Apartments in Valencia

At Friendly Rentals we have a wide selection of apartments in Valencia: modern lofts, spacious duplexes with a terrace, perfect studios for couples, ideal apartments for families with three or more bedrooms, stunning properties for business trips, apartments with a view, apartments with a swimming pool and parking, flats by the beach… All our apartments are equipped with the latest mod cons to make you feel right at home, so you can explore the city at your own pace. We can offer the best apartments in the centre of Valencia (Ciutat Vella, El Carmen, Cánovas) and close to the City of Arts and Sciences. A far more affordable option than staying in a luxury hotel and with the added benefit of having a much bigger space all to yourself.

Our holiday rentals in Valencia give you the opportunity to discover the city at will and get to know locals’ way of life, sample their delicious cuisine and take part in the city’s many festivities. Don’t miss the Fallas de Valencia! A celebration where fire and fireworks are the true stars. The highlight is when the huge satirical figures poking fun at people in the news that year are set on fire. Seeing these amazing works of art go up in flames is quite a sight! Since 2016 the Fallas have been inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

What is there to see in Valencia?

Valencia charms all visitors with its vitality, light, colour and history. If you visit the city, make sure you explore the area around the cathedral: 21 centuries of history right in the city centre. The cathedral itself, with its tower (el Miguelete) is also worth a visit, as is the Almoina archaeological museum and the Basílica de la Virgen. In addition, every Thursday at noon the Water Tribunal meets at the door of the apostles at the cathedral. This body gathers in public to resolve conflicts arising from farmers’ use of irrigation water and is inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Head over to the city’s Central Market, one of the biggest in Europe, and the Lonja de la Seda, one of the most representative examples of civil gothic style in Europe.

The Carmen neighbourhood in Valencia, right in the heart of the old city, is one of the city’s most charming districts. Formerly located between the Muslim and Christian walls, it boasts cobbled streets and beautiful medieval buildings. Check out the frescos on the Iglesia de San Nicolás, las Torres de Quart and las Torres de Serranos.

The Plaza del Ayuntamiento de Valencia is world famous for the event known as the mascletà, a composition made up of a series of increasingly powerful rhythmic explosions that is performed during the Fallas. Around the square, you’ll find some of the most emblematic sites in the city: la Estación del Norte, el Edificio de Correos, la Plaza de Toros and la Plaza Redonda. It’s worth strolling or cycling along the 9 km long Jardines del Turia, which crosses the city from east to west.

Art lovers will feel right at home in Valencia. The Museo de Bellas Artes de Valencia, with works by Sorolla, Goya and Zuloaga, and the IVAM and MUVIM museums, with illustrations and modern art, are excellent options. The Silk Museum and National Ceramics Museum are also of interest. But the one museum you really mustn’t leave without seeing is the Museo Fallero! A fantastic place to find out all about the Fallas festivities, including the ninots (human figures placed at the base of the Fallas); every year since 1934 the public has voted on which ninots to rescue from the flames.

The Marina Real de Valencia is another favourite with Valencians. You’ll find terraces, fashionable bars and restaurants with views over emblematic buildings. The clock building, the Veles e Vents building and the 19th-century tinglados, which historically served to store and export oranges and other fruit, can all be found here. As can the Pantalán Central, with its yachts, and the South and North Marinas, with more wonderful boats. The perfect place for sea lovers.

Don’t miss the beaches in Valencia. We recommend taking a relaxing stroll along the boulevard at Malvarrosa beach and eating a delicious paella by the sea at Cabanyal or Las Arenas beaches. If you prefer wilder beaches, you’ll love Saler beach, very close to the Parque Natural de la Albufera! One of the most beautiful landscapes in the whole area.

Eating out in Valencia

There is a wide range of restaurants where you can eat well in Valencia and plenty of dishes to choose from. But the real star of Valencian cuisine is paella! The ingredients in a typical Valencian paella are dry rice, chicken, rabbit and white and runner beans. Other typical rice dishes include black rice, with squid ink, arroz caldoso, with beans and turnips, arroz a banda, cooked in fish stock, and fideuá, with noodles instead of rice. Two traditional Valencian stews are all i pebre (with eels, paprika, potatoes and garlic) and suquet de peix (fish with potato, paprika and garlic sauce). And don’t leave without trying esgarraet, a traditional dish made with salt cod, aubergine, smoked pepper and olive oil.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll be delighted to hear that Valencia is the home of horchata (a delicious refreshing drink made from tiger nuts) and fartones (long buns ideal for dunking in horchata) and of course buñuelos (sugared fritters), very popular during Fallas! Rosetones (a very sweet rosette-shaped fritter), arnadí (made with almonds, pumpkin and sweet potato) and panquemao (a very spongy brioche also used to make an Easter cake) are typical Valencian desserts. At Christmas the queen of desserts on all Valencian tables is turrón de Jijona, nougat made with almonds and honey. Delicious!

Shopping in Valencia

Shopping in Valencia is a joy! Bustling Valencia has lots of shops and is a great city for shopping. For the best food, head for the Central Market, where you’ll find top-quality fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. And all in the splendour of its Modernista architecture. Another Modernista gem is Colón Market, where you’ll find restaurants and cafes, clothes shops, florists and craft stalls.

To buy genuine Valencian souvenirs, such as ceramics, marquetry, lace or sliver, you should visit the Mercado de la Plaza Redonda de Valencia, in the historic city centre. It is open Monday to Saturday, and on Sunday there is a special market, where you’ll find music stalls, toys, stamps, coins, books and picture cards, ideal for children and grownups.

If you’d prefer a shopping centre, head for El Saler, with over 160 shops and 9 cinemas, Bonaire (the biggest shopping centre in the Valencia region) or Aqua Multiespacio, with stunning views over the City of Arts and Sciences.

Young Valencians like to shop in Colón and Eixample, home to the best fashion and home decor shops and with great cafes for relaxing between purchases. You’ll find the top international designer fashion around the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Paz and Poeta Querol. And you’ll find alternative fashion shops in the central El Carmen neighbourhood. As you can see, Valencia is shopping heaven!

Valencia by night

Going out at night in Valencia is quite an experience! With plenty on offer, all you have to do is pick an area and join the party. El Carmen neighbourhood, right in the historic centre, is one of the best places to go out at night in Valencia, as you’ll find all kinds of people and bars. Ruzafa is perfecto for alternative bars and is a real mixture of styles, from tapas bars to jazz, rock… a fashionable neighbourhood that always makes an impression!

If you want a unique night by the sea, the Marina is for you. The most exclusive cocktail bars are here, in a chic atmosphere with the sound of the waves in the background. The area around Juan Llorens, whose pubs and discos were very fashionable in the 1990s, is another option. For a younger vibe, head for Benimaclet, with a young, multicultural crowd popular with university students out for a good time. And since it’s close to Alboraya, home of the Valencian tiger nut, you’ll find excellent horchata bars such as Horchatería Els Sariers and Horchatería Rin.

Visiting Valencia with kids

Visiting Valencia with kids is a great idea: there are lots of ideal places for keeping children entertained and enjoying a wonderful family holiday. Gulliver park is a must if you’re in Valencia with kids. This unique public park has a giant figure of Gulliver that kids love: they have a great time walking on his arms and legs and sliding down its giant slides! You’ll also find lots of attractions perfect for kids at the City of Arts and Sciences. The Science Museum has amazing interactive exhibitions. And if they prefer animals, the Oceanográfico is the biggest aquarium in Europe! It includes animals from the main marine ecosystems on the planet. You can also sleep with sharks and get up close to beluga whales and sea lions.

Another hit with kids is the 100,000 m2 Bioparc in Valencia, where you can see your favourite animals in their natural habitat. An immersive zoo with hardly any visible barriers where different species live together as they would in the wild. A piece of the African savanna in the heart of Valencia

The weather in Valencia

Valencia enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate. Winters in Valencia son are mild, with temperatures around 12 ºC, and summers are hot, with temperatures between 22 ºC and 28 ºC. Valencia generally gets little rain, and when it does rain, it tends to fall in autumn. One key characteristic of the Valencian climate is the humidity. Being close to the sea, the city has a high humidity, which can give apparent summer temperatures of around 30 ºC. You’ll find sunny days with blue skies all year round.

When is the best time of year to visit Valencia?

There isn’t any one best time of year to visit Valencia: it enjoys a good climate almost all year round and whenever you go, you’ll find something to celebrate. If you are there for San José, you can enjoy the world-famous Fallas, with the mascletà, the cremà (when all the Fallas are burnt at the end of the festivities), the Floral Offering to the Virgin Mary, the castillos and noche del fuego, with the biggest fireworks display around. In summer many towns in the region throw parties. Sagunto, Alboraya, Elche, Xàtiva and Requena, among others, have their fiestas between July and September. The most famous summer event is the Tomatina in Buñol, only 40 minutes from the city of Valencia. During the Tomatina, participants throw ripe, squashed tomatoes at each other. On 9 October, celebrations are held throughout the city to mark the Day of the Region of Valencia, including the Festival de Pirotecnia, with a mascletà in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The Día de la Mocaorà is the Valencian Saint Valentine’s Day. According to tradition, men give women marzipan figures wrapped in a handkerchief as a symbol of their love. Winter in Valencia is also very special, thanks to the wonderful Christmas markets, including the Christmas Funfair, great for families, and the Christmas Market in the Mercado de Tapinería, the Nativity Scene, the Mercado Navideño de las Naves and Mercado de Reyes in El Cabañal. On the evening of 5 January, the streets are filled with magic as the Three Kings’ parade comes to town. Don’t miss it!

What is there to see near Valencia?

There are lots of places worth visiting near Valencia. Our favourites include the Palacio Ducal in Gandía, the Monasterio de Santa María de Valldigna, the Castle in Xàtiva and the Monasterio de San Jerónimo de Cotalba. They are all part of the interesting Route of the Borgias.

We also recommend you visit Sagunto, with its Roman Theatre, Jewish Quarter and impressive castle. And all the sights here are free. Only 25 km from Sagunto is the Parque Natural de la Sierra Calderona, a natural park rich in flora and fauna, where you can take one of the many paths and admire wonderful natural landscapes. And history lovers mustn’t leave Valencia without visiting the Monasterio de Santa María del Puig. Only a few kilometres from Valencia, it was founded by Jaime I the Conqueror in 1240. Check out the Salón Real and a faithful reproduction of King Jaime I’s sword.

Why rent an apartment with Friendly Rentals?

At Friendly Rentals we’re specialists in managing holiday rentals, with over 14 years’ experience under our belt. We currently operate in 21 cities all over the world. Our apartments in Valencia are located in the top neighbourhoods and equipped with everything you need to feel right at home. We have the perfect studio flats for a romantic weekend getaway, three (or more) bedroom apartments for families, and others with a terrace that are great for large groups who want to make the most of the weather. Choose your favourite apartment and enjoy your holiday in Valencia.

All our apartments in Valencia are regularly inspected to ensure the utmost in quality. We aim to offer our customers the very best service. You can contact us whenever you want, either within office hours or on our 24-hour helpline.