Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, sitting on the Mediterranean Sea. It has a vibrant culture and offers over 300 sunny days yearly! I has been my home for almost a year now and I love it!
You may be wondering if there are any reasons to move there. Believe me, there are plenty! I prepared a list of 10 exciting reasons to consider when speaking about moving to this beautiful city, whether you are just exploring the idea or you are looking for confirmation.
1. Valencia is considered one of the best cities for expats
Let’s unpack that for a second. Valencia has been considered the best city for expats in 2022 on Expat City Ranking, based on metrics such as affordability of public transportation, the variety of recreational activities, and overall safety. Also, in 2022, Valencia ranked 1st in the Quality of Life Index.
In 2023, Valencia occupied the 3rd place after 2 other Spanish cities, Malaga and Alicante. Although it might not have been the 1st in terms of preference for expats, it kept its 1st position in the Quality of Life Index, with other highlights such as, being the best city with opportunities for recreational sports and having the most affordable and widely accessible healthcare in the world.
2. Valencia is a welcoming city
Wherever you are from, whatever colour of skin you might have, or sexual orientation, you will feel welcome here. Locals are friendly and helpful. But please bear in mind that not a lot of people speak English, so even a little Spanish goes a long way. Do not worry about speaking perfectly, you will make yourself understood with basic things, as people are patient.
3. Valencia is a green city
Valencia has lots of green spaces, on the streets, in its beautiful parks, and around the city as well. By far, the most iconic green space of the city is the Turia Gardens, an almost 9 km-long park (the longest urban park in Europe) covering an area of 1,360,000 m² and soon to be enlarged! This park is placed on the old riverbed of the Turia River. As a little historical fact, after the great flood of 1957, where the river overflowed and killed over 80 people, authorities decided this could no longer be allowed to happen again and diverted the trajectory of the river. They wanted to build an express route from the port to the airport on the old riverbed, but the locals were vocal about their wishes for it to become a green space and won, thus becoming a lush garden for everybody to enjoy. Another beautiful park is Parc Central, with lush plants and a modern feel.
Also, the city is not only green in terms of actual greenery which is huge (5 milion square metres!), it is also green from the environmental point of view, holding the proud title of European Green Capital 2024. This award was granted on the basis of sustainable mobility programs, green spaces that can be enjoyed by its population and visitors, local sourced food, the 200 km bike lanes, 94 km2 of pedestrial areas and investments in becoming carbon neutral in the future.
4. You don’t need a car in Valencia
If you plan on moving to Valencia, you may consider not bringing your car. The public transportation system is very well connected, even to the outskirts of the city, by metro, bus, tram and train. Plus, it is affordable and clean. If you are not a fan of public transit, a bicycle is also a great alternative. The city has lots of safe bicycle lanes and it’s also very flat, perfect for biking. There are also lots of taxis and ride-sharing options. The size of the city is also perfect, not small, but not overwhelmingly large also, so you can reach any point in the city within a reasonable amount of time.
If you are under 31, you can enjoy free public transport until the summer of 2024! There are also a lot of discounts going on.
Also, regardless of age, you can enjoy almost free train rides around Valencia (Cercanias network) with a deposit of only 10 euros.
5. The food is very fresh
You can find fresh produce easily, in supermarkets, fruit stands, and markets. Fun fact, Valencia has the largest fresh produce market in Europe, Mercado Central. It’s also a gorgeous place to explore. It has many things, from nuts, rice, sweets, and juices to fresh fish, meats and eggs. But you don’t have to live in the city center to experience this sort of place, almost every neighbourhood has a smaller market with everything you might need.
The city is surrounded by 120 km2 of fertile vegetable and fruit farms, being an amazing source of local food for the city. Valencia was also granted with the title Capital of Sustainable Urban Food in 2017.
6. It has a big expat community
You can easily join Facebook groups related to expats in Valencia and find your community! People are helpful and will gladly share their experiences, tips or host events. There are so many, for all expats, and then divided by origin, there are also groups only for girls. You may find also different specialty stores if you miss home one day. Valencia also has a big Asian neighbourhood with different shops and amazing restaurants.
7. It is an affordable city
Given the fact that it is a relatively big city, you can gain more for your buck than in Madrid or Barcelona, in rent prices, buying a property, and lifestyle in general. Comparing Valencia to its competitors, according to Numbeo, Consumer Prices Including Rent in Barcelona are 25.4% higher than in Valencia and Consumer Prices Including Rent in Madrid are 22.2% higher than in Valencia.
8. You will always have something to do
As far as entertainment goes, you will never get bored in this city, nor around it! There is always something going on, events and celebrations organized by the city hall, Fallas being the biggest of them all. There is always a reason to celebrate in this city, so don’t be surprised if you are walking at night and spot fireworks all of nowhere. They love fireworks and it shows, as they are not so typical. You can see different shapes and colors, it is amazing. In July 2023, they had the whole month dedicated to the city, it was named La Fira de Valencia and it was spectacular, with different fireworks every weekend, in different locations, concerts, movies outside, and much more.
There are a lost of random festivals as well, in the best sense of the word. Wine festival, kite festiva, bricks festival, artichoke festival, medieval festival, dance festival, cacao festival and the list can go on and on! It’s one of my favourite things about Valencia.
Also, you can find all sorts of sports, volleyball at the beach, football, golf, tennis, etc.
The social gatherings and events are various as well, you can find those in Meetup/ Buddy app or on Facebook. There are yoga classes at the beach, in the parks, there are pilates classes, and any sort of classes you can imagine: painting with wine, pottery, crocheting, business, mindfulness, journalig, and the list can go on for a while.
You can also do day trips from Valencia to a lot of beautiful cities and towns, such as Gandia or Xativa, but also to different beautiful nature spots, mountainous or not.
9. Living the beach life
The city’s most famous beach is Malvarrosa, it is the biggest also. In Valencia, the beaches are clean are very big. You have a lot of sand before you can walk into the water and even when you enter it, you have to walk for a while until you are completely covered, which is very nice. The water being so shallow makes it safe and very enjoyable if you are into it.
Also, you can see it’s a coastal town in people’s attitudes. Everybody is chill, and not rushed, which can be quite different depending on where are you from. I think it is nice, life shouldn’t be taken too seriously at all times😊.
10. You will love the culture!
As I said previously, people have different attitudes here. Everybody is relaxed, not in a hurry, and enjoying their life. Social life here is not restricted to the weekends, people go out during the week as well. In Spain and Valencia, in particular, you can enjoy sitting on a terrace year-round, which is mind-blowing to me, haha.
When you go out to eat, which is also different here, lunch is served between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and dinner after 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., you may consider having all the time in the world to do so. Nobody will bring the check to you unless you ask (of course, except maybe in big, busy, famous restaurants). Spaniards even have a word for it, “sobremesa” for the act of staying at the table after a meal, enjoying the conversation and the company of the people around you.
I strongly believe Valencia is an amazing city, with lots to offer. It may not have the best employment opportunities and of course, it is not perfect, as no city ever is, but we’ll discuss these in another post. After all, the decision of where to live highly depends on your priorities and values, so if these insights align with your vision, go for it! Home will always be there, waiting for you, and you may never know if you never try!
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below. I hope this post gave you an idea about how life in Valencia is.
2 responses to “10 exciting reasons to move to Valencia, Spain”
Fantastic work! Very clear, elaborate and fun! Can’t wait to read the next posts!
Keep it up!
Hi, thank you! Really appreciate it!