By Queen Mary Languages student and Turing Scheme grant recipient, Nazra Yazmin Ali, who studied abroad at the University of Valencia in Spain.

Valencia is a fun and bright city for students, making it a great option for those wishing to study abroad! Having studied in Valencia myself for a year, I can say with confidence that you will definitely enjoy yourself if you make the choice to travel and stay there. In my own experience, being a recipient of the Turing Grant definitely helped financially to make the transition to living abroad easier, but that being said, I wouldn’t classify Valencia as a particularly ‘expensive city’. I could talk endlessly about all the fun experiences, but I thought it would be quite useful to speak about some practical tips to help navigate living in the new city. In this post I’ll be going over some useful things to know about nighttime in Valencia, with a focus on transport, dining, and shopping.

Transport
There are many transport options in Valencia including the metro, tram, bus, bicycle (Valenbisi), and taxi.
Metro Valencia provides great links throughout the city and usually runs from 4am to 11pm on weekdays, and 5am to 00:30am on weekends. However, depending on the metro line you are taking, the last train could be slightly earlier. It’s wise to check online for the time of the last train beforehand (metrovalencia.es/horarios, Metrovalencia app or Googlemaps).

The tram is a great option if you are planning to go to the beach – the tram lines (lines 4, 6, 8, & 10) mainly operate through the neighbourhoods Benimaclet, Cabanyal, and Nazaret. The operating hours are similar to the metro, but it is recommended to check online/at the station for the last tram as some lines close earlier (e.g. Line 8 can close before 10pm on weekdays).

The bus is a great option during the day, however, the night buses are very infrequent, and you can be waiting up to 40 minutes at times! It should be fine if you have planned your journey and the timings in advance, but it is best to have an alternative.

Valenbisi is Valencia’s bike rental service. It is widely used, affordable and available to use 24/7! You can get a year-long subscription for 30€ which is the most cost-efficient option. There is also an option for a weekly ticket (approx. 13€) however, this option requires a security deposit of 150€ so keep that in mind!
The most used taxi services in Valencia are Freenow and Cabify. During the day, it is very easy to get a taxi whether you order one using the Freenow/Cabify app, or if you hail one down on the street. However, after midnight it can get quite difficult to order one as there usually aren’t many drivers around at that time. It is not uncommon for requests to be cancelled. A way to get around this is to pre-book a taxi using the apps so the driver can meet you at the agreed time – for airport trips or any event where you cannot leave transport to chance, try to pre-book the night before.

Of course, walking is always an option – Valencia is generally safe at night but just be mindful of your surroundings and take precautions as you normally would (walking along main roads, well-lit areas, walk with a friend, etc…).

Dining + Delivery
The Spanish like to eat late! Expect restaurants to open for dinner around 7-8pm but no earlier than that.
It is rare to find food places open after 1am, but there are a few 24 hr bakeries (e.g.: El Horno de Los Borrachos). When you feel too tired to cook or eat out, there are plenty of delivery services available such as Glovo, UberEats and Getir. You should be able to get a delivery at any time, however only if the shop you are ordering from is still open. Also, the delivery services aren’t limited to food, so you could also order groceries, toiletries and other essential items.

Shopping (groceries/pharmacy)
Supermarkets generally close around 9pm (some at 10pm) and on Sundays, most are completely closed, so it is important to plan your week accordingly. Although most chain supermarkets follow this timetable, there are a few local, independent shops that will be open outside of these times. Also, shops such as Charter-Consum and Carrefour Express are open on Sundays – just check which branches are closest to you. One thing to note regarding alcohol purchase is that grocery/convenience stores cannot sell alcohol after 10pm. If you are planning to buy some booze, make sure to prepare in advance and buy before 10pm! If you need medicine, toiletries or anything similar in an emergency, there are a few 24hr pharmacies in Valencia. Below is a list of some of the locations:

• Manuel Candela, 6.
• Av. Del Puerto, 33.
• La Reina, 243.
• Ruzafa, 8.
• San Vincente Martir, 107.
• Profesor Beltrán Báguena, 4.
• Corts valencianes, 37.
• Corts valencianes, 48.
• Emili Baró, 11.
• Virgen de la Fuensanta, 16.
• Av. Maestro Vellver, 44.
• Felix del Río, 30

Hopefully with this information you will be prepared for nights in Valencia, so you can have fun safely and without any stresses!