We dare to say that your year in Valencia will probably be the best of your whole life. However, to make the most of it, you must know its magical corners and find out where to go at all times according to what you are looking for. Valencia is not a small city, but its urbanism is comfortable and agile and its streets are pleasant. That’s why walking or cycling is always the best option here. This way, you will avoid using public transport, saving money and taking care of the environment. University life in Valencia is one of the most intense and powerful in Spain. If this is your destination, fasten your seatbelt, because we’re taking off. Welcome!
Bars: where to drink
1. Radio City
The Radio City bar is located in the heart of Barrio del Carmen and is famous for its faithful commitment to live music. Live concerts of multiple genres any day of the week, affordable prices, a long bar and a wide dance floor to dance until dawn. That’s Radio City’s offer. Undoubtedly, one of the best ones (if not the best) in entire Valencia’s bar scene.
Address: C/ Santa Teresa, 19 – 46001 Valencia
2. Ateneo Sky Bar
Many consider it the best rooftop in Valencia. It is located in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and offers a great panoramic view of the city. In its menu, you will find different types of wine and beer, as well as highly prepared cocktails. Its staff is especially friendly, although they won’t let you access the terrace if you haven’t previously entered your name on the guest list and if you don’t have your ID card with you to identify yourself. You are warned now!
Address: C/ Moratín, 12 – 46002 Valencia
3. Parabarap
Every Erasmus student should subscribe (metaphorically) to Parabap. If it’s considered the cheapest bar in Valencia, it’s for a reason, isn’t it? Besides, there’s always a great party atmosphere there. It is very difficult to get to Parabap any day of the week and not find it crowded. Students tend to have great meetings there on Wednesdays, and then go out to nightclubs in Valencia.
Address: C/ Polo y Peyrolón, 11 – 46021 Valencia
4. Café Berlin
Eccentric, chic… Café Berlin is a small café/bar in which good music is always played, good drinks are served and an exceptional atmosphere is breathed. It offers fantastic cocktails and quality snacks. The chairs are different at each table (there is even a swing) and the place usually fills up right away. The walls are covered with posters, drawings, shelves full of books and event promotions. It’s worth a look.
Address: C/ Cádiz, 22-24 – 46004 Valencia
5. Café Negrito
Located in the same Plaza del Negrito (or Plaça del Negret in Valencian), this charming bar is known for its modern, tolerant, varied and groundbreaking atmosphere. At Café Negrito, you can find everything from neighbourhood residents to actors and various artists. The atmosphere is youthful and bohemian. This is the great value of a place that has been a reference in Valencia since the early 80s.
Address: Pl. Negret, 1 – 46001 Valencia
Restaurants: where to eat
1. La Pepica
Food and Valencia are two concepts that cannot go together in the same sentence without making reference to paella, the star dish of the area. La Pepica is nowhere near 120 years of history. 120 years, cooking one of the best paellas in the city, with a tasty rice like few others and exquisite condiments. La Pepica is on Playa de las Arenas, so it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. It was, for years, the fixed place attended by the prestigious journalist Ernest Hemingway when he visited Valencia. Learn from the best…
Address: Pg. Neptú, 6 – 46011 Valencia
2. La Finestra
Imagine an Italian restaurant, top-quality mini-pizzas at an almost ridiculous price, vegetarian options such as salads, almost free beers, live music practically every day and a guitar available to the public so that everyone who feels brave enough, starts singing. Well, you have to come and see La Finestra sometime during your year in Valencia. Yes or yes.
Address: C/ Vivons, 16 – 46004 Valencia
3. Tanto Monta
Tanto Monta is a rather small restaurant, located in the heart of the university area. It is decorated with wood of green and orange tones and its speciality are the montaditos (which are nothing more than sandwiches with the size of a tapa, each with a different touch), pinchos and tapas. You will find a great variety, all placed on a large bar where you have to order. In a few minutes, you’ll be served at the table. Each montadito or tapa costs 1.80€. It’s ridiculously cheap, isn’t it?
Address: C/ Poeta Artola, 19 – 46021 Valencia
4. Bakery & Burger
Bakery & Burger is also a rather small-sized restaurant located in the university area. Its hamburgers are revered by all students, either for how good they are or for how cheap they are (one with its accompaniment will cost you between 7 and 8€). There is also a small bakery where delicious cakes are cooked, ideal for dessert. Its Parisian style decoration makes Bakery & Burguer a very cozy place. Don’t be scared if you see a huge line of people. That always moves forward very quickly.
Address: Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 29 – 46010 Valencia
5. La OTRA Bodega
La OTRA Bodega is a typical Spanish restaurant. Tapas, good wine, cheap food and drink prices… It’s also in the university and student district, which makes it always enjoy an enviable atmosphere. In its tapas, you’ll find ham, cheese, anchovies, octopus… And, everything, if you like, outdoors, at its terrace.
Address: C/ Campoamor, 37 – 46022 Valencia
Terraces and beaches: where to sunbathe
1. Marina Beach
Marina Beach is, without a doubt, the best terrace in Valencia. From its swimming pool, as you can see in the image, you see all the Valencia Beach, feeling a very special sensation of water without limits. Do you want your skin to catch some colour? You won’t find a better place. If you want, you can get a hammock for the whole day for 50€. Another option is to enter for free, without a hammock, and simply enjoy a good drink for between 8€ and 10€. Oh, and always with music, in the purest Ibizan style.
Address: C/ Marina Real Juan Carlos I, s/n – 46011 Valencia
2. La Más Bonita
We highly recommend this beach location, which also has a beautiful indoor restaurant and a huge terrace. The cakes are its great success and what brings more customers. This makes La Más Bonita an unbeatable place for a brunch or even a meal. No matter what you order, everything is delicious. And the service is very pleasant. Go with time. This way, you’ll avoid being rejected for full capacity. It’s not uncommon to see La Más Bonita with all its tables occupied, especially, as you can imagine, in summer. But even on those occasions, it’s worth waiting.
Address: Pg. Marítim de la Patacona, 11 – 46120 Valencia
3. Panorama
Panorama is an elegant restaurant, but not excessively expensive, with privileged views over the sea and the entire Valencia Beach. It’s one of the most beautiful places to go to eat in the city.
Address: Marina Real Juan Carlos I, s/n – 46024 Valencia
Clubs: where to party
1. General discotheques
As you can imagine, Valencia has a wide range of parties, music genres and nightlife. As in any other city in Spain, the passion for Latin music is very common among young Valencians. Here, it won’t be hard to find reggaeton, trap and even dancehall or reggae in clubs like Ágora, the new La3, Latex and its parties Roto, Piccadilly Downtown Club or Rumbo 144.
If you want to know more about each of these venues and their musical programming, as well as their atmosphere and type of audience, we recommend this article from our blog in which we give all the details of what are, for us, the 10 best nightclubs in Valencia.
THE 10 BEST NIGHTCLUBS IN VALENCIA
2. Underground clubs
If, on the other hand, you are one of those who let themselves be carried away by the most alternative rhythms, you are also lucky. Valencia is a city rich in underground electronic music. Barraca (in the image) is one of the great temples of the techno genre at a national level. Other promoters, such as theBasement, have become more than consolidated in the electronic scene of the city, thanks to different parties in secret locations or to festivals of more than one-day duration, such as Días de Parque or Días de Campo.
Smaller and more welcoming clubs are, in turn, much more active, as they offer massive line-ups with guest artists every weekend. Next Club, Oven Club Centro, Wateke and the legendary Spook, the latter survivor of the famous “Ruta del Bakalao”, are the best examples. There, you’ll always find the best house, techno, deep house, disco, tech-house and all the subgenres you can imagine.
If you want to discover more or dig deeper about each of these venues and clubs and what you can find in each of them, we leave you in this link another article focused solely on the underground scene of Valencia. Information is power, dear friends.
THE BEST UNDERGROUND CLUBS IN VALENCIA
(Cover Image: © Xceed)
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