Where to Stay in Valencia in 2019

Valencia is one of the absolute best travel destinations at the moment. The city has a perfect mix of old and new, it has great weather for most of the year, and you will discover an incredible amount of attractions when you arrive.

So the question is – where is the best place to stay in Valencia?

There are a lot of interesting neighborhoods that should all be considered. But in the end, it depends on your personal preferences, and what kind of experience you are looking for in Valencia. To help you out a bit, we are describing some of the best areas of Valencia here, along with a few specific hotel recommendations.

Generally speaking, if you are into culture and sightseeing, you should stay in the old area, Ciutat Vella. The best neighborhood in Ciutat Vella is El Carmen, and it’s a really nice place to stay. If you want a modern and cool area, then find a hotel or apartment in Ruzafa. And, of course, if your main objective is to go to the beach, then stay in Cabanyal.

But remember that Valencia is a compact city, so no matter where you are staying, you will easily be able to get around to most parts of the city anyway.

Read on below for more information on each specific area of Valencia!

Ciutat Vella

This is the old part of Valencia. Previously a walled city, this is where you’ll find most of the historic attractions.

Now, Ciutat Vella covers a pretty large area, and you will find plenty of hotels here. Basically, any place to stay in Ciutat Vella is nice location-wise. It will be a short walk to any of the old attractions in the city.

Ciutat Vella has five neighborhoods in total. The two best of them are El Carmen and Barrio La Seu.

In El Carmen, you will find the highest amount of historical sights. There are also many nice and unique stores. You will find several places to eat, along with several cafes.

Barrio La Seu is right next to El Carmen and it has several spectacular sights. The main one is the Cathedral of Valencia, but La Seu is also home to the oldest museum of the city. It has some famous squares, and it is generally the most touristic area of Valencia. You will find a lot of tourist shops.

Both of these are parts of Ciutat Vella, and it is highly recommended to find a place to stay in one of these two areas if you wish to be in the historical part of the city.

L’Eixample & Ruzafa

Two neighborhoods located just a bit south of the old part of the city.

L’Eixample was intended as a modern extension of the city. It lives very well up to that, and here you are stepping into modern Valencia. It has Calle de Colón, the most popular shopping street in the city and a lot of nice restaurants are also in this neighborhood. If you wish to see Spanish architecture from the 19th and 20th century, this is the place to go. It has several nice business hotels if you want to stay here, as well as normal hotels for travelers interested in modern Valencia.

Bordering L’Eixample to the south we have Ruzafa. The hippest neighborhood in Valencia. Lots of young people, lots of fashion, lots of creativity here. People are very colorful here, and you can say the same for the buildings and the shops. Ruzafa used to be a rough, ghetto part, but now it is developing at a very rapid pace. A lot of students and hipsters have moved in. For young people that want to party, it doesn’t get much better than here.

Benimaclet

The main student area of Valencia. Benimaclet has several universities and it is the area where you find the highest amount of young people. Just like Ruzafa, it is a great place to party and meet new friends. However, it is not quite as hip as Ruzafa, which can be a bad thing and a good thing. The streets in Benimaclet are charming, and you will discover several student cafes and bars. It’s a pretty cool area, and if you’re asking where to stay in Valencia, Benimaclet will always be one of the main answers you get. Especially if you want to be very social during your trip.

Benimaclet used to be a town of its own, but it was absorbed into Valencia in the 70s. Today it is connected to the rest of the city by several metros and buses, so it is incredibly easy to get there. Geographically, Benimaclet is located in the northern part of the city.

Mestalla

Located just east of the old city and of L’Eixample, Mestalla is most famous for its football stadium. Valencia CF plays its matches here, and it is one of the most legendary stadiums in all of Europe. The mood during the matches is very intense, and the Mestalla stadium is probably the only legitimate cauldrons in Spain. The stadium is built to be intimidating when you get inside.

Aside from that, Mestalla is more residential than the other areas we have mentioned. You will not find as many sights and attractions here, yet it can still be considered when you are trying to find a place to stay in Valencia.

In Mestalla, there are a lot of Airbnb’s and other holiday apartments, and the area is very affordable. There are also a lot of nice restaurants here. One important gem is Ristorante La Piazza. And you will find other nice restaurants as well.

It’s a solid neighborhood to stay if you want a quiet and affordable vacation in Valencia. And of course, if you want to watch a football match!

Cabanyal

The beach area of the city. This is Valencia’s main beach, and it is quite wonderful. You will find a huge amount of beaches in the Valencian region, but this is the one closest to the city and the one that is easiest to get to.

Cabanyal will be very crowded during the summer months, but if you are arriving in the late spring or in the early autumn, it’s not that bad. You should be able to find several nice spots to lay down along this beach, and the water is clean and nice. Since it rarely rains in Valencia, it’s obvious to go to the beach a lot. Unlike beaches in Alicante and Málaga, you will that the majority of people visiting here are actually Spaniards.

How to get there? Super simple. Take the metro to the stop Marítim-Serrería. Three different lines go there. From this stop, stay with your ticket and go to the tram (officially line 8 metro) and ride 3 stops until Marina Reial Joan Carles I. From here, it’s a very short walk to the beach.

Conclusion

There are several nice places in this city. So where is the best place to stay in Valencia? It really depends on your own preferences. You have a lot of options, so we hope that this article has been helpful with making the choice.

No matter where you are staying, be sure to enjoy the trip because Valencia is a wonderful city. You’ll probably want to come back again after the trip is over – a lot of travelers come back to this city again, again and again.