Emergency measures in the wake of Covid-19:

See the Reopen-Europa, Spanish Covid-19, Travel Bans/Spain, and World Nomads/Spain websites for details and updates.

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Valencia is often overlooked by visitors who flock to Madrid and Barcelona or the beach resorts. The America's Cup and Formula 1 race events helped raise the profile of Spain's third largest city, but it remains an undiscovered gem to many foreign travellers. For anyone weary of fighting the crowds, this is definitely a plus.

Named for Roman emperor Valens, the city was founded in 137 BC. Visigoths, Moors, Christian reconquistas, and civil war each left their mark on local history, imparting a distinct culture and language. A thoroughly modern Valencia coexists alongside cherished antiquities and traditions.

Much of this history is colorfully reenacted in the many annual festivals held in every town and village in the region. The brightly costumed rituals and processions that go on for days are almost always accompanied by deafening fireworks displays called mascletàs. Fallas is the biggest of the fiestas, an annual Valencia-wide festival held each year, from early to mid-March. The final week features giant-figured constructions in every neighborhood, daily pyrotechnics, processions with period costumes and marching bands. Bonfires, known as la cremà that consumes the figures on the last night, get so big that fireman hose down the surrounding buildings.

El Carmen (or Carme) is the heart of the old city, filled with buildings dating to Roman and Moorish times and bounded by remnants of the city walls, Torres de Quart to the west, and Porta de Serrans (Torres de Serranos) to the north. Mercat Central (the central marketplace), and Llotja de la Seda (La Lonja), the late Gothic Silk Exchange, are to the south. Plaça de l'Escolania de la Mere de Déu (Plaza Virgin) and Plaça de la Reina are to the east, with the Cathedral and the Micalet (Miguelete) between them. Here, at the center of the old Roman city, the temple of Diana once stood. The district is a warren of narrow twisting streets, glorious medieval architecture, and grand palaces and courtyard gardens, scarcely imagined until glimpsed through an open door. It's hardly a surprise this picturesque area and nearby streets contain so many of Valencia's gay restaurants, cafes and clubs. Russafa (Ruzafa) is another gay district, beyond North Station and the Bull Ring.

After the flood of 1957 the Turia river was redirected, and the old river bed became a long wide park of grass, trees, ponds and bike paths that wraps around Carmen, then continues towards the coast, with sports and leisure facilities. The Bioparc Valencia zoological park is at one end, and the futuristic buildings of Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències are at the other end, with an opera house and perfoming arts center, the museum of science, an IMAX cinema, and an aquarium.

 

Getting Here

Valencia Airport has a few arrivals direct from North America, but the best deals arrive at Madrid, Barcelona, London, Paris or Zurich, with connections from those cities. Most European and Mediterranean airports have air connections here. Check the low-cost carriers such as Easyjet, Ryan, and Vueling, for cheap special rates to scores of European cities, if you book ahead and travel light.

The modern Metro rapid transit/subway trip takes 30 minutes into downtown for a few euros - but you pay another euro for the rechargeable fare card. Hang onto that - it's needed to exit at your destination station and saves you a euro on your next trip. Taxi cabs, found just outside the arrivals terminal, charge around 20 euros to city center. For car rentals see "Getting around" below.

RENFE at North Station rail has regular and high speed AVE rail connections to/from Madrid, and regular service to northern cities like Barcelona, with connections to the rest of Europe. Regular speed one-way trips within Spain cost between 35 and 65 euros, depending on time of day and seat class.

Buses and Coaches arrive at and depart from the Central Bus Station just north of the Turia. Among the bus companies here ALSA will get you to and from Barcelona and towns to the north, or Alicante and points south; Avanza connects with Madrid - in each case for as little as 25 to 35 euros.

 

Getting around

Metro subway trains, trams, EMT buses, or short taxi hops will get you to most places easily enough in Valencia. Most of the old city can be covered on foot and many streets are pedestrian-only. During Fallas much of the center is closed to traffic for a week or more. Save the electronic ticket from the airport, it can be recharged. Plastic (Bono) smart cards, either bus-only or combining bus and Metro, can be bought or recharged at tobacco stores or news kiosks - ten trips for about half the normal price, with a one-time initial charge for the card. They allow you to jump on and off buses for up to 60 minutes in any direction for just one fare. Bus drivers accept cash for single trips, without the transfer option. For more information on city and regional public transport, in Valencian, Spanish and English, see EMT.

Bicycles may be rented from Valenbisi for a few minutes, or by the hour or the day, from street stands all over town with a swipe of a card - free for the first 30 minutes. For longer trips your credit card will be charged. Bikes can also be rented from many rental shops, easy to find around Carmen, for just 9-12 euros per day. Show your passport and leave a cash or credit card deposit -- returned when you return the bike.

BikeAlao, Brisa, Pelican, and Valenjoy, offer bike and e-scooters rentals. Yego offers e-scooters and mopeds for rent from street locations, activated and paid for with their smartphone app. BikesBooking has deals online from several Valencia scooter rental companies, offering classic scooters, Vespas, mopeds, motorollers, and motoscooters.

Taxis may be hailed in the street, most have meters. Figure from 6 to 12 euros for most daytime hops around the center, but more at night, plus airport surcharges.

Car rentals, available at the airport, can make make day-trips to surrounding countryside and beaches easier, and short-term visitors may use a home country driver's licence. Reserve online in advance to guarantee a car, and for best rates (local company prices often beat the big guys). Traffic moves well throughout the city (traffic jams are rare), but streets are a maze, and impatient and aggressive local drivers are irritated by timid outsiders. During fiestas many streets are closed to all traffic (buses included), and much of downtown is now pedestrian-only, including Plaça de l'Ajuntament and much of the Carmen.

Street signs here are usually in Valencian (similar to Catalan) rather than Castillian Spanish - as the community restores the local language to preeminence. Don't be confused by Plaça instead of Plaza, Avinguda for Avenida, or Sant Pere with or instead of San Pedro - they're the same. We use the Valencian names you'll see in the streets, but many businesses still use Spanish.

 

What to do

Fallas in March, the Nou d'Octubre (October 9) festivities, and celebrations for Three Kings Day, are good times to see the pageantry of Valencia. Els bous al carrer, (running of the bulls events) take place in several nearby towns, notably in Dénia to the south, with bous a la mar when (mostly) young guys run just out of harms way, to jump into the water, hoping the charging animal can't stop.

A lively recent addition to the region's annual festival schedule takes place in Bunyol, a 40-minute train ride away. La Tomatina now attracts 40,000 mostly college-age foreign visitors in August for one of the world's biggest food fights: an hour-long tomato-throwing, T-shirt-ripping melee with tons of ripe fruit -- preceded and followed by international partying in the bars, the streets, and the parks.

A quieter recent celebration took the form of an art exhibition of works by native son Joaquín Sorrolla y Bastida, whose paintings vividly depict traditional Valencian life of a century ago. See New York's Hispanic Society of America and the Museo Sorrolla in Madrid.

Les Festes Moros i Cristians (Moors and Christians festival) in Alcoi, and the "gran Muixeranga" people towers of the Mare de Deu de la Salut festival in Algemesi, are other notable events. For info on other regional celebrations and day trips to surrounding towns, mountains and beaches, find links at the bottom of this page, and see our events and activities pages. The latter includes gay and clothing-optional dunes at Playa de l’Arbre del Gos between Pinnedo and El Saler, and the Sant Llorenç Nude Beach above Cullera.

Pride, on a Saturday in late June, typically features a 7:30pm parade from Plaça de la Porta de la Mar/ Parque Parterre to the festival and entertainment site at Plaça de l'Ajuntament/ City Hall Plaza, where the party last year filled the streets from 9:30pm to 3am. See updates at their website.

Two of the most popular pastimes for locals are following the local Valencia CF football (soccer) team, or going to the colloseum-style Plaza de Toros next to North Station. Traditional spectacles of color, costumes, ritual and music, the bull-fights take place during just three periods each year, during religious holiday festivals. As with football, bull-fights are covered on local TV, with commentaries and interviews -- a good alternative for those who can't face the crowds or the smell of blood in the ring. Either way, for curious foreigners, whatever their feelings on the subject, it's a window into another reality.

See our events and activities pages.

 

Currency and Money

Spain’s official currency is the euro. Since the switch-over the once familiar change booths have mostly disappeared except at the airport. Banks will usually change dollars, but most close by 2pm, (open weekdays only). There are ATMs everywhere, so use your debit card for cash with better exchange rates. Check with your home bank before leaving to be sure credit card transactions go smoothly, and to save the ATM charges if your bank has a Valenician network partner. Also, unless you tell your bank you want otherwise, there is a daily cash limit. Having a credit card with a chip (and pin number) can help when buying tickets in machines, and most places check passport ID as they take your card in stores or restaurants.

 

Media & Resources

Two print magazines can be found in all the gay places around town: Shangay, the big glossy and their smaller listings publication, both in Castillian.

The Lambda Valencia website also has lots of information, as does Gay Valencia - both in Valencian and Castilian. This is Valencia-24/7 has general information in English on tourist sites, restaurants and nightlife, plus insights into the lives of foreign expats in Valencia. Their business listings however, particularly in the LGBT section, are quite out of date.

The official city website Valencia.es is in Valencian and Castillion. Their Visit Valencia site is in English and eleven other languages. The Valencia City Guide is another English-language resource (also in Spanish and Italian).

Spain in English website covers national and regional news, along with sports and cultural events and lifestyle listings.

LoveValencia has a guide to the city, with events, restaurant, theater, museum listings and other attractions, in Spanish. HelloValencia is a similar resource, but their website hasn't been updated lately.

For local accommodations, plus locations and website links to the businesses listed below, see our map & listings tab. For rural escapes to mountain village retreats around Valencia, see our activities tab.

 

Going out - cafes & bars
Spain famously runs on different time from elsewhere in Europe. Businesses usually close at 2 pm and may not reopen for two or three hours, as people head home or go to the cafes. In the heat of summer this is sensible. After reopening the stores stay open until 8 or 9pm, so dinner between 9pm and midnight is the norm. Families with small children, who in other countries would have long been in bed, spend relaxed evenings together around outdoor tables late into the night. As afternoon cafes close around midnight some nightclubs aren't yet rolling up the steel shutters.

These many terrazas have outdoor tables that bars and restaurants spread around the neighborhood plazas and along sidewalks. One of the great pleasures of Spanish social life, they provide tourists with gathering places in the small squares and narrow streets of El Carmen, and many stay open all afternoon. Outside downtown tourist areas a beer or copa de vino usually costs only $1.75 or so. Plaça de la Seu, one of the grandest and most popular, has an impressive atmosphere but the cuisine here is mostly middling. Grab a coffee, ice cream, beer, or an orxata (horchata) in summer; or thick hot chocolate in winter - then venture deeper into Carmen for better food in the back streets.

Comic Café (Sueca, 33, Russafa), cozy 8am-2am multi-cultural cafe, breakfast through evening copas, sidewalk tables, mostly gay men.

La Boba y el Gato Rancio (Cuba 59, Russafa), gay party bar, mostly guys, street terrace, theme nights, shows, films and videos, art/photography exhibits.

La Pilona Bar Teatre el Musical (Plaça del Rosari 3), new Cabanyal/ Malvarrosa Beach performance arts/ theater space, alternative mix of all kinds, men/women, live music, beer/wine, cocktails, tapas.

The Muse (Ruaya 48), gay and lesbian cocktail and copas lounge north of the Turia, DJ sets, evening warm up bar for the nearby Deseo 54 dance club.

Pekado (Plaça Vicente Iborra 9) means sin or at least peccadillo. Food, named for various vices, served by charming and hunky staff. After dinner, weekend cabaret shows and drag performances.

Pub la Seu (Centelles 40), afternoon gay cafe in Ruzafa, similar to their old place at La Seu, evening wine and cocktails music bar.

Sol i Lluna (del Mar, 29), gay-friendly mixed cafe and tapas bar just off Plaça de la Reina; breakfast croissants and tostadas, lunchtime bocadillos, street tables.

Trapezzio Cafe (Plaça Music Lopez Chavarri, 2), center of Carmen, open 9am weekdays, (5pm weekends), terrace seating on plaza. Open throughout afternoons, into the evening; great first stop to peruse gay magazines and maps over coffee, drinks, and/or tapas.

Turangalila (Maestro Rodrigo 13, Campanar), dinner/showbars, meals daily except Sunday, drag espectaculos Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Two more drag showbar restaurants welcome all: Barbarela (Doctor Sanchís Sivera, 11) in Extramurs; and Son de Lluna (Lerida 14) in the Zaidía district.

In the northern suburb of Museros, Dietrich (Barcelona 65), dinner and cabaret show bar, has drag shows, live flamenco, belly dancers, Vegas/Soul music song and male dancers.

CLOSED: 33 Lounge (Sant Dionis 8), restaurant/cocktail lounge; ADN Pub (Angel Custodio 10, Carmen), gay/mixed cocktails/ dance club; Codigo G (Tomasos 14, Russafa), mixed weekend dancing: Q Art (Guillem de Castro 80), casual, kitchy Torres de Quart gay cafe/bar; So and Go (Sagunt 10), weekend gay dance club/ shows.

 

Going out - cafes
Several cafes, many of them in or within a few blocs of Carmen, comfortably include gay folk among their customers, especially after midnight on weekends when these streets begin to teem.

Bar La Pilareta | La Casa de las Clóchinas (del Moro Zeit, 13, Plaça Tossal), tiny bar since 1917, sidewalk tables, fresh-steamed mussels, squid, habas (favas), grilled artichokes and other tapas, plus some of the city's best bravas; beer and wine. Very popular - go early or make reservation.

Café de las Horas (del Comte d'Almodóvar 1), small gay-friendly cafe in Plaça de la Verge, Parisian Baroque-style, tapas and cocktails.

Cafe Sant Jaume (Caballeros 51, at Sant Jaume), carved wood ceilings, student, gay, artist cafe, pleasant outdoor seating beneath expansive trees, good views of all who pass by in Plaça Tossal.

Café Lisboa (Doctor Collado, 9), copas and tapas, popular mixed bar, terrace tables in the shade of a very large old olive tree near Mercat Central.

Ca Revolta (Santa Teressa 8), very Valencian cafe/bar and community center in Carmen, between Plaça del Tossal and el Mercat, live music, theater, film screenings, photography and art exhibits; poetry readings, and dance performances.

Chocolatería Valor (Plaça de la Reina 20), rich thick dark hot drinking chocolates of many varieties, gelatos, teas, coffees; tables on Plaça de la Reina with views of La Seu.

Horchateria de Santa Catalina (Plaça de Santa Caterina, 6), ornate tile-decorated traditional Valencian cafe in Plaça de la Reina, classic style orxata (horchata) de chufa, chocolatería, fartons, pastries, restaurant food and drinks. The famous Horchatería El Siglo across the way was refurbished to become the cafe of the new Hotel El Siglio.

La Lola (subida del Toledano 8) Mediterranean and "nueva cocina española" platos and tapas, DJs, live jazz and flamenco nights.

La Utielana (Plaça del Picador de Dos Aigües, 3), good, inepensive, basic traditional Valencian food and wine, beer; daily and seasonal specials, outdoor seating on C/ Sant Andreu at rear entrance. Near Ajuntament. Arrive by 2pm or wait in line.

Neboa Restaurant (Plaça Vicent Iborra 4), Mediterranean cuisine, chef's daily specials from the marketplace.

 

International Restaurants
Valencians' preference has long been for traditional local fare (paella, tapas, pechugas, mariscos, and Jamón serrano or ibérico, for example), with the occasional shawarma, pizza, Chinese, or American fast food. Recently things have been changing with more international vegetarian and natural foods restaurants popping up, mostly downtown.

Al Adwaq (Carrer de la Nau, 16) and nearby Al Munia (Bonaire 18), two traditional Morrocan restaurants close to Plaça d'Alfons el Magnànimo. Traditional soups, stews, meat and vegetarian options, lunch specials at good prices, dinner.

Al-Balansíya (Paseo de las Facultades, 3), Arab/Morrocan restaurant, hummus, baba ganoush, chicken tayin, lunch, dinner.

Atmosphére (Moro Zeit 6), home-cooked international fare at French Institute off Tossal Square. Morning coffee and croissants from 8am; daily menu from Thai wok to Mexican fajitas, quiches, rich desserts and cakes, bright interior patio. French-language cinema each Wednesday.

Cafe de Paris (Cabelleros 30), inexpensive Franco-Valencian entrees and tapas, good wine, charming French & Spanish-speaking gay waiters.

Grupo Copenhagen -three upscale vegetarian/vegan restaurants in Russafa and Carmen, each with its own culinary style, all with beautiful food presentations: Copenhagen (Literato Azorín 8); Malmö (Sueca 46); and Oslo (Catalans 8, off Plaça Negret). Scandinavian minimalist settings, innovative and tasty natural foods cuisine, lunch specials, dinner, full bar.

Herbolario Navarro (San Vicente Mártir, 63), healthy cafe/take-out empanadas, soups, lunch specials, juices and teas near Plaça Ajuntament, in largest of 12-store natural foods chain; nut butters, seeds, kifir/yogurt, tofu, seitan, fresh/bottled juices, fruits and veggies, whole grains and baked goods; herbs, oils and supplements of all kinds - since 1771! Their nearby upscale veggie/vegan Restaurante Navarro (Arquebisbe Mayoral, 5) serves Monday-Saturday lunch and dinner, inside or at terrace tables.

Kimpira Gourmet Bio Restaurant (Convento San Francisco, 5), gourmet vegetarian/vegan organic food and wines near Plaça Ajuntament; daily specials, set lunch at 13 euros.

Kokura (Pere i Borrega 10), wide variety of Japanese Makisushi, rice and noodles, yakitoris, kushiagues, temporas, soups, beer and wine.

La Lluna (San Ramón 23, Carmen), inexpensive, tasty Spanish and International vegetarian-only fare, indoor or outdoor seatings; weekday 8.50 euros lunch specials, soups, beer/wine/cider, fresh juices.

La Pappardella (Bordadores 5), pasta, piadine and other Italian fare near the Seu, lunch and dinner, popular with Italians who live here.

Mimmo Cantina (Dr Sanchis Bergon 24), Italian chef, home-cooked traditional recipes, Italian-style bar with light lunches, large terrace, by the Turia.

Sheran Sweet (Av del Port 109), home-style Indian/Pakistani food, good quality at low prices in simple settings, meat or vegetarian meals, lunch specials at 8 euros. No alcohol but good chai and various lassis.

Taj Mahal (Dr Manuel Candela 20), full range of traditional Indian meals, meat and vegetarian, full bar; also South and East Asian grocery store with prepared and bulk foods, spices, fruits and vegetables (two doors down).

San Tommaso (Corretgeria, 39), good, authentic Italian food and wines at reasonable prices in Carmen, lunchtime specials, sidewalk tables.

Tipping note: unless at an international establishment, with staff accustomed to American ways, you can reckon on about 10% of the bill.

 

Going out - men-only & sex clubs

Bubu (Botánico 7), Tuesday - Saturday men's video music bar in Extramurs near the Botanic Gardens; popular with bears, drag shows, special parties - was Botanic Bears.

Cross (Juan de Mena 7), men's cruise bar near Torres de Quart, visitors and locals, weekend shows, special theme parties.

Dakota Pub (Sagunt 10), masculine vibe men's pub, bear and leather crowd, show nights, theme events. Reopened in 2017 near Pont de Fusta after old La Seu downtown location closed.

Hòmens Sexbar (Alacant 11), men's bar and sex playspaces near the bull ring, daily from 4pm-2:30am. Cabins, glory holes, slings, dark room, maze, porn videos, naked nights, erotic strippers and live sex shows.

Moratín 7 (Moratín 7), men's bar just off Plaça de l'Ajuntament, mixed ages and types, hustlers, relax/play areas.

Nuncadigono (Dr Monserrat, 28), daily 1pm-3am gay basement sex and cruise bar near Torres de Quart; leather and fetish guys, 100-percent chico territory with cabins, maze, slings, showers, darkroom sex and steamy videos to set the mood; naked/underwear nights, live sex shows. Nunca moved into and took over Oh La La space in summer 2017.

 

Going out - Dancing & Afterhours
Discos hereabouts open late and don't really get going until around 3am. Look for flyers around for discounts on cover charges. 

Club Fetish (San Vicente 386), Club Social COC after-hours gay club in Jesús neighborhood, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays from 6:30am.

Deseo 54 Disco (Pepita 2) biggest gay dance club in town, just beyond the Turia, two floors Thursdays through Saturdays from 1am, constantly changing concept parties and DJs. Mainly guys, sometimes men-only dark-room events. Dress to impress weekends, Thursday younger more casual crowd, Sundays midnight "tea-dance."

La 3 (Padre Porta, 2), mostly straight but hip mixed crowd, Indie-Electronic, Dubstep, Grime, Hip Hop dance club, periodic gay party nights.

MiniClub (Av Blasco Ibañez 111), Saturday night/Sunday morning afterhours mainstream dance club, Tech-House and Techno in two rooms.

Mya (Terraza L´Umbracle, Av del Saler), weekend dance club in the Arts & Sciences complex, big open space under glass, mixed straight and gay-friendly young, well-dressed crowd; three areas offer choice of House, Hip-Hop/RnB and Commerical Dance music.

Piccadilly Downtown (Tomassos 12, Russafa), gay/mixed late-night (until 7:30am) weekend dance club, techno to pop, rock and indie music-playing DJs.

On hot summer nights many people head for the long wide beach that entends northward from the harbor, easily accessible by metro during the day, but requiring a taxi by 2 am when the throng arrives. It's a young and seemingly "straight" crowd that spills out of seasonal dance clubs here, onto the sand. But defining lines blur easily here as the weekend partying extends into dawn-time hours.

 

Getting steamy
For some guys saunas are the main attraction, and Valencia has three.

Sauna Magnus (Avinguda del Port 27), Pases Group, spa, steam and dry saunas, large pool, Jacuzzis, video lounge, dark room, maze, cruise spaces and cabins, voyeur zone. Closed for renovations until Spring 2018.

Sauna Olimpic (Vivons 15), Pases Group, steam and dry saunas, Jacuzzis, cruising area, dark room, cabins, maze and video lounge.

Thermas Romeo (Pintor Gisbert 5), independent bathhouse, dry sauna, steam, bar, cabins, video lounge, and professional massage, rentboys.

 

For more about LGBTQ Spain see articles for Alicante, Barcelona, Benidorm, Bilbao, Gran Canaria, Grenada, Ibiza, Madrid, Seville and Sitges.