Natalie’s Experience in Valencia, Spain

What attracts you to living in Valencia? Would you recommend it? What’s it like?

Living in Valencia is really good. It’s not a really big city, and with public transport you can get pretty much all over the city in 45 minutes more or less. There is also the beach and the weather is good nearly all year round. It’s only cold for one month a year.

What’s the student lifestyle like in Valencia?

The student atmosphere in Valencia is good and varied. There are four main important universities. On one side there are the public universities: the Polytechnic University of Valencia, which has just one big campus where you can basically live, and then there’s also the University of Valencia, which is spread over three campuses all over the city. There is also the Catholic University and the Cardenal Herrera University (CEU), which are private unis.

The areas near to the universities like Benimaclet, Blasco Ibanez or Aragon are always full of young people and there is always something to do or a new place to visit.

How much does it cost to live in Valencia?

Living in Valencia is cheap compared to other bigger cities in Spain like Barcelona or Madrid, especially when you’re looking for shared flats with more students. The student accommodation is more expensive and not very recommendable. Normally, the flats have three or four rooms and usually cost around €500-800 per month. The approximate monthly expenditure for a student in Valencia would be: €200 for the flat, around €40 for bills (electricity, water, internet), and around €25-50 per week for food.

Was it difficult for you to find accommodation?

Finding accommodation is pretty simple. The best dates for finding a place is between June and September. There are web pages like: www.idealista.com where you can find flats to rent or rooms in a shared flat. However, it isn’t recommendable to pay a deposit for a flat if you haven’t seen first. If you can spend a few days looking for a flat, the best thing to do is to look for notices at the university or out and about in the streets. Then you only have to ring the person and find a day where you go and view the property.

In terms of the area, it will depend on the university that you go to and if you want to use public transport or not. The most lively areas are Benimaclet, Blasco Ibanez and Aragon.

What’s the country’s food like? What are your favourite dishes?

The food is rich and varied. You can’t go there without eating a typical Valencian paella, a good Spanish omelette or jamón (cured ham). However, the food on offer is not only typical Valencian food or Mediterranean. There are lots of places that offer all types of food. From Indian to sushi.

What places do you recommend visiting in Valencia?

- The El Carmen neighbourhood

- The cathedral

- Plaza de la Virgen

- The market

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- The town hall square (Plaza del ayuntamiento)

- The train station

- The bull ring (Plaza de Toros)

- The Turia Gardens: a garden that stretches 9km and encompasses the old route of the Turia River which runs through the city from west to east up to the City of Arts and Sciences.

- The City of Arts and Sciences: situated on the old route of the Turia River, it showcases scientific and cultural works.

- Oceanografic: the biggest aquarium in Europe.

- Biopark: a zoological park that has been created based on the concept of zoo-immersion, allowing visitors to totally immerse themselves in the wild habitats of the animals.

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What about eating out in Valencia? What are your favourite places?

You can eat out in Valencia at different prices.

If what you want is to eat cheaply with friends and have a few beers, the best option is “100 Montaditos”. On Wednesdays and Sundays everything on the menu is €1.

Another place that is also very good is “El Felisano”, which is situated near to the train station in the centre of Valencia. It has a Chinese appearance from the outside and you can get lots of types of Chinese dishes inside. There is a wide variety of noodles and all at a very good price. I have been to eat here with my friend for €2. 50 (without a drink).

If you don’t want to spend much you can also go for a kebab. There are kebab shops practically everywhere, and for approximately €3. 50 you have a meal sorted.

On the other hand, if you want to spend more money, you can go to Forster Hollywood, Vip’s, Ginno’s or something more elegant and expensive like La Tagliatella – which is a chain of Italian restaurants that have really good food.

In the centre of the city there are also restaurants that have menus with dishes for about €10 and where you can eat more traditional food, like paella for example.

For dessert, you have to try the Llaollao ice cream or go to Llinares, which is located in “Plaza de la Reina” (Queen Square).

Where do you recommend for nightlife in Valencia?

In Valencia, there are different places to go out depending on the type of night you’re looking for.

For going out somewhere more calm, where you can just have a few beers with friends, I would recommend the Benimaclet area. There is a large number of small alternative bars, hidden away from the main streets, where you can spend the night until about 1 in the morning.

If you want a place with more people, another good option is to go to “Los Quintos” on Blasco Ibanez. There you can get two small beers for €1. They close at around 4am.

If you want to go somewhere to dance a bit, you have to go out in the Aragon or El Cedro areas. It is an area full of pubs and entry is usually free. They also close at around 4am. The highlights in this area are Caribbeans, which plays more mainstream music, and Aguacate, which plays rock music. That said, there are also lots and lots of pubs that usually have offers to go in some clubs and stay there until 8am.

Another option is to go out in the El Carmen neighbourhood. It is an area full of pubs and is usually where the majority of Erasmus students go out.

In terms of clubs, in winter it is advisable to go to Le Premier, Mia and SuperClub. In summer it is better to go to Akuarela and Las Animas which both have terraces.

You might also be able to get in for free if you know the right people!

Do you have any advice for future students in Valencia?

Really enjoy it and don’t stop moving! Always be on the lookout for new corners and new things. In Valencia there are lots of things to do everyday. Those that stay at home, choose to stay there.

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