Valencia Travel Forum

Hi there,
I'm coming to Valencia for two weeks in July, I've found a few nice apartments and I'm about to book one. But before making the choice I'd like to ask you for some advice -- which parts of the city would you recommed? I'm thinking of a place which would be relatively close to restaurants, cafes and the center of the city. I wouldn't like to end up in a residential area in the suburbs where lights go off after 10pm and the streets are totally empty.
But it also has to be safe and not too noisy.
Also, is it difficult to find a parking space in the street? Or should I look for an apt with a garage?

Here are some locations I'm considering:
-Av. Cesar Giorgeta
-Calle de Recaredo
-Calle Gen. Urrutia
-Canovas, near Jardin del Turia.

Thanks.

if by canovas you mean plaza canovas del castillo then that's definitely the best location.
- av cesar giorgeta is a big avenue, with busy traffic. the distance to the city center isnt short enough to get there walking.
- c/ recaredo is the closest to the city center but it's located in the heart of an area called El Carmen. that's a bit delicate then, either you love El Carmen or you hate it. personally, I love it...It's the oldest part of the city, with very narrow streets and all that (it's quite easy to get lost in it). it's a quite bohemian neighbourhood so you might come across people dressing strange and all that. it's very safe, though. and that street is quite close to c/ Hospital, thats where our main library is, so you'd find a lot of students in exam season. it's 10 min walk from the town-hall, the cathedral, etc.
- c/ general urrutia. too far from the city center. it's not a bad area to live in. but i cant think of many interesting things going on around it. although (and the same goes for av/cesar giorgeta) it is a long street so it pretty much depends on the number of your building. it might turn out that your building is either at the beginning or at the end of the street, then things would be quite different.
- plaza canovas is very well located. 10 min walk to the main shopping street (c/colon) near the old river-bed and the 'palau de la musica' (they play classical music concerts there). it's at the end of gran via marques del turia thats one of the most important avenues here, so a lot of restaurants and that around, and also a partying area (with pubs and clubs) quite close to it. 15-20 mins walk from the town-hall, the cathedral and the rest of the old town.

parking is a pain in the whole city, in general. getting a garage isnt too cheap, but if that's not a problem then you may want to to rent one. some public parking garages (those that charge you for minutes) do offer parking spaces for longer term rental. this could be useful if your building, or the buildings around, do not have a garage or available spaces. However, since you're only gonna stay here for 2 weeks, i'd summon up my pacience and i'd try to park in the street. the good thing is that many locals leave the city in the summer time (mostly in august, though), so finding a parking spot might be easier then than in the winter. there are a lot of these bue area things, though, where you need to insert a coin in a parkimeter every 2 hours. if you leave your car in the street just try to avoid them (by parking in a less busy/smaller street). we have many more non-blue parking areas here than in any other relatively-large european city i've visited.

good luck!

thanks so much jezzabel:)

One more question -- I forgot to mention Calle de San Ignacio Loyola. Is it OK?

you're welcome :)
I wouldnt go for that one either. in my opinion, the order of preference would be:
1. canovas
2. recadero
3. ignacio de loyola
4. general urritia
5. cesar giorgeta

I forgot to mention that valencia does not have residential areas. the whole city is quite busy. for real quiteness you'd have to leave the city and live in some of the smaller towns around. I also forgot to say that If i were you I'd avoid the beach area. it's nice for a stroll but not the safest to live in, and it's far from everything else. For another nice area you can try around Av/Blasco Ibañez (a lot of university faculties there) or Av/Aragon (where the football stadium is). it's not that they're walking distance from the city center but they're safe and lively, with a nice atmosphere. still i think plaza canovas is a great location. i'd go for that one.

you're welcome :)
I wouldnt go for that one either. in my opinion, the order of preference would be:
1. canovas
2. recadero
3. ignacio de loyola
4. general urritia
5. cesar giorgeta

I forgot to mention that valencia does not have residential areas. the whole city is quite busy. for real quiteness you'd have to leave the city and live in some of the smaller towns around. I also forgot to say that If i were you I'd avoid the beach area. it's nice for a stroll but not the safest to live in, and it's far from everything else. For another nice area you can try around Av/Blasco Ibañez (a lot of university faculties there) or Av/Aragon (where the football stadium is). it's not that they're walking distance from the city center but they're safe and lively, with a nice atmosphere. still i think plaza canovas is a great location. i'd go for that one.

"I wouldn't like to end up in a residential area in the suburbs where lights go off after 10pm and the streets are totally empty. "

hhahah - I wish there was such a street in Valencia!