# Valencia City...anyone there or really familiar with it?



## Melissa58275 (Apr 14, 2014)

As my research continues, i seem to be increasingly drawn to Valencia city as the place I should at least start Phase I of my great expat retirement adventure. (Visa sorted...at least for a trial run of some months and, in principle workable thereafter...nonlucrative visa). 

Of course, all my info comes from online sources, pretty subjective and probably suspect. So not sure it's right. Would really appreciate anyone familiar with the area correcting or refining the impressions I have, so far:

The picture I have in my head now: A vibrant, relatively prosperous (mind you I said relatively) city with both modern amenities and old-city charm. Rents appear to be affordable...less than Barcelona, for example, though definitely city rates, not village or town rates. I'm seeing vacation monthly rentals ( a la AirBNB) of 1 bedroom apartments in Carmen, Russafa or other desirable neighborhoods in the $1000 neighborhood range, and long-term lets of 2 bedrooms on idealista.com for about the same. 

Nearby seaside, good restaurants and cultural activities, nice lively but liveable neighborhoods: L'Eixample, Russafa, Benimaclet, Carmen, St. Francesca, etc.
Nice plazas; at least one big big green space; good public transportation; good weather most of the year (don't mind the heat in summer, provided I have air-con at night, and the humidity is no higher and possibly lower than what I'm used to in the Wash. DC area)

And, importantly, it SEEMS as if I might feel comfortable in Spain, generally, and a city like Valencia, specifcally. By that I mean...it appears that the Valencians are welcoming and not overly critical of novice but eager Spanish/Valencian speakers. As a natural night owl/ late sleeper, I think a life of late mornings, siestas and late night dining/socializing is perfect for me. And best of all...I've loved the comments about the Spanish being loud. As someone who has spent a lifetime being shushed and told to use my "inside voice", I LOVE the idea that I may no longer always be the loudest person in the room!


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Melissa58275 said:


> As my research continues, i seem to be increasingly drawn to Valencia city as the place I should at least start Phase I of my great expat retirement adventure. (Visa sorted...at least for a trial run of some months and, in principle workable thereafter...nonlucrative visa).
> 
> Of course, all my info comes from online sources, pretty subjective and probably suspect. So not sure it's right. Would really appreciate anyone familiar with the area correcting or refining the impressions I have, so far:
> 
> ...


I can't claim to know Valencia really well but have spent holidays in the city centre a couple of times. As far as green spaces go you couldn't really do better than the Turia, a dry river bed running through the whole city centre which has been turned into a public park with cycle tracks.

Carmen is a nice area but possibly a bit noisy with so many restaurants and bars and the streets are very narrow. Russafa is still a bit "up and coming" and seems still slightly run down in places, but improving all the time and lots of nice places to eat and drink there. L'Eixample is nice, we rented a penthouse apartment there last time we visited which was less than 100m from a busy main road but very, very quiet (it was in a modern building which I guess was built with proper sound insulation).

Another good thing about the city is the Mercado Central for fresh food, it's excellent.

We took the bus out to the beach which took about 30 minutes. The beach is huge and looked very clean, nice to be able to get out of the city so easily.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Sorry I misremembered the name of the area we stayed in last time, it was actually Extramurs. Nice residential area (but with plenty of bars and restaurants) and close to 3 different metro stations.


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## Melissa58275 (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks Lynn! That's good positive feedback!


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## gingerB (Jan 18, 2014)

Melissa58275 said:


> As my research continues, i seem to be increasingly drawn to Valencia city as the place I should at least start Phase I of my great expat retirement adventure. (Visa sorted...at least for a trial run of some months and, in principle workable thereafter...nonlucrative visa).
> 
> Of course, all my info comes from online sources, pretty subjective and probably suspect. So not sure it's right. Would really appreciate anyone familiar with the area correcting or refining the impressions I have, so far:
> 
> ...


Hi Melissa, we've been living here since last November, relocated from Toronto. Missed that horrendous winter, thank goodness! Having said that, winter here can be coolish as the houses are not well supplied with heat, built to be cool in the summer they can be a bit chilly over Dec/Jan/Feb. We love the city and it is a lot cheaper than Barcelona, rent, food and clothing especially. Great food, architecture, street art, all the things a big city has to offer but feels very comfortable and manageable.
Two things to check out before you decide where to live:
1. The drains can be very smelly in some of the apartments in the downtown area, don't rent without visiting.
2. The Metro stops pretty early so make sure there is a night bus near your apartment or that you are within walking distance of everything.
Let me know if you have any more specific questions.


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## Melissa58275 (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks Ginger! Great tips that I would NOT have thought to check. Any specific suggestions about neighborhoods to avoid or to specifically look into? My first step will be to rent an apartment for a month come spring. I'm thinking mid-March to mid-April.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Melissa58275 said:


> Thanks Ginger! Great tips that I would NOT have thought to check. Any specific suggestions about neighborhoods to avoid or to specifically look into? My first step will be to rent an apartment for a month come spring. I'm thinking mid-March to mid-April.


You may be aware of this already, but mid March coincides with the famous Las Fallas de Valencia

Programa fallas 2015 | Fallas Valencia 2015

Prices for any type of tourist accommodation will, therefore, be at their highest then - and you will certainly have to be fond of noise to enjoy it (although I'm sure it's a wonderful spectacle and atmosphere). We contented ourselves with visiting the Fallas Museum which we really enjoyed.


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## Melissa58275 (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks Lynn....I was aware of it and rather afraid of a jump in accomodation prices. So far what I've found is that there is no APPARENT jump when renting via AirBNB or the like for the entire month. At least...when I request rates for those dates, they don't change. Of course, it's entirely possible that when I actually try to book a place, that won't be the case. One reason I'm thinking I will book quite a long way in advance. (They can't change rates on me after confirming and taking a deposit, right? ) 

I gather that Valencia during Las Fallas is an entirely different place than it normally is, but I'm thinking that over the course of a month, I could get a taste of both. Seem reasonable?


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## gingerB (Jan 18, 2014)

Melissa58275 said:


> Thanks Lynn....I was aware of it and rather afraid of a jump in accomodation prices. So far what I've found is that there is no APPARENT jump when renting via AirBNB or the like for the entire month. At least...when I request rates for those dates, they don't change. Of course, it's entirely possible that when I actually try to book a place, that won't be the case. One reason I'm thinking I will book quite a long way in advance. (They can't change rates on me after confirming and taking a deposit, right? )
> 
> I gather that Valencia during Las Fallas is an entirely different place than it normally is, but I'm thinking that over the course of a month, I could get a taste of both. Seem reasonable?


Great idea to come during Las Fallas, it's a fabulous time in the city but incredibly crowded. Russafa has wonderful lights strung across the streets in lacy designs. At night, when they're lit, it's almost impossible to move down the streets the crowds are so large, so probably not a good area to stay in unless you're a very patient person. Carmen will be very noisy as they let off fire crackers all the time, never mind the set hours when the official mascleta occurs, when different communities vie with each other to see who can make the most noise!! Even the Metro runs late so that we can all stay down and watch the after midnight fireworks displays. The last 4-5 days are the best culminating in the night when they burn all the statues.
The second half of your stay will be a bit anti-climactic but you'll get a better sense of the city as it is from day to day. The orange blossoms should be out and the city will smell wonderful. I can't really recommend an area, we stayed around Carmen when we first arrived and are now about 25 minutes out on the Metro as we wanted to rent a house. There are some gorgeous apartment buildings around the Gran Via Marques del Turia, quite near Russafa, but I think they'd be pretty expensive. Benimaclet is more working class and I don't know St. Francesca. Hope this helps.


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