Vivre à Valence

Valencia is the perfect city for people who like to enjoy the good weather, Spanish culture, and delicious Spanish food. With an average of 17 degrees, 300 days of sunshine throughout the year, and located near the beaches, Valencia is one of the most chosen cities to live in by expats.

City overview 

Valencia is located on the southeastern coast of Spain and is famous for the city of arts. This consists of futuristic structures, such as the planetarium, oceanarium, and an interactive museum. The city has several beaches, which is also the reason many people choose to live here. The city has a population of 791.000 people living there and is divided into 19 districts, these 19 districts are subdivided into 88 neighbourhoods. A lot of people think of Valencia as a more modern city in Spain, but it has one of the oldest historical centres in Europe too. The city has over 2000 years of history and artistic heritage. Not only the famous local festivity Fallas but also the La Lonja and the Water Tribunal are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. 

Fun facts about Valencia:

• It is the home of Paella
• Puente de las Flores is the most expensive bridge in the world
• Las Fallas, which is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Spain, and also a UNESCO cultural heritage, originates in Valencia. 
•  The Oceanogràfic of Valencia is the biggest aquarium in Europe
• People in Valencia speak Valencian and Spanish.

Environnement

Valencia has a Mediterranean climate. This means that there are warm summers and mild winters. The city has an average of 300 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of 17 degrees. In summer there is an average temperature of around 30 degrees during the day. In winter the temperature falls to an average of 14 degrees. Not only is it a very beautiful city with many great hotspots, but the environment around Valencia is also extraordinary. Just a few kilometres from Valencia, you can find rivers, pools, springs, and waterfalls.

Here is a list of  beautiful nature hotspots where you can go for a swim around Valencia:

• El Turche Cave = 60-metre waterfall falling into a beautiful lake where you can take a swim. 
• El Gorgo de la Escalera = Canyon carved out by the river water. You can go here via a staircase (Escalera). This spot has beautiful crystalline water. Close to this spot is Anna Lake. This is a famous lagoon worth visiting but you can’t swim here. 
• Salto de la Novia (Navajas, Castellón) = This spot is further away (60 km) but is worth visiting. Here you can find the spectacular El Brazal Waterfall. 
• La Fuente de los Baños (Montanejos, Castellón) = the source of the thermal waters of Montanejos. The pools here have a constant temperature of 25 degrees. You have to buy tickets to enter these thermal waters (€3,- online, €3,5 office price). 

You don’t have to go outside the city to take a swim. There are a lot of beautiful beaches too. Most beaches are easily accessible by public transport. If you want to go to a less crowded beach that is still easily accessible by public transport, you can go to The Patacona. The beach is not the only outdoor activity in Valencia. You can also go for a walk in the Turia city garden. With its 12 km, the Turia city garden is one of the biggest urban parks in Spain.

Culture & Nightlife

Valencia is known for many things. For example, the city of arts and sciences, the central market, being the birthplace of Paella, sandy beaches, the old town, the Cathedral, and not to forget the Fallas. Valencia has combined modern and historic quite well.

Las Fallas

In 2016 the famous festival Las Fallas was awarded UNESCO cultural heritage status. Las Fallas is a big festival in which the whole city transforms into a big art gallery with street parties for a few days every year in March. People here take an entire year to plan this festival. Every day at 2 PM during Las Fallas there is an enormous firework display. The fireworks are all about the noise and get bigger every day. They celebrate the end of winter and the festival stands for new beginnings.

La Tomatina

Another festival is La Tomatina. This festival takes place at the end of August. During this festival, a lot of visitors go to a small town next to Valencia where they throw over-ripe tomatoes at each other. This festival comes with a long history.

Paella

Food and eating is taken very seriously in Spain. The famous Spanish paella was invented in Valencia. For more than 1000 years, Paella rice has been growing in this region. An old tradition is to cook huge amounts of paella over firewood on the street during the weekends or on special occasions.

Oceanografic

A more modern part of Valencia is the City of Arts and Sciences. The oceanographic of the City of Arts and Sciences is the largest aquarium in Europe, situated on the Dry Turia River bed in Valencia. The oceanographic is made of different buildings, each representing the ecosystem of different planets, seas and oceans. Oceanography is located in Valencia because of its close relationship with the sea.

Vie nocturne

Valencia is one of the best party cities in Spain. During the 80s and beginning of the 90s, it was already known for being a Spanish city with endless parties. Here is a list of places you can go to a party on a night out. Just like in other cities in Spain, entrance to a club costs you around €10,-, including one drink. At some clubs, you will be able to enter for free if you go there before 1.30 AM.

1. La3 Club – Electronic, techno, house music
2. Mya – A lot of the local young crowd goes here.
3. L’Umbracle – Beautiful open-air club
4. Agenda Club – Disco, Funk, Hip-hop, House (Students meeting point)
5. Akuarela – International beach club (Happy atmosphere close to the sea)

Just like all Spanish cities, the nightlife does not get started before 11 PM. This does not mean that Spanish people party for a shorter period. In Spain, they finish partying just as late as they start. The best nightlife in Valencia can be found in the neighbourhood of El Carmen.

Transports en commun

Valencia has 60 bus lines, 6 metro lines, and 3 tram lines. The public transport connects you to everywhere in the city, including the airport. The metro runs between 4:00 and 23:30 AM on weekdays and between 5:00 and 00:30 on the weekends. The price of the tickets for the metro depends on what zones you have to travel in. You can choose between a single ticket or Bonometro (10 times). If you have to travel frequently, the TuiN card is the best option. You can spend a minimum amount on your travels per month by paying for the card. How much this cart costs depends again on the zones you will travel in. The most expensive card is €63,- a month.

Busses are a good option for when the metro does not reach your destination or when the metro does not run anymore. After 10:30 PM night buses start running. Night Buses run until 2:00 AM during weekdays and 3:00 AM during weekends. Some long-distance buses and trains go for example to Barcelona and Alicante.

The city also has a cycle rental service called Valenbisi. With this, you can rent bikes 24 hours, 365 days a year, that are placed throughout the whole city. There are many bike lanes which makes it safe and easy to travel by bike. You can subscribe to bicycles. A weekly subscription is €13,30. This is a good option for when people visit only for a week. If you are moving here, an annual subscription will be €29,21. The first 30 minutes used on top of your subscription is free. If you use it for longer than 30 minutes the costs will be between €0,50 and €1,00.

You can also use a taxi in Valencia. Uber does not exist here. In Valencia, they use the app Cabify to get a taxi. You could of course also wave your hand when you see a taxi with a green light.

Logement

If you are looking for an apartment in Valencia but are not sure what area is the best to live in, there is good news for you. There are a few very nice districts but the whole city is great to live in. Here you can find a list of a few nice neighbourhoods to live in with an explanation.

1. El Carmen – This is the old city and a lot of people see this as the most beautiful part of Valencia. Apartments here are in general a bit more expensive than in other neighbourhoods. All the protests, festivals, and celebrations take place here in the centre. Therefore it is not always the most practical choice to live here. 
2. Rusafa– C'est un quartier très attractif où vous trouverez de nombreuses activités culturelles. C'est un endroit très populaire pour sortir. Il y a beaucoup de restaurants et de pubs ici.
3. Benimaclet– C'est un quartier moins cher où vivre. Benimaclet a l'atmosphère d'un village grâce à ses rues étroites et chaleureuses.
4. El Cabañal– Similaire à Benimaclet mais plus proche de la plage. C'est aussi un quartier moins cher que El Carmen et Rusafa.
5. Blasco Ibañez Avenue– Beaucoup d'étudiants vivent ici. Les universités sont localisées dans ce quartier. C'est aussi un endroit abordable où vivre.
6. Port Saplaya– L'un des plus beaux quartiers juste à l'extérieur de Valence. Port Saplaya est situé à 4 km de Valence près de la plage. Il est très facile de rejoindre la ville en transports publics.

Un conseil pour s'installer dans cette ville est d'apprendre un peu l'espagnol avant votre arrivée. Beaucoup d'agents immobiliers et de propriétaires ne parlent que l'espagnol. Mais ne vous inquiétez pas si vous ne parlez pas l'espagnol. Si vous cherchez un peu plus longtemps et mieux, vous trouverez un propriétaire parlant anglais.

Valence est une option relativement meilleure où vivre queBarcelonaet Madrid si vous considérez le coût de la vie et la location d'appartement. Le loyer est en moyenne près de 30% moins cher ici qu'à Barcelone. Les prix des appartements à louer pour 4 personnes sont autour de 2000 €, et pour 2 personnes 1000 €. En moyenne, pour une chambre dans un appartement partagé, vous paierez 500 €. Bien sûr, cela dépend aussi du quartier que vous choisissez.

Quelques sites web pour louer des appartements à Valence sont :

• MLS
• Zillow
• Hotpads
• Spotahome

Santé

Le système de santé public espagnol s'appelle le Système National de Santé. Ce système est destiné à tous ceux qui vivent et travaillent en Espagne. Tous ceux qui travaillent en tant que salariés ou travailleurs indépendants et cotisent à la sécurité sociale peuvent accéder au Système National de Santé. L'assurance maladie est couverte par les systèmes de sécurité sociale espagnols. Tous les salariés en Espagne cotisent à la sécurité sociale.
Quand vous vous installez en Espagne, vous devez vous enregistrer auprès du système de santé public. La première étape est de vous enregistrer auprès de la Sécurité Sociale espagnole (Dirección General de la Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social ou TGSS). Vous avez besoin de votre pièce d'identité ou passeport, de votre certificat de résidence, et d'une preuve que vous avez enregistré votre adresse locale auprès de la mairie. Après avoir reçu votre numéro de sécurité sociale, vous recevez également un document attestant que vous avez droit à l'aide médicale en Espagne.

En Espagne, vous verrez beaucoup de pharmacies, vous pouvez y aller avec votre ordonnance pour vous procurer vos médicaments. Les pharmacies sont souvent indiquées par une croix verte. Quand vous êtes en âge de travailler, vous paierez 40% à 60% de vos frais. Cela dépend de votre revenu.

Voici une liste de numéros de téléphone généraux en cas d'urgence en Espagne.

• 061 = Ambulance
• 1003 = Médecin d'urgence
• 961 496 199 = Dentistes d'urgence
• 963 600 313 = Pharmacie
• 112 = Numéro d'urgence national

Quelques mots pour commencer

Les habitants de Valence parlent l'espagnol et le valencien. Vous pouvez voir quelques exemples de mots couramment utilisés en espagnol, valencien et anglais.

Español

Valenciano

Anglais

Buenos días

Bon dia

Good morning

Buenas noches

Bona nit

Good night

Me llamo..

El meu nom és…

My name is..

¿Cómo te llamas?

Com et dius?

What is your name?

Derecha / Izquierda

Dreta / Esquerra

Right / Left

De nada

De res

You're welcome