Go out in Valencia

Valencia is famous especially amongst Erasmus students. The reasons are clear: a lot of partying - very well distributed - good weather, delicious food and cheap prices. Even though you're not an Erasmus student, consider the option of visiting Valencia, as here you'll find events for every taste and type of audience. Very few Valencians manage to skip the party, especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. As in any other city of Spain, in Valencia people have lunch and dinner late, and this affects also partying time. The usual plan is to have dinner around 10 pm and then carry on with what here is called "previas", which is drinking before going out to dance. Entering the club sober is almost forbidden. First of all, you have to enjoy a few drinks with your friends, either by doing the "botellón" (very common among students, either in the street, in parks or using the trunk of the car as a mini-bar) or by taking advantage of the good weather and enjoying one of the many open-air terraces of bars and pubs that Valencia offers. There you'll find people between 25 and 35 years old, and with fuller wallets. These kinds of places always close between 2 and 3 am. That's when the clubs start to fill up. From then, people dance until 6, 7 or even 8 am. The regulation is not excessively strict in regards of the closing time of the clubs, especially if these are in the outskirts of the city, as is the case of Barraca, one of the historical ones. Regarding the "previas" instead, you better be aware that the consumption of alcohol in the streets is forbidden, although the Policía Local usually closes an eye in places far from the neighbourhoods, such as the Paseo Marítimo, areas near the beach or the parks far from the crowded areas. Not even afterhours are particularly persecuted. If you are one of those who wants to dare, on Sundays from 8 am you’ll find music in places like Suite and Avenox.

Rock, RnB, hip hop, trap, reggaeton, pop, techno, house, minimal... This is Valencia, dear friends. Here you can find literally everything. If you want to find a connection between the type of music and something like the type of atmosphere, or something linked to a specific area, then, let's see them one by one. The Barrio del Carmen gathers most of the international public (who are called "guiris" here). The pubs in this area play commercial and rock music and stay open until 3 am. In Cánovas, on the other hand, there's a much posher vibe and the people are a little older. Commercial sounds in this case are accompanied by reggaeton. You want to mix posh and international crews? Then it's time to approach the port and the beach. That's the hottest area in summer, with a lot of outdoor music, both underground and commercial, depending on the nightclub. In Ruzafa there is a more alternative, hipster and underground atmosphere, with many locals who are between 25 and 35 years old. University students move, above all, through Cedro and Blasco Ibáñez. The cheap prices are the main reason, for going out to party as for having dinner out. But you better not expect top-quality alcohol in those areas, there is a reason if the prices are cheap.

Valencia is not at all an expensive city. A good dinner can cost you between 20 and 25€. Usually a ticket to enter a nightclub shouldn't cost you more than 15€ and, generally, a drink is included. Once inside the clubs, the bar prices are very similar to the ones of the bars and pubs in the city. That means shots at 3€, beers at 3, 4 or 5€ and drinks between 7 and 10€.

If you are going around Cánovas or around the port area and the beach, we recommend that you wear a polo, a shirt or a dress. The atmosphere here requires a minimum of elegance, and it is advisable not to attract the wrong attention by wearing a T-shirt, as this might might be used at your disadvantage. Ruzafa, Barrio del Carmen, Cedro and Blasco Ibáñez are more casual areas, so you can feel free to dress as you prefer, just be comfortable to dance. In general, Valencian nightlife is not particularly demanding on the dress-code. Enjoy it!