This is part of my remote work travel series where I review places I visit as a digital nomad. Check out the rest of my posts and follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Substack, or on TikTok for more travel content!

Streets closed off for water balloon fights in the hot summer afternoons. Long fold-out tables stretch under the stars as families gather to share large pans of paella in the twilight. Tree-lined streets shade quaint coffeeshops and boutiques.

Welcome to Valencia, Spain.

I’ve been romanticizing Spain since my high school Spanish classes. My teacher used to gush about salsa-ing the night away and being whisked away by the magic of paella and dance clubs.

In reality, I liked the serene daily life of Valencia much more than my action-packed trip to Barcelona.

No matter if you’re traveling solo or with a group, here are all my recommendations for where to stay, what to do, and what to eat in Valencia, Spain for digital nomads and remote workers:

Where to Stay in Valencia, Spain for Digital Nomads

Your experience in Valencia will change drastically depending on what neighborhood you pick, and there isn’t really a “wrong” answer.

I stayed with WiFi Tribe in an apartment building in the neighborhood of Montolivet, right next to Ruzafa, which is a trendy “hipster” area of town. The Montolivet/Ruzafa area is much more residential, but it’s still got some great restaurants and is walking distance to a great park that’s right next to the planetarium and museum. If you want to enjoy the park and grab some great empanadas as part of your daily routine, Montolivet is a great little neighborhood for you.

However, El Carmen is more of the historic core of Valencia, and is about a 30-minute walk from Montolivet. It’s more touristy, and is what most people experience in Valencia when they come to visit. There’s a higher concentration of specialty coffeeshops and fancy restaurants closer to this center of town.

I loved Montolivet because we found some of our favorite restaurants here and still had access to the rest of the city when we wanted to explore, so it really depends on what accommodations are catching your eye. I’d try staying at Domino House Hostel* if I were to ever go back.

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What to Do in Valencia, Spain for Digital Nomads

I’ll be honest, Valencia is one of those cities where the experience of daily living is front-and-center. There isn’t as much to “do” here as there is in, say, Barcelona, although there are some concerts and a club scene that others in my nomad group liked. (As someone who quit alcohol for health reasons, nights spent in da club are behind me!)

However, I don’t want to sell the city short, as the quaint nature of this calm Spanish town deserves to be experienced.

Here are some of the highlights of our trip here:

• Street Art Tour in El Carmen. This was by far one of my favorite street art tours I’ve done so far! The street art of Valencia is baked into the culture and history of the city — something that doesn’t always happen with local street art. The city commissioned murals detailing the historic floods in El Carmen that are breathtaking, and the intention behind the artists’ creations in the city are endearing to learn about. This is a great tour (albeit a bit long!) and I recommend taking it to hear about the stories behind the art.

• Thermal Springs Day Trip. While there are a number of beaches and other excursions around Valencia you could do day trips to, I actually think you should go the opposite direction and head into the mountains and do a trip to the thermal springs. Just a heads up: these thermal springs are not super warm, which is what I expected. However, it was cool to be able to swim in super clear waters, explore caves, and experience the horizontal waterfall. We also ate at a great pizza place that our guide took us to!

• Walk/bike/run through the park. You can rent bikes — and even paddle boats! — at the park and by the museum as there’s a large pool people rent small boats to go out on. Get a quad bike if you’re traveling with friends and take that around the park: I’d skip the boats if you’re visiting in hot weather, as there’s no shade by the pool area. The park is nice and shady and great to bike or walk through, though!

• Go to the beach. Valencia’s beach is about an hour walk from Montolivet. You can also rent a bike or e-bike to shorten the trip! Ubers are also very cheap here, so that’s an option as well. There are some nice restaurants along the coast, so I recommend going just before sunset to grab a bite and then walk down the boardwalk as the sun sets. Summers in Valencia can get hot, so this is a nice activity to do on a summer evening.

Sometimes when you’re a nomad, a chill city is a welcome change of pace. Valencia is just that: a nice place to live and experience life in a charming city.

Where to Eat in Valencia, Spain for Digital Nomads

The food in Valencia is refreshing and affordable.

While I wouldn’t rank Valencia as a top foodie city, I was able to find some favorite places to eat that I went to time and time again during our stay here:

• La Finestra. This pizza place is run by anarchists, and their food is worthy of a revolution. Every time we ordered a pizza or salad here, it came out a little bit differently. Sometimes the salad wouldn’t have dressing. Sometimes the pizza would have different toppings. But the pizza was ALWAYS delicious, and so so so affordable. La Finestra feels like you’ve wandered into someone’s home, and they’re here to blow your mind with some incredible food while kids run around screaming and friends chainsmoke outside on the cobblestone alleyway in front of the tiny little restaurant. Get their burrata pizza, a vegetarian pizza of the day, and a tiramisu and enjoy the communal vibes and great food. The pizzas are small so order at least 2 pies per person.

• La Casa Viva. This vegetarian restaurant has a great pate platter and some good main courses. With a cute vibe and some good dishes, it’s an awesome spot if not a little rich food-wise.

• Truco Empanadas. This little empanada shop in Montolivet uses fresh, organic ingredients — and the quality shows. It’s a family-run operation, and the people who run this shop are super friendly and nice!

• Copenhagen. For 15 euro, you can enjoy a 3-course “menu del dia” (menu of the day) that’s fully vegetarian and absolutely delicious. From vegetarian lasagna to refreshing watermelon mint slushes, this vibrant food is to die for. Highly recommend getting the hibiscus kombucha and the menu del dia anytime you’re here. Copenhagen has a great vibe, friendly staff, and their ingredients feel farm-to-table every day. If you’re craving some patatas bravas or other vegetarian tapas, this is a great place to visit.

• BeGreen. BeGreen is the best salad/bowl option in the city. It’s healthy, has fresh wraps and salads, and is a no-frills, cheap way to get your veggies in — a semi-difficult journey in Europe, as salads and green juices can be tough to find. Beware, though: the location in the Plaça de la Porta de la Mar is great, but the other location is… lacking. The difference between the two locations is pretty stark, so steer clear of the other one and just go to the east side BeGreen. Trust me on this one.

• Gelateria La Romana. This is the best gelato place in the city, but it’s mid-tier gelato in Italy. I remember going to this gelato place when we spent two months traveling around Italy, and when we had it we were like, “this is good but all the other gelato is better.” In Spain, though, it’s top-tier gelato. The best flavor is their lemon, so get that in a pequeño cup and go for a walk in the evening when the sun sets at 10pm to have a true Spanish experience.

There are two more restaurants that I thought were fun but didn’t make this list: a Bali-themed restaurant, and a “time travel” themed restaurant. These “Disneyland”-esque dining experiences were a novelty, but ultimately the food and service were not great, so I’d probably say to skip these two if you come across them in your Googling unless you’re wanting a more tourist-y experience.

Where to Work Remotely or Co-Work in Valencia, Spain for Digital Nomads

The coffeeshops in Valencia are not very co-work friendly, in part because that’s just not the culture of Spain. Similar to Italy, most places close in the afternoon for the sacred time of naps (which I can definitely get behind!) and because the sun doesn’t set until 8 or 9pm here (sometimes later!) there’s a slowness about daily life.

In short? Don’t expect there to be very many laptop-friendly cafes and coffeeshops. Most locals want to preserve the experience of an unbothered espresso, and I don’t blame them.

There are co-working spaces throughout the city, but you’re better off booking a place to stay with a desk and some space to work unless you’re okay with a more corporate vibe in the co-working space side of things. Valencia isn’t as much of an established nomad city like other places I’ve been to — it was less common to hear English spoken compared to Barcelona.

Last Thoughts on Spain

Spain has been on the top of my travel bucket list for the past few years, but to be honest… I’m not really as thrilled with it and I prefer Portugal (Lisbon and Porto, specifically) to Spain as a whole.

I think this is because I found Portugal to be absolutely stunning — and frozen in time, almost. Cobblestone streets, Juliette balconies, bright mosaics, a charming tram system — all things I saw in Portugal that weren’t present in Spain.

I also thought the beach towns and day trips were so much more beautiful in Portugal. Spain’s beaches underwhelmed me, and the day trip options weren’t the best.

I’m grateful to have visited and experienced Spain, but I probably won’t be returning to Valencia or Barcelona anytime soon. Up next? Greece!

My Ratings of Valencia, Spain as a Digital Nomad

Affordability Rating for Valencia, Spain: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 — pretty affordable)

Food Quality Rating for Valencia, Spain: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 — good quality food)

Adventures/Day Trips Near Valencia, Spain: ⭐️ (1/5 — not many great day trips)

Cafes/Co-Working Space Availability in Valencia, Spain for Digital Nomads: ⭐️ (1/5 — some workspaces and cafes that are remote worker-friendly)

Digital Nomad-Friendly City Rating for Valencia, Spain: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5 — pretty friendly for digital nomads)

Value of Accommodations for Remote Workers in Valencia, Spain: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5 — some good accommodations for the value)

Overall Rating for Valencia, Spain: ⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

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