# Living in a Spanish city?



## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

Apologies for re-posting what was originally my introduction, but I realise it's a specific question and really belongs as a general thread. 

I'm planning on moving to Spain (early retired) but the last place I want to live is a resort or small village. Had a coastal village holiday home in Spain some years back, and I know the limitations of these places. Anyway, I've been stuck in a boring Northern English town for family reasons, although I'm originally a city girl! 

SO ... I'm thinking bigger. Also, I am on my own and think the chance of integration is better in a city. This has been confirmed by Spaniards with whom I have had language intercambios. I don't need to live in a large British community, as I already speak a passable amount of Spanish and plan to learn much more. I've been renting in Valencia this winter to see how I do, and I really like it. The fabulous Mercat Central is better than La Boqueria and there are many attractions and museums.

I have very limited funds to buy a property, but I think it's better for my security than renting. Valencia has loads of cheap flats, many more than Barcelona for example. BUT has anyone actually lived in an ordinary Spanish urban area, not necessarily Valencia? Some of these endless high rises are rather drab. I can't afford to buy in the old town or trendy Russafa, though, although I don't have to move out to ridiculously cheap barrios such as Els Orriols or Benicalap (there must be a reason for those prices...)

Sorry for the long post, but I had to explain. What do you think?


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

A great post. I am currently looking at a move to Alicante City, I think it is a great place and property is cheap


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

*Good idea!*



EdofWigan said:


> A great post. I am currently looking at a move to Alicante City, I think it is a great place and property is cheap


I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's not keen on a smaller place. Do you know anything about the various areas there? All I know about Valencia's barrios is from walking around them and asking intercambio partners what to steer clear of.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Tamarindo said:


> has anyone actually lived in an ordinary Spanish urban area, not necessarily Valencia?
> What do you think?


Yes, 30 kms from Madrid in a place of about 30,000 people where maybe 80% of the population are Spanish - the rest are Magrebi, Eastern European, South American, Brits...
No problems, but my husband and daughter are Spanish...
Madrid and surroundings would be a good place for you


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Yes, 30 kms from Madrid in a place of about 30,000 people where maybe 80% of the population are Spanish - the rest are Magrebi, Eastern European, South American, Brits...
> No problems, but my husband and daughter are Spanish...
> Madrid and surroundings would be a good place for you


Yes, I have visited Madrid a number of times and much enjoy it. But couldn't really afford anything there, even these days when flats are cheaper. Also, as a long-expat Canadian, its weather has the same extremes (well, not that extreme!) but more so than a place like Valencia.


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

Benalua, Ali Park, Sant Blai, Mercat, Carolinas Bajas and the area to the North (adjacent) to it all seem nice. Easy walking distance of the front and old town. The areas to the North of Carrier Colombia, look quiet run down, with higher levels of poverty, maybe crime but i had no issues. To the North of that and your into Sant Vicent del Raspeig, which is a nice area, although quite a way out of the city centre but clean and new and a big University population , with lots of students from overseas. 

Why not take a virtual stroll around with Google Street view. Alicante City is a Spanish working city so does have its share of graffiti but the folk are really friendly, as I am sure they are in many places, always interesting stuff going on. 

Cheap and feels safe to me. 11 kn from Alicante airport, which is about €2.80 single on the bus or €18 to 20 in a taxi

Alicante Railway Station, great high speed links to places like Madrid and Barcelona and local trains going here n there

Alicante Tram (Metrolink type) runs around the city and up the coast (Benidorm 1 hour) I think it was €7.00


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

Sounds like you've done some good research, more than I have so far! Are you still in the UK or already living in Spain? I've had a rented flat for a couple of months to decide if I could live here.


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## EdofWigan (Jun 28, 2015)

I am still in the UK and working but over the next year, I am buying a camper and doing the UK, then Spain and Portugal to find my idea place but i do love Alicante and can fly out for about £100 return, so very accessible


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## stefig (Jul 14, 2015)

I live in Valencia. I've lived in several different areas, including Orriols, which wasn't that bad at all and was actually a lot nicer than the North London suburb I was paying a fortune to rent in. I was still only a 30 min walk from Torres de Serrano and a short tram ride from the beach. My favourite place to live was in the Carmen for obvious reasons, but I don't see what's so bad about buying in a 'drab' suburb if you can't afford the Carmen. It's not as if Valencia is a big city - you'd still be able to walk into the city or take the bus, and taxis are cheap. Most of my friends live in various suburbs and pueblos and we see each other all the time.


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

stefig said:


> I live in Valencia. I've lived in several different areas, including Orriols, which wasn't that bad at all and was actually a lot nicer than the North London suburb I was paying a fortune to rent in. I was still only a 30 min walk from Torres de Serrano and a short tram ride from the beach. My favourite place to live was in the Carmen for obvious reasons, but I don't see what's so bad about buying in a 'drab' suburb if you can't afford the Carmen. It's not as if Valencia is a big city - you'd still be able to walk into the city or take the bus, and taxis are cheap. Most of my friends live in various suburbs and pueblos and we see each other all the time.


Thanks so much for this great advice, stefig! I know what you mean, as my temporary flat is near the Torres de Quart, but out of the question price-wise (though still cheap by UK standards!) That widens the search quite a bit - although why are some of those further-out flats so cheap, any idea? Some even have elevators, which I notice often carries a price premium. 

I don't know your age, but do you think an early retiree could integrate into the city with decent Spanish? I will have to get to learning some Valenciano a little later down the line.


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## stefig (Jul 14, 2015)

Tamarindo said:


> Thanks so much for this great advice, stefig! I know what you mean, as my temporary flat is near the Torres de Quart, but out of the question price-wise (though still cheap by UK standards!) That widens the search quite a bit - although why are some of those further-out flats so cheap, any idea? Some even have elevators, which I notice often carries a price premium.
> 
> I don't know your age, but do you think an early retiree could integrate into the city with decent Spanish? I will have to get to learning some Valenciano a little later down the line.


I lived near the Torres de Quart too - dreaming of the day I can afford to buy there! I really don't know why the further out areas are cheap...I know some of them have a reputation for being dodgy, but how true that is, I don't know. I found Orriols fine, but then I had just come from London at the time and was used to living in a 'not-so-nice' suburb (and paying a fortune for the privilege!). Someone coming from a leafy village in the home countries might find it a bit rough. 

Areas like Orriols and Benicalap also have relatively poor transport links - not being on the metro line is a bit of a pain. I moved from Orriols to Benimaclet to have the metro access and it made a big difference, but still, pretty much everywhere in the city proper is walkable, if you're in reasonable shape.

I was 26 when I first came to Valencia, then I left and came back. I'm in my early thirties now, so most of my friends here are a similar age. I'm not sure how easy it would be to integrate...I was fluent in Spanish when I arrived and also had the benefit of being 'student aged', (although I was working) so I went along to a lot of the studenty events around Benimaclet. I have met British people in their fifties and sixties who came here to retire and those who made the effort to integrate seemed to get along fine. I would definitely recommend 'intercambios'/language exchanges - I met most of my Spanish friends this way. Lots of Valencians, young and old, are very keen to learn and practise their English, and I found that these naturally evolved into proper friendships. I did one-on-one intercambios and also went along to the organised ones in various cafes and pubs. There's also quite a lively expat scene in Valencia, but I haven't really been involved in that because I prefer to speak Spanish whenever I can (proficiency exam coming up ).

A lot of it depends on personality really, I have met expats who claim that the Spanish are cliquey and not accepting of newbies. Some may be like that but there are plenty who aren't and who really like to get to know new people. I think if you're prepared to put lots of effort into your Spanish and put yourself out there, it should be fine.


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

stefig said:


> I would definitely recommend 'intercambios'/language exchanges - I met most of my Spanish friends this way. Lots of Valencians, young and old, are very keen to learn and practise their English, and I found that these naturally evolved into proper friendships.


Yes, so right - in these two months I am spending here I have already found intercambios to be great. I do face to face ones in cafes, set up through Conversation Exchange and have met at least seven people. We are usually both struggling a fair bit, but it doesn't matter, particularly not if the relationships just gels. If anyone is reading this who wants to practise Spanish, I too recommend getting involved in these. I've just returned from one which went on for over three hours!

By the way, re Valencia, there is a sewer problem here, isn't there, especially in the old city? Even in the Plaza de la Virgen, there is an area with a terrible smell. I am more used to this when I have been in Latin America, although the cause there is different. I haven't noticed it in newer parts of the city. 

Currently in my flat, I am battling with sewer gas in the bathroom, although no airbnb review of the place (there are many) ever referred to it. I have to turn on all taps to get rid of it, the owner said, and it works - but comes back in a few hours. This is a renovated flat with a lift, but there is quite the smell in the entrance hall at times too, and on the street. I don't even know if it can be fixed, and I am only here for 13 more days. Read somewhere on the internet it has to do with land here, or is it just badly maintained sewers in the old town? I am learning loads of Spanish plumbing terms, as my landlord speaks no English!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Tamarindo said:


> Yes, I have visited Madrid a number of times and much enjoy it. But couldn't really afford anything there, even these days when flats are cheaper. Also, as a long-expat Canadian, its weather has the same extremes (well, not that extreme!) but more so than a place like Valencia.


The weather can be extreme, although not to Canadian strength and not in recent years.
However, I wasn't referring to living in Madrid, but in a nearby town, as I do. Maybe it would still be more expensive than where you are now, but I don't know.


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

Pesky Wesky said:


> The weather can be extreme, although not to Canadian strength and not in recent years.
> However, I wasn't referring to living in Madrid, but in a nearby town, as I do. Maybe it would still be more expensive than where you are now, but I don't know.


Well no, not as extreme as Canada for sure  I live in northern England now and even there the weather is toothpicks (western Canadian 80s-era for "nothing"). I should look at the prices of the places in the surroundings of Madrid. 

Had originally wanted Malaga, but I fear it is too close to huge numbers of expat colonies. Oddly enough, I have never even visited places such as Marbella, Nerja, Benidorm, Salou etc although I do think Almuñecar is a lovely place with a great mix and (at least in 2013) lots of free tapas!


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

stefig said:


> A lot of it depends on personality really, I have met expats who claim that the Spanish are cliquey and not accepting of newbies.


In many cases, the problem is with the expat, the reluctance to speak and greet people, being rude by looking the other way, running away as soon as a person speaks to them in Spanish (or any other language than English), wanting everything to be like 'back home' (English beer, fish and chips, a branch of Sainsburys/Tesco/Asda, etc. just round the corner,) wanting to live in expat barrios, wondering why all the Spanish seem to speak Spanish and not English (ignoring the fact that they themselves may have problems with the grammar, pronunciation and spelling, etc. of English as well) etc.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Tamarindo said:


> Yes, so right - in these two months I am spending here I have already found intercambios to be great. I do face to face ones in cafes, set up through Conversation Exchange and have met at least seven people. We are usually both struggling a fair bit, but it doesn't matter, particularly not if the relationships just gels. If anyone is reading this who wants to practise Spanish, I too recommend getting involved in these. I've just returned from one which went on for over three hours!
> 
> By the way, re Valencia, there is a sewer problem here, isn't there, especially in the old city? Even in the Plaza de la Virgen, there is an area with a terrible smell. I am more used to this when I have been in Latin America, although the cause there is different. I haven't noticed it in newer parts of the city.
> 
> Currently in my flat, I am battling with sewer gas in the bathroom, although no airbnb review of the place (there are many) ever referred to it. I have to turn on all taps to get rid of it, the owner said, and it works - but comes back in a few hours. This is a renovated flat with a lift, but there is quite the smell in the entrance hall at times too, and on the street. I don't even know if it can be fixed, and I am only here for 13 more days. Read somewhere on the internet it has to do with land here, or is it just badly maintained sewers in the old town? I am learning loads of Spanish plumbing terms, as my landlord speaks no English!


Your bathroom smell is probably caused by the airlock being dry or having insufficient water. The fact that the landlord's solution which should normally refill the trap, isn't working probably means that there is some detritus (piece of rag/cotton, hairs, etc.) causing the water to syphon out and allow smells up from the sewer. The solution: somewhere in the floor you will find a round metal plate, probably with a screw in the middle. Remove screw and plate taking care not to drop the screw into one of the holes. You should find a sort of chamber with several pipes entering/leaving it. One of these will be the outlet to the sewer, the others being inlets from the shower/bath, basin, bidet. There will probably be a channel into which the inlets open up with a dividing wall between the channel and the outlet pipe. This channel should contain water and would be what stops the sewer smells coming up and into the inlet pipes. If there is no water in the channel, there is probably some detritus causing a syphon to form and drain the water away. Just make sure that the whole thing is clean and there is no detritus. Run one of the taps gently and the channel should fill with water and stop your smells entering the bathroom. Replace the cover and screw it down.


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

baldilocks said:


> In many cases, the problem is with the expat, the reluctance to speak and greet people, being rude by looking the other way, running away as soon as a person speaks to them in Spanish (or any other language than English), wanting everything to be like 'back home' (English beer, fish and chips, a branch of Sainsburys/Tesco/Asda, etc. just round the corner,) wanting to live in expat barrios, wondering why all the Spanish seem to speak Spanish and not English (ignoring the fact that they themselves may have problems with the grammar, pronunciation and spelling, etc. of English as well) etc.



Quite agree with this. Perhaps fortunately, despite many trips to Spain, I've never even visited a town with lots of UK expats ie Benidorm or Mijas, so always assumed I had to live, speak and buy Spanish.


Anyway, although I have lived in the Uk for 20 plus years and am a citizen, I am Canadian born and bred, so have been living expat already - major differences between British and Canadian society, tradition, language  cannot be underestimated. Just try working in the media if you're foreign in a Northern English newsroom! I feel like a new challenge, though, and looking forward to it as soon as I can sort some stuff out in Britain.


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## Tamarindo (Feb 14, 2016)

baldilocks said:


> Your bathroom smell is probably caused by the airlock being dry or having insufficient water. The fact that the landlord's solution which should normally refill the trap, isn't working probably means that there is some detritus (piece of rag/cotton, hairs, etc.) causing the water to syphon out and allow smells up from the sewer. The solution: somewhere in the floor you will find a round metal plate, probably with a screw in the middle. Remove screw and plate taking care not to drop the screw into one of the holes. You should find a sort of chamber with several pipes entering/leaving it. One of these will be the outlet to the sewer, the others being inlets from the shower/bath, basin, bidet. There will probably be a channel into which the inlets open up with a dividing wall between the channel and the outlet pipe. This channel should contain water and would be what stops the sewer smells coming up and into the inlet pipes. If there is no water in the channel, there is probably some detritus causing a syphon to form and drain the water away. Just make sure that the whole thing is clean and there is no detritus. Run one of the taps gently and the channel should fill with water and stop your smells entering the bathroom. Replace the cover and screw it down.


Great detailed advice, thank you. The only catch is that, since the smell is now in the entrance hall of the four-floor block (and I'm on the second floor) I wonder if it's something in the actual underground sewer. The maintenance of these must be rather dodgy in the old city if this smell so often occurs.


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## ExpatWannabee (Jul 6, 2011)

Mr. B, I think you've over-localized the problem. The sewage smell isn't a problem with the apartment, but with the majority of the city. Valencia has a major sewage problem, especially in the older areas like the Carmen. In parts of the city you can smell it strongly outdoors when you come within 20 feet of a sewage grate. It's called the "Valencia smell" and we had problems with it in many (though not all) of the apartments we rented when we were checking out the city before moving here. The problem is not limited to the city. We live in one of the many villages that are on Valencia's Metro line, about 20 minutes from downtown, in a very modern house. While most of the time there is no sewage problem, you do occasionally smell it for a few days after it rains.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

ExpatWannabee said:


> Mr. B, I think you've over-localized the problem. The sewage smell isn't a problem with the apartment, but with the majority of the city. Valencia has a major sewage problem, especially in the older areas like the Carmen. In parts of the city you can smell it strongly outdoors when you come within 20 feet of a sewage grate. It's called the "Valencia smell" and we had problems with it in many (though not all) of the apartments we rented when we were checking out the city before moving here. The problem is not limited to the city. We live in one of the many villages that are on Valencia's Metro line, about 20 minutes from downtown, in a very modern house. While most of the time there is no sewage problem, you do occasionally smell it for a few days after it rains.


Tamarindo initially said it was localised to her bathroom, hence my solution. It can also occur on patios and other places where there might be a drain which should have an integral trap - the one on our patio has a similar problem so I have to clean it from time to time (SWMBO has long hair!) One of the neighbours has a similar drain in their 'Rec-room' and it fair whiffed the place out on occasion we were round there - solution just pour water down the fill the trap.


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## ExpatWannabee (Jul 6, 2011)

Unfortunately, that wouldn't cure the sewage smell that hits you while you're walking outdoors along the the sidewalk. Or the problem that the apartment smell hits you as soon as you enter the lobby, or more realistically, a few feet before you enter the building. Now, if you could get everyone in every building in Valencia to do what you recommend.....


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## labob (Dec 2, 2014)

Hello,

I second what Stefig says, I live in possibly the worst part of the city but in reality it is nowhere near as bad as some of the places I've lived in in the UK.

What's your budget? My flat was incredibly cheap, but other people's idea of cheap would get you something pretty nice. Remember that often flats can be lovely on the inside whilst the outside looks a state.

You can pm me if you want an opinion on any particular area you're looking at, I've worked over a fair bit of the city.


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## labob (Dec 2, 2014)

ExpatWannabee said:


> Unfortunately, that wouldn't cure the sewage smell that hits you while you're walking outdoors along the the sidewalk. Or the problem that the apartment smell hits you as soon as you enter the lobby, or more realistically, a few feet before you enter the building. Now, if you could get everyone in every building in Valencia to do what you recommend.....


Everybody in the city more like.

I just pop a bit of bleach down the bath and sink most nights, and the coffee grounds down the kitchen sink and that seems to cover the problem inside.


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## stefig (Jul 14, 2015)

ExpatWannabee said:


> Mr. B, I think you've over-localized the problem. The sewage smell isn't a problem with the apartment, but with the majority of the city. Valencia has a major sewage problem, especially in the older areas like the Carmen. In parts of the city you can smell it strongly outdoors when you come within 20 feet of a sewage grate. It's called the "Valencia smell" and we had problems with it in many (though not all) of the apartments we rented when we were checking out the city before moving here. The problem is not limited to the city. We live in one of the many villages that are on Valencia's Metro line, about 20 minutes from downtown, in a very modern house. While most of the time there is no sewage problem, you do occasionally smell it for a few days after it rains.


Yes, that sewer smell is everywhere. You get a particularly bad whiff of it at the end of Carrer de Sagunt opposite Torres de Serrano, and all over the Carmen.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

From what most of you are saying, this seems to be a problem in the streets of Valencia. Very rarely do we get smells up from the sewer in the street but that is when we haven't had any rain for some time and the traps have dried out. Our solution is to hose down the street to refill the traps. Many Spanish housewives are out there daily sweeping the street and giving a hose down. In our small street, there are a number of empty properties and one or two frail elderly ladies so the street doesn't get cleaned as often as it might in some places, but when we do it we cover the entire patch from the house four doors away to the end of the street (mostly empty houses.)


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

baldilocks said:


> Your bathroom smell is probably caused by the airlock being dry or having insufficient water. The fact that the landlord's solution which should normally refill the trap, isn't working probably means that there is some detritus (piece of rag/cotton, hairs, etc.) causing the water to syphon out and allow smells up from the sewer. The solution: somewhere in the floor you will find a round metal plate, probably with a screw in the middle. Remove screw and plate taking care not to drop the screw into one of the holes. You should find a sort of chamber with several pipes entering/leaving it. One of these will be the outlet to the sewer, the others being inlets from the shower/bath, basin, bidet. There will probably be a channel into which the inlets open up with a dividing wall between the channel and the outlet pipe. This channel should contain water and would be what stops the sewer smells coming up and into the inlet pipes. If there is no water in the channel, there is probably some detritus causing a syphon to form and drain the water away. Just make sure that the whole thing is clean and there is no detritus. Run one of the taps gently and the channel should fill with water and stop your smells entering the bathroom. Replace the cover and screw it down.


I agree with your assessment but ... we have those same smells in our villa. There is no trap on the waste pipe of the dishwasher or washing machine and it would be quite hard to add one. In the main kitchen, I've run all the outlets to the sink and used a combination waste trap but still we get smells from somewhere. 

We have a box into which all the outlets flow, but it's under one of the bedroom floors with no access. I had to smash it open once when it became blocked - not nice. It's just a large box with inlet and outlet pipes with about 3 inches of standing 'water'. These pipes are above the water line so there's no trap there!

Because we have a septic tank, I try to limit the amount of bleach etc. that we put down the drains. So, is there something else we can use to 'neutralize' the smells as we don't seem able to prevent them?


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## CharlieMCFC (Jan 27, 2016)

I live in Valencia too, but only moved here 6 weeks ago. I rent a small flat in the centre of the city. The main reason I rented, apart from it being so much easier than buying, was to use it as a base to find an area I liked before buying. However, I really like where I'm living and actually renting is very easy, so I'll almost certainly just stay here, renting, for a good few years yet. 

My feeling is that there are many cheap barrios simply because there is an excess of supply over demand, rather than there being anything wrong with those areas. But I don't know that for sure, I've not been here long enough! So why not rent in one the cheap areas and see what it's like? If it's not for you, just move somewhere else after a year. That's the beauty of renting. As has been said before, access to public transport (and indeed the brilliant Valenbisi cycle sharing scheme) makes a big difference to ease of getting around.

By the way, I'm mid-50's and have GCSE level Spanish, which I'm trying to improve. May I ask some Intercambio advice? Basically I'm after recommendations. I have been to just one bar that does an intercambio night, but it was rammed full when I got there, so I just gave up and went home. I'm not generally one for giving up easily, but I find it difficult to start up a conversation with strangers at the best of times.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Tamarindo said:


> I'm planning on moving to Spain (early retired) but the last place I want to live is a resort or small village. Had a coastal village holiday home in Spain some years back, and I know the limitations of these places. Anyway, I've been stuck in a boring Northern English town for family reasons, although I'm originally a city girl!


I am intrigued about why you so vehemently reject a small village. You can PM if you prefer not to say in open forum.


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## Chopera (Apr 22, 2013)

I remember visiting Tarragona back in 2002 and the whole city stunk. Maybe it's a problem with Spanish cities by the Med?

Regarding city living in general - I used to live in one of those drab 50s blocks in Madrid, and I hated it. But I think it was mainly because I didn't speak much Spanish at the time and I was a bit too far from the cosmopolitan downtown area to go there very often, so I generally felt disconnected. If you're within walking distance or a short bus trip from the centre then living in those buildings is probably ok. Compared to the stylish old flats you tend to get in the centre, the drab newer flats tend to have a better distribution with more external windows, have lower maintenance charges, and tend to be in quieter areas. As others have mentioned, in Spain it's not so common to find unsafe areas in cities, even if they appear a bit rough. It is common to find noisy areas though.


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## stefig (Jul 14, 2015)

CharlieMCFC said:


> I live in Valencia too, but only moved here 6 weeks ago. I rent a small flat in the centre of the city. The main reason I rented, apart from it being so much easier than buying, was to use it as a base to find an area I liked before buying. However, I really like where I'm living and actually renting is very easy, so I'll almost certainly just stay here, renting, for a good few years yet.
> 
> My feeling is that there are many cheap barrios simply because there is an excess of supply over demand, rather than there being anything wrong with those areas. But I don't know that for sure, I've not been here long enough! So why not rent in one the cheap areas and see what it's like? If it's not for you, just move somewhere else after a year. That's the beauty of renting. As has been said before, access to public transport (and indeed the brilliant Valenbisi cycle sharing scheme) makes a big difference to ease of getting around.
> 
> By the way, I'm mid-50's and have GCSE level Spanish, which I'm trying to improve. May I ask some Intercambio advice? Basically I'm after recommendations. I have been to just one bar that does an intercambio night, but it was rammed full when I got there, so I just gave up and went home. I'm not generally one for giving up easily, but I find it difficult to start up a conversation with strangers at the best of times.


Have you had a go at the Valenbisi? Is it easy to set it up? Do you need to use a bank card or to sign a contract? I'm ashamed to say I've been putting off signing up for it for ages, but now I've just moved and there's a Valenbisi 'terminal' right on my street, so it would be really handy!

I haven't been to an intercambio in a while as I've been spending a lot of time back in the UK with family issues, but I plan to check a few out over the next few weeks, so I will let you know if I find anything good!


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## CharlieMCFC (Jan 27, 2016)

stefig said:


> Have you had a go at the Valenbisi? Is it easy to set it up? Do you need to use a bank card or to sign a contract? I'm ashamed to say I've been putting off signing up for it for ages, but now I've just moved and there's a Valenbisi 'terminal' right on my street, so it would be really handy!


Yes, on of the first things I did here was to sign up for Valenbisi and have found it fantastically useful! It basically costs €30 p.a. and you get unlimited use of the bikes. Trips under 30m are free, there is a small cost (eg 50 cents for up to an hour) for longer trips. It can be a huge money saver. I can't remember the exact sign up process now, I think I gave my bank account details. If you go to Valenbisi.com, it's all in English by default and the sign up process is easy. You can also buy a plastic 'Mobilis' Metro card from one of the metro station for €2 and this also acts as your Valenbisi card, as well as working on the metro and EMT busses. It's a very handy card! If you have one of those, you can sign up to Valenbisi and use the bikes immediately. Otherwise, they post you a card.

Finally, there is a phone App called "Valencia Bikes" which again I have found really useful. It shows you where all the bike stations are and how many bikes and free bikes posts there are at each station. I have it on iPhone, not sure if it's available on Android, I assume so.


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## stefig (Jul 14, 2015)

CharlieMCFC said:


> Yes, on of the first things I did here was to sign up for Valenbisi and have found it fantastically useful! It basically costs €30 p.a. and you get unlimited use of the bikes. Trips under 30m are free, there is a small cost (eg 50 cents for up to an hour) for longer trips. It can be a huge money saver. I can't remember the exact sign up process now, I think I gave my bank account details. If you go to Valenbisi.com, it's all in English by default and the sign up process is easy. You can also buy a plastic 'Mobilis' Metro card from one of the metro station for €2 and this also acts as your Valenbisi card, as well as working on the metro and EMT busses. It's a very handy card! If you have one of those, you can sign up to Valenbisi and use the bikes immediately. Otherwise, they post you a card.
> 
> Finally, there is a phone App called "Valencia Bikes" which again I have found really useful. It shows you where all the bike stations are and how many bikes and free bikes posts there are at each station. I have it on iPhone, not sure if it's available on Android, I assume so.


Brilliant, thanks. I will have a look later. Did you use your Spanish bank details? I'm always a bit wary of signing up for stuff like this using my bank details, in case they claim a bike wasn't put back properly or is damaged or something, and charge me a load of money!


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## CharlieMCFC (Jan 27, 2016)

stefig said:


> Brilliant, thanks. I will have a look later. Did you use your Spanish bank details? I'm always a bit wary of signing up for stuff like this using my bank details, in case they claim a bike wasn't put back properly or is damaged or something, and charge me a load of money!


I honestly can't remember what financial details I supplied. On reflection, I'm not even sure they asked for them, other than to pay the initial fee. Maybe they take any money owed from the Mobilis card.

The docking station beeps twice when the bike is docked properly. And if you're concerned, or couldn't hear the beeps, it takes 30 seconds to log onto your account and check. If it has the option to take out a bike, you know that the system knows that you don't have a bike out at the moment. You can also print a paper receipt if you prefer. I did a lot of checking for the first few weeks, but have learned to trust the system.

If a bike is damaged, it would be impossible to know who did the damage (unless they owned up!). It could even be a passing vandal who never even hired the bike.


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## melissaspain (Feb 18, 2016)

Hi ! My name is melissa, I am French and moved to Spain for love one year ago. And there is not way I move back to Paris now  Ok I have been just a couple of times to Valencia and it is a very nice town to live. I actually live in Murcia and know very well Alicante as well and it really worth it living in the suburds. You can buy or rent there amazing flats for a reasonable price and anyway you can do everything by walk. For eg, In Murcia, I am renting a flat of 100m2 with a terrace of 45m2 for just 500€ a month! When I arrived in Murcia, I first lived in a small flat in the city center and quickly decided to leave. In fact, flats in the city center are usually very old, noisy and isolation-free (very hot in summer and cold in winter) so I think it is a very good idea to live in the suburbs. All the best


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