There are a lot of cities in Spain that are famous for their sparkling nightlife, especially Madrid and Barcelona, and the nightlife of the tourist cities Salou, Benidorm and Denia, make young people come back year after year. Of course the islands of Mallarco and Ibiza, which are internationally famous for their wicked nightlife, also attract a lot of party animals each year.
Although the Valencia nightlife is a bit less famous among foreign travellers, it should not be underestimated. Especially from Friday night till somewhere Sunday morning the party seems to go on forever. The locals even have their own name for this period of the week: La Movida (the movement).
A lot of bars and clubs in Valencia can be found around the city centre. There are many different popular areas where you can go to have fun all week long, but the Fridays and Saturdays are of course the most crowded nights. The big discotheques in Valencia can be found in the outskirts of the city. They tend to open their doors late to the public, but go on until early the next morning.
The Beach The area around the beach is a good place to start your weekend. Near to the harbour of Valencia and Avenida de Neptuno there are a lot of bars and restaurants with nice summer terraces where you can start preparing yourself for a long weekend. The more young and fashionable people go to the terraces of Cabañal-Malvarrosa beach to start of their weekend. During the hot summer months, the street parralel to the beach promonade attracts many party crowds to the most popular open-air discos and bars of Valencia located in this area.
Calle Juan Llorens Unlike Barrio del Carmen where you can find a very mixed crowd, the bars and clubs of Calle Juan Llorens and its surroundings attracts more teenagers and people in their early twenties. The nightlife in this area is lively and has a great selection of music. Insiders consider this as one of the best nightlife scenes in Valencia for dancing around the clock.
University Area The university area covers the streets between Alameda, Blasco Ibánez and Avenida de Aragón and is just a stones throw away from Barrio del Carmen on the otherside of the Turia Riverbed. In this area you will find modern glass skyscrapers, beautiful parks and gardens, but more importantly some of the best bars, clubs and restaurants in Valencia. This student friendly area is a real must for everyone.
Barrio del Carmen - Best By Night! Imagine a place filled with bars, clubs and restaurants where you can have fun the entire weekend, that’s what Barrio del Carmen is. Here you can find the best nightlife in Valencia. Youngsters and elderly go there after midnight for just one reason: to find “La Movida”. It’s also a popular place for many tourists.
It’s a bright sunny day, you’ve just arrived in Valencia and you’re taking a walk through the Barrio del Carmen… away from the Plaza Ayuntamiento, maybe going past Plaza de la Virgen, heading along down C/ Caballeros, eventually reaching Plaza Tossal...
As you meander through the dishevelled narrow streets, walk by graffiti-covered doors and get lost amidst blocks of flats undergoing substantial renovation, you may well be wondering if you’ve really just reached the famed centre of Valencian nightlife. However, as Valencia dwellers know all too well from 8 pm onwards from Wednesday to Saturday the atmosphere picks up and the Barrio del Carmen is the place to be and to be seen. At 9 pm bars such as the lively Bolsería in the heart of Carmen open up their shutters, terraces start to fill and the orders for beer, tapas and Valencia’s famous cocktail agua de Valencia (a heady mixture of cava, orange juice and a dash of spirits) start to come in.
You won’t see the throngs of crowds, however, until at least 10 pm. This is also the time when most evening meals usually start (although Spanish rendez-vous are often delightfully unpunctual). Dining options range from mouth-watering tapas (try the popular Asturian Sidrería El Molinón on C/ Bolsería), paella restaurants around Plaza de la Virgen for the non-Spanish (paella is traditionally a lunchtime dish), Italian pizzerias and for the expats’ favourite you can savour the innovative dishes at Sol i Lluna on C/ del Mar. The beauty of dining out in Carmen is that there are so many different types of cuisine to try; however, it is only by hunting out the more obscure restaurants and getting lost down side streets that you’ll discover the best delicacies and finally come across those tapas bars that the locals have been hiding…
On any given evening the general fashion code for Valencian women seems to be “dress to kill” (this is also true of lots of other nationalities of course) and as one of my good male friends will confirm, not a single day goes by without encountering at least one beautiful woman in Valencia… The dress code for Carmen-goers is quite diverse: in the summer girls often push the limits with the skimpiest of dresses, tops and denim shorts coupled with killer heels… but, in the winter jeans and bohemian tops generally prevail. For guys jeans and t-shirts are a year-round must. With plenty of international students thronging to hotspots including the relatively unknown but truly hip Blau on C/ Alta (check out the barman/drummer/DJ and enjoy the cool vibe) and gothic/grunge types, exhibiting a surprising range of piercings, you’ll be sure to enjoy the vibrant diversity of the experience.
At about 2 am the bars now have to close by law… you may be lucky and get a lock-in, none recommended here for obvious reasons, but usually great for free chupitos! However, it’s usually the time to start leaving bars like La Claca (C/ San Vicente Mártir) and heading towards the clubs… Thanks to its tirelessly enthusiastic PR rep. Piccadilly (off the Plaza Ayuntamiento) often ends up being a favourite. However, if you’re interested in Spanish retro music (mainly 80s classics) try the tiny two-floored La Flaca… just round the corner from the more commercial, but equally enjoyable Calcatta (which also has excellent “pop” music – Spanish and international – and a courtyard-style central dancefloor). Both are easy to reach and just off C/ Caballeros. Indiana (C/ San Vicente Mártir) is an interesting option if you’re keen to make new friends, the sharks are not confined to the tanks… and it has a good mixture of music: house downstairs and Spanish music upstairs. Other classic Carmen clubs include Bounty and Latex, and moving slightly further away there is the funk/disco/(techno-) house music centre that is Biscuit club (C/ Cuba, Russafa) Most evenings end at 6 or 7am when the clubs close... and a large glass of water and a precautionary aspirin before going to sleep is highly recommended! Enjoy the fiesta!
Accommodation