Do you want to know how it truly feels like to live in Valencia, Spain? Having called the city home for eighteen years now, we feel pretty qualified to answer this question. The short version? It’s wonderful!
Thanks to this travel blog, Mike and I have had the chance to live temporarily in a lot of various “homes”, from Montreal to Lisbon, Tokyo to Buenos Aires. So, we have a lot of experiences against which to compare Valencia.
Prior to moving to Valencia, we had been living in Berlin and Western Ireland. Perhaps the only thing that those two places have in common is a lack of sun, so we decided to go to the opposite extreme, and move to one of the sunniest cities in Europe: Valencia. We didn’t know much about the city before moving, but it was an excellent decision.
The moment we arrived, we fell in love. The food, architecture, culture and the festival of Fallas made us instant fans. In the beginning, we moved frequently, renting apartments in three different neighborhoods: La Xerea, Carmen and Ruzafa. This gave us a pretty deep understanding of the city. Eventually, we started traveling the world with For 91 Days, but our home base was always Valencia, and we returned frequently.
After years of relentless globetrotting, we eventually decided to put down some real roots, and bought an apartment in the middle of the city. We continued traveling, but more slowly, allowing ourselves the time and space to make deeper connections and friendships within our adopted home.
Our love for Valencia hasn’t dissipated one bit. And with every year that passes, we gain a better understanding of the city. It’s been amazing to watch it grow and change… from the hidden gem we “discovered” in 2008, to the touristic hotspot that it is now. We’ve seen the Reign of Rita, followed by a long period of socialist governance, with new bike lanes and pedestrian zones established. But through all the upheaval, the city remains the same at its core: the sun, the Turia, the festivals.
Valencia has an ingrained rhythm, to which you start adjusting without even being aware of it. Like: when did I start eating lunch at 2pm? When did I stop jumping at the sound of firecrackers? Why am I walking so slowly down this sidewalk? When did I learn the difference between good and bad horchata? Have I become an horchata connoisseur? Don’t even come at me with that plastic-wrapped fartón, cabrón!
Valencia gives you a level of quality of life that you simply don’t get anywhere else. The sun is out all the time, and the climate is great year-round. And it’s no surprise that the cuisine is excellent — Valencia is surrounded by fields and the sea! The culture here is top-notch, with wild festivals, award-winning restaurants, cool bars, and a vibrant nightlife. On top of all that, it’s just easy to get around: there’s great public transportation, and the city is both super-walkable and bike-friendly. The airport might be small, but that’s actually a plus: you can get there and to your gate in no time.
After you live here for a while, you’ll develop your own personal routine. Going to the market on Friday morning, then enjoying an aperitif in one of the plazas. Becoming addicted to early morning walks through the Turia River park. Biking out to the beach to catch the sunset at least once a week. Oh wait, I just described our personal routine!
Often, the charm can wear off a new city, but that hasn’t happened for us and Valencia. This is a place that’s easy to fall in love with, but the longer you stay, the more attached you’ll get, until even its annoyances become endearing. That’s why, when we’re traveling, we love having guests stay at our apartment in La Xerea for a month or more, so that they can live like a local and get a sense for what the Valencian lifestyle is all about!
From our TRAVEL BLOG.