to reach the center and main attractions.
Staying in Valencia along the beach
Valencia doesn’t lack a beautiful and popular beach, very wide and with a fabulous promenade for walks and runs or bike rides.
Here you can then enjoy excellent paella at the promenade restaurants (and where else if not in Valencia, its birthplace?) but mainly at lunchtime since many restaurants are closed for dinner.
From my humble point of view, however, staying in Valencia near the beach doesn’t have many advantages; it would force you to travel by tram+metro to reach the center. Besides, public transport stops around 10/11 PM, forcing you to return very early.
It’s better to stay in the center and go to the beach during the day, starting from the Xativa or Colòn stops with the green or red metro and then changing to the blue or purple trams, all indicated with their respective colors on the map above. I explain all this better in the guide to public transport in Valencia.
- Hostal Nanit : Hostel with double and quadruple rooms with private bathrooms;
- Hotel Miramar : 2-star hotel with a lounge restaurant along the sea and an airport shuttle (for a fee);
- Balneario Las Arenas : 5-star beachfront resort with paid parking, sauna, 2 swimming pools, Spa, gym.
Where to stay in Valencia with children?
For those traveling to Valencia with children, it’s convenient to stay in Ciutat Vella (the historic center) to minimize travel on public transport and be more comfortable when visiting the city.
The immediate surroundings of the center are also a good choice.
Where to stay in Valencia for young people?
- Historic center: Ciutat Vella offers all the evening attractions: from bars to nightclubs, including small disco-bars with free entry where you can dance, as well as numerous restaurants;
- The beach: in the summer months, you can also find some nightclubs near the beach;
- Benimaclet: the university area also has a decent evening scene, in particular, you’ll find numerous bars and some disco-bars there. This area is perhaps more suitable for staying if you’re with someone local or with students who can take you to the right places. 🙂
And the flight?
Now all that’s left is to find a cheap flight with the box below, which compares all possible flights to Valencia, showing the cheapest or the fastest one! I always recommend also looking at flights departing from an airport a bit further from home, you might find much cheaper and direct non-stop flights (or type “Italy” in the departure field to see all the possibilities)!
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