You’ve left your exorbitantly priced flat, waved goodbye to grey skies and rain, and are ready to perfect your Spanish. Or indeed whatever it was that prompted you to upsticks and emigrate to Valencia, that almost perfect Spanish city. Rest assured you’ve chosen well.
Spain’s third city, it’s not so small you get bored nor too big you get swallowed up in cool anonymity. Beaches, parks, culture and almost permanent sunshine: the quality of life is excellent. Here are my essential tips on how to settle in to Valencia quickly (some of which I wish I’d known sooner):
- Sign up for the bike sharing scheme
- Get a Spanish sim card
- Familiarise yourself with Spanish opening hours
- Participate in the events run by Valencia Language Exchange
- Sign up to Idealista to find accommodation
- Get a SUMA 10 card to get the most out of the public transport system
- Use the Santander work / cafe for remote working
- Be aware of bad paella
Sign up for the bike sharing scheme
It’s called Valenbisi. An annual subscription costs 35 euro and the first 30 minutes of your ride are free. The stations are commonplace and there’s a good availability of bikes. You can sign up and book each ride online. The bikes may weigh a tonne and don’t go very fast – the mode of transport is something between walking and a standard cycle – but it’s still worth it to take advantage of Valencia’s incredible cycling infrastructure at any time of day or night.
Get a Spanish sim card
A pre-paid sim card (prepago in spanish) only cost me 10 euro for the month and the registration took less than 5 minutes. My deal entitled me to 50gb of data, 500 minutes (EU and UK included), and unlimited messages, with no further commitment required. Sign up only required showing my passport. My provider (no commission…) Vodafone has excellent coverage across the city. Sims are easily found in any 2nd hand / repair phone shop, which are very common in La Roqueta, near Valencia Nord.
Familiarise yourself with Spanish opening hours
Most restaurants are closed between roughly 4pm and 8pm, the dreaded dead-hours. The majority of supermarkets are closed on Sundays. To this day I sometimes still get caught out, so accustomed to the the constant convenience of London where I spent the previous 8 years. It’s smart to check online before venturing to your chosen restaurant / shop and to build up a repertoire of places with more flexible hours. One example is the famous Horno de Los Borrachos (the Drunks’ Oven), located by the Central Mercat that serves greasy food 24/7.
Participate in the events run by Valencia Language Exchange
Valencia Language Exchange runs intercambios (language exchanges) 5 nights a week in different venues across the city, including a free salsa class on Wednesdays and free entry to Umbracle on Saturdays. As well as brushing up on your Spanish, it’s a great opportunity to meet other emigrants and locals – whether your goal is to make friends or get more insider tips. The company also organises weekend excursions and longer trips that are excellent for seeing wider region and beyond. Cafe Berlin in Rusafa also hosts popular language exchanges on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
Sign up to Idealista to find accommodation
Your first days will most likely be in an AirBnB. Let them be the only ones. Better to sign up to Idealista, Spain’s most popular property market platform, to find your longer term home. With far more choice and more affordable pricing, your bank balance will thank you. It’s also better that new demand funnels into the longer term letting market as opposed to the short-term airbnb market. This will reduce the incentive for landlords to switch their property to a short-term let (whether legally or not), which reduces supply and forces up rent for locals.
Get a SUMA 10 card to get the most out of the public transport system
The city is very well connected, with the metro, tram and an extensive bus network. The system is well integrated: a fare is valid for 90 minutes, allowing you to switch onto to different lines or modes. The best idea is to get a SUMA 10, which is a 10 journey pass. It can be loaded up to 30 journeys at a time and used by up to 15 people.
Lines 3 and 5 take you to and from the airport, while all the tram lines take you to the beach. Be aware of night-time hours: much of the transport stops after 11pm (hence it’s handy to have signed up to Valenbisi as a fallback).
Use the Santander work / cafe for remote working
If looking for a remote working space, the Santander work cafes are a good bet, especially while getting yourself settled. Entry is free, there is generally space, the internet is good and there’s on site coffee shop (with discounts for Santander bank account holders). The hours are 9am to 7pm. There are three in Valencia, including one right beside the Ayuntamiento. The cafes are also found in the other main cities in Spain.
Be aware of bad paella
No harm in including some foodie advice. Valencia may be the home of paella but the quality still varies. Only eat at somewhere that serves it at lunch – paella for dinner is only for tourists. The longer the wait the better too – it means the paella is freshly prepared. It’s also a good sign if the minimum portion size is for two people, again showing that they’re not serving from pre-prepared batches.
My favourite place by the beach is La Pepica, Hemingway’s former haunt. The best paella in the region is generally found in El Palmar by Albufera. Speaking of tourist tips, see my post on the best alternative things to see and do in Valencia.