Food scene
One of the traditional paella places in Valencia, situated by the sea front, recommended to call and get a reservation first, they speak English.
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Casa Carmela
155 Carrer d'Isabel de VillenaOne of the traditional paella places in Valencia, situated by the sea front, recommended to call and get a reservation first, they speak English.
One of the oldest and most chic places in Valencia, again situated close to the sea, they serve some of the best tapas and produce their own wine. A reservation is needed beforehand, they speak English and have the ability to take online reservations of their site.
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Casa Montaña
69 Carrer de Josep BenlliureOne of the oldest and most chic places in Valencia, again situated close to the sea, they serve some of the best tapas and produce their own wine. A reservation is needed beforehand, they speak English and have the ability to take online reservations of their site.
Genuine Italian restaurant open all day, in the old part of the city. They serve some of the best Italian food in Valencia, including pizza and pasta. Great selection of Italian wines as well. Kids friendly, they have a playground park just in front of the terrace. They speak English, I would advise making a reservation first.
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Le Favole Ristorante
5 C/ de l'HedraGenuine Italian restaurant open all day, in the old part of the city. They serve some of the best Italian food in Valencia, including pizza and pasta. Great selection of Italian wines as well. Kids friendly, they have a playground park just in front of the terrace. They speak English, I would advise making a reservation first.
If you want to dine at Voltereta Manhattan you need to book well in advance. This restaurant located in the heart of Valencia has quickly become one of the most popular places to eat in the city.
The concept of the décor and atmosphere is based on 1920s New York with the uniforms of the staff reflecting the city and period. You can order a classic New York Burger but the menu has a lot more to offer and fuses east with west whilst offering a wide selection of drinks including cocktails.
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Voltereta, Bienvenido a Bali
59 Gran Via del Marqués del TúriaIf you want to dine at Voltereta Manhattan you need to book well in advance. This restaurant located in the heart of Valencia has quickly become one of the most popular places to eat in the city.
The concept of the décor and atmosphere is based on 1920s New York with the uniforms of the staff reflecting the city and period. You can order a classic New York Burger but the menu has a lot more to offer and fuses east with west whilst offering a wide selection of drinks including cocktails.
This is a good place to get paella to go, considered by Valencians to be one of the best places to get paella.
They serve paella to go by rations, around 4 euros for each portion. Check their schedule here:
https://paellasvelarte.com/
Paellas Velarte
180 Avinguda de Peris i ValeroThis is a good place to get paella to go, considered by Valencians to be one of the best places to get paella.
They serve paella to go by rations, around 4 euros for each portion. Check their schedule here:
https://paellasvelarte.com/
Pintxos appetizers, plus grilled Basque meat & fish dishes, at a sleek, lively tapas bar/restaurant.
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SAGARDI Valencia Centro
6 C. de Sant Vicent MàrtirPintxos appetizers, plus grilled Basque meat & fish dishes, at a sleek, lively tapas bar/restaurant.
Great ice-cream place, serving true Italian gelato.
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Gelateria La Romana
8 C. de Sant Vicent MàrtirGreat ice-cream place, serving true Italian gelato.
Vegetarian restaurant with great selection and lunch set menus, set in Ruzafa district, one of the liveliest areas in Valencia.
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Restaurante Copenhagen
8 Carrer del Literat AzorínVegetarian restaurant with great selection and lunch set menus, set in Ruzafa district, one of the liveliest areas in Valencia.
Great bar by the seaside with live music and nice atmosphere.
If you're going to the seaside (Malvarossa area), there's a very nice, industrial hall turned into a bar, called La Fabrica de Hielo (the ice factory). It has live music most of the times and a food truck and it's open until late, it gets very animated in the evenings. They usually have live music and you can check the events calendar here: https://www.lafabricadehielo.net/esta-semana/
Entrance is free, it operates like a bar, the live events start at 8:30 but the bar itself opens at 5, the address is here: https://goo.gl/maps/JHpn7mJeYpAEdUB17
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La Fabrica de Hielo
37 C. de PaviaGreat bar by the seaside with live music and nice atmosphere.
If you're going to the seaside (Malvarossa area), there's a very nice, industrial hall turned into a bar, called La Fabrica de Hielo (the ice factory). It has live music most of the times and a food truck and it's open until late, it gets very animated in the evenings. They usually have live music and you can check the events calendar here: https://www.lafabricadehielo.net/esta-semana/
Entrance is free, it operates like a bar, the live events start at 8:30 but the bar itself opens at 5, the address is here: https://goo.gl/maps/JHpn7mJeYpAEdUB17
Bar by the port that serves fresh grilled fish.
To eat fresh fish, there's a place by the port called La Lonja del Pescado: https://goo.gl/maps/ir6E94zrcQvniT6m6. They bring the freshest fish here from the port and they have a big variety of fish on the grill.
Bar Cantina La Lonja Del Pescado
s/n Moll de PonentBar by the port that serves fresh grilled fish.
To eat fresh fish, there's a place by the port called La Lonja del Pescado: https://goo.gl/maps/ir6E94zrcQvniT6m6. They bring the freshest fish here from the port and they have a big variety of fish on the grill.
This is the local bar 2 minutes away from the house, it’s open from 9am to 12am and it serves drinks, taps, lunch and dinners.
Bar La Picaeta, Orriols
37 Carrer del Duc de MandasThis is the local bar 2 minutes away from the house, it’s open from 9am to 12am and it serves drinks, taps, lunch and dinners.
Mercat de Colon doesn't operate as a market anymore but it's a beautiful building hosting many bars with terraces inside it and a few restaurants below it. It's definitely worth a visit, it's situated in one of Valencia's fancy neighbourhoods.
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I-Mercat de Colón
19 Carrer de Jorge JuanMercat de Colon doesn't operate as a market anymore but it's a beautiful building hosting many bars with terraces inside it and a few restaurants below it. It's definitely worth a visit, it's situated in one of Valencia's fancy neighbourhoods.
Neighborhoods
Of all Valencia’s districts, Benimaclet is among the most unique. It has a quiet, village-like atmosphere, yet is home to quirky nightlife unlike any other part of town. It also has a laid-back, international vibe, thanks to its population of students and others who’ve recently arrived in the city.
Benimaclet, like some other districts of Valencia including the famously trendy Ruzafa district, has a curious kind of nightlife. Some of the most popular places to party are the cafés that transform into bars at night, such as Kaf Café. The large student population means a huge choice of nightlife, from live music venues like jazz and blues-focused Café Cronopio or the tiny Swan Club, an intimate but lively place with free entry, where you can dance the night away to ’60s soul, funk, r’n’b and more.
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Benimaclet station
Of all Valencia’s districts, Benimaclet is among the most unique. It has a quiet, village-like atmosphere, yet is home to quirky nightlife unlike any other part of town. It also has a laid-back, international vibe, thanks to its population of students and others who’ve recently arrived in the city.
Benimaclet, like some other districts of Valencia including the famously trendy Ruzafa district, has a curious kind of nightlife. Some of the most popular places to party are the cafés that transform into bars at night, such as Kaf Café. The large student population means a huge choice of nightlife, from live music venues like jazz and blues-focused Café Cronopio or the tiny Swan Club, an intimate but lively place with free entry, where you can dance the night away to ’60s soul, funk, r’n’b and more.
Amacebiso ngesixeko
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Going out for a drink
For going out, I would recommend the Ruzafa neighborhood https://goo.gl/maps/TqbHJ7KzpXNHGZN68, it's where the magic happens after 9-10pm, with a lot of terraces, bars like Ubik Cafe https://g.page/ubikcafe?share or Cafe Berlin https://g.page/cafeberlinvalencia?share
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Old center bars
The old center of the town has a few nice places too, like Mercat de Tapineria https://goo.gl/maps/kA69ftazDxWRNqd46 and La Negrita where they will sometimes play live music: https://goo.gl/maps/w7TXydqCLfcj9zjLA
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Mercados (Markets), Coffee
Mercat Central is also worth a visit during the day https://goo.gl/maps/iBEDodJr45xhpo3B8, a lady there is making one of the best coffees around, called RetroGusto: https://goo.gl/maps/1MMhx4yaJSKRM8fX7.
There are a lot of takeaway places in Valencia, usually at the corner of each neighborhood, called Para Llevar, they always serve good paella to go, this is quite famous in Valencia: https://g.page/PaellasVelarte?share
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Most metro stations have step-free access
So you can bring strollers with you everywhere, including on buses, they are equipped to lower down and allow you to get the stroller inside.
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Places to see when travelling with kids
Valencia is a kid-friendly town, with many recreational parks where kids can play. The Turia park is definitely worth a visit, it's the old river (Turia) that used to cross through the middle of the city towards the sea. Many years ago the riverbed was dried out and a park was built instead of it, the park stretches for 12km all throughout Valencia so you can use it to travel to different districts.
For kids, I would recommend the City of Arts and Science, Bioparc (zoo) and Oceanographic. For the latter of the two, I recommend buying the tickets online to avoid the queues.
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Get a bike if you can!
Valencia is a super bike-friendly city, with bike lanes connecting all parts of the city. In the city's centre, dozens if not hundreds of places rent city bikes at around 8-10 euros per day.
Most offer additional seats for kids.
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Valencia Tourist Card
Get a Valencia Tourist card if you can, it offers free transport around the city and entrance to museums:
https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/valencia-tourist-card
According to them:
With the València Tourist Card you travel FREE on urban and metropolitan buses, metros, trams and suburban trains, get FREE entry to municipal museums and monuments and enjoy special discounts in València's main tourist attractions.
You can buy this card online before arriving to Valencia or at any of the tourist centres around town.
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Eating schedule :)
Apart from touristy restaurants in the centre of the city, most Valencian restaurants operate a strict schedule for having lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually served between 1 and 3pm, dinner is served starting at 8pm.
I advise you to check the opening hours of each place you want to go to and ideally call to book a table, most restaurants have English-speaking people ready to take your booking.
Izinto omele uzipakishe
What to pack if travelling in the summer
Make sure you bring sunscreen, temperatures in Valencia will regularly go above 35 degrees in the summer and you will need this whenever you go out of the house unless you want to have a nasty surprise.
A bottle of water with you whenever you plan to discover the city by foot, is again advised.
Payment by card here is very popular so you don't necessarily need to bring cash with you all the time, payment by contactless (including mobile) is available virtually everywhere, including transport.
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Watch your belongings
Be careful with your belongings, Valencia is a super safe city with a low crime rate but petty theft occurs especially in high-density tourist areas.
Bring your common sense with you, don't walk around with phones hanging out of your back pocket, don't leave your wallet on the beach while going for a dip in the water, etc. The same goes with bikes if you rent, leave them locked and in busy areas.
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Travelling by taxi with kids
Most taxis will have a baby seat in the trunk, if you see a line of taxis, ask if they have kids seat (silla de coche), you will most likely find one that has them. You can pay by card on taxi. White taxis are the official taxis around Valencia but Cabify, Freenow and Uber also operate in the city and they can be accessed via their apps.
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Clubs and Nightlife
For clubs and nightlife check this guide:
https://xceed.me/blog/en/10-best-clubs-in-valencia-and-why-you-must-visit-them-all/
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Albufera Lake Bike Tours
A very close friend of mine is organising bike tours to Albufera, Valencia's biggest natural park that stretches along the sea. Recommended for people 16 and above.
For more info and ways to book, check out his link:
https://abnb.me/yMEduoQgPqb
More on Albufera:
https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-see-valencia/albufera-natural-park
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The Holy Grail
Few people visiting Valencia are aware that the Valencian Cathedral is home to The Holy Chalice, also known as the Holy Grail, the vessel that Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine, according to Christian tradition.
Admission to the on-site Museo Catedral de Valencia, an art museum which features a variety of artworks and events, costs around 8 euros and access to the Gothic Miguelete tower, which offers remarkable views of the city, costs around 2 euros. Tickets can be bought at the entrance, more info here: https://museocatedralvalencia.com/en/#visitingtimes