Valencia Property Blog

It's that time of year again, when Valencia's normally vibrant and loud streets become, well, more vibrant and louder. Firecrackers, bangers, bands and huge amounts of gunpowder mean it's Fallas. The biggest Fiesta in Spain, the bane of family pets, is back for better or worse and up to a million people extra will be in the city over the main five days of the event while many of us will be escaping off to other parts of the World for a bit of peace and quiet.

Bearing this in mind we thought we'd put together a survival guide for Valencia Fallas festival in 2025. What to do in order to retain your sanity or what to do in order to enjoy it to its fullest. Your choice. First though I asked our team for their favourite memories of Fallas. We never work during Fallas because it's essentially impossible. Therefore the answers you can see are eclectic to say the least.

My favourite Fallas memory was the year I found four return flights to New York for 60 Euros per person. Yes, return flights. Delta made a mistake on their website so we booked it and spent Fallas 2014 in the Big Apple staying in an Airbnb in Harlem. Every year after that apart from the Covid years we have been away for Fallas. Having spent 15 years here previously during Fallas you can get the feeling that every Fallas is similar so it was a relief to be away and to experience something different, along with a load of different cheesecakes from different partys of the World!

My colleague David agrees with me, saying one of his own personal highlights was finding 160€ return flights to Porto for 4 people. He also mentioned that having to drink a bottle of wine so you can get to sleep used to be at least a way of getting through Fallas but then he does have a "Casal" (More of that later) under his apartment so there is no way he is sleeping any other way. Equally, he has been away every year recently but will be staying home this Fallas to do some DIY!!! Yay!

Gavin mentioned that the highlight of his Fallas when he worked in the pub was about 2 or 3 in the morning of the 20th, walking back home after work through the Plaza de la Virgen. Nobody around, the smell of the flowers, and him thinking "Thank Christ that's over for another year". However the only bit he "hates" is the "desperta". "The rest you can avoid or get into, whatever you want, but being woken up at 8 on a Sunday morning….." (I would add here, every morning!)

And Maz pointed out that if you move out of the city then you can get away without too much noise, "Move a little further out… Massalfassar is quiet as anything ??".

So yes, we are pretty down on Fallas because we are old hands, however at the same time we love it... it means holidays! And Gavin pointed something out that is really important "Don't be too negative. If Spain was as boring as home we wouldn't be here". For those experiencing Fallas for the first time, or maybe even the first few times you experience it, it can be totally magical. Unless you don't like fireworks. Then it isn't, full stop.

Enjoy the Fallas Fiestas

The full Fallas festival timetable can be found here on the Visit Valencia website. Take your time and read it because there is so much going on, some of it you have already missed, from the daily Mascletas in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento to the Ninot Parade (A couple of days ago unfortunately) to the Planta of the Fallas to the final burning of the effigies, La Crema, on the night of the 19th March, everything you need to know is there. Below is a map of the biggest Fallas sculptures and more but don't worry there are plenty all over the city. Reading the timetable will also help you to know where to avoid and on which days if crowds and fireworks aren't your thing.

Fallas Terminology You Need to Know

The Casal and the Carpa

The Casal is the home of the local Fallas association, a community group where the members of the local Falla meet throughout the year to plan their Fallas fiestas and oftentimes have events to raise money to pay for the cost of their Fallas Models. The Carpa is the huge street blocking tent they put out for their fiestas during Fallas where you can not help but hear the party going on through the small hours of the morning.

The Ninots

The Ninots are the effigies that adorn every street corner in Valencia from the 15th (Or earlier) of March until their burning on the 19th. Spectacular statues worked on throughout the year by the artists in the Ciudad Fallero on the edge of the city and in many warehouses around the edge of the city and then brought to their final resting places on street corners throughout the city and the towns and villages around. They will all be burnt around midnight on the 19th March to mark the end of winter and the beginning of Spring.

The Mascleta

Every day at 2pm in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento a daylight firework display where the noise is more important than the image. Loud bangs building up to a crescendo in around 5 minutes expect big crowds on sunny days and a whole lot of smoke and noise. Get there early especially if sunny as the crowds build up every day from around 12.30 onwards. And get used to road closures as you aren't getting any cars in and out of the city around that time without fidning a huge traffic jam.

Castillos de Fuegos Artificiales

Huge firework displays are a hug part of Fallas and cthey happen at midnight from the 16th to the 18th around the Moneolivete Bridge. expect up to a million people in the city to watch them especially on the night of the 18th the Nit del Foc when the firework fetish in Valencia gets a bit out of hand!

La Planta

On the night of the 15th traditionally all of the effigies are put up. This night is marked by huge firework displays at virtually every Fallas Association around the city. Rememnber though the biggest statues will already be mostly up as it takes a long time to get these things constructed. Equally the displays of streetlights and all of the street food vendors will already be in place as the traditional five days of Fallas gets extended throughout the early days of March. Watching the effigies being put into place is pretty special.

La Ofrenda

One of the most spectacular parts of the Fallas fiestas, especially for those of a religious persuasion is the Ofrenda of flowers to the Virgin in the Plaza de la Virgen outside the cathedral. The processions of Falleras and Falleros dressed in their traditional costumes finalizing in the Plaza de la Virgen and presenting their floral offerings gets a lot of tourist interest and leaves the Plaza with the overpowering smell of flowers for a long time afterwards. By the afternoon of the 19th don't expect to be able to get even close.

Calles Iluminadas

So the streets are lit up too. Not all of them but there are plenty that are pretty amazing to look at. Many of the main ones are in Ruzafa so get along and take a look. The best ones are on Calle Cuba, Sueca and Literato Azorín normally and of course, needless to say, it's best after dark and enjoyed with some Chocolate Con Churros, Buñuelos and Churros.

La Crema

The burning of the Fallas models on the 19th. They used to be burnt a bit later but these days burnings can happen any time from around 8pm onwards all over the city culminating in the burning of the special model in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento marking the end of Fallas for the year.

Holidays and Escaping the Fallas Fiestas

For those of you looking to escape the madness rather than become a part of it, then the further you get out of the city the better. Bear in mind though that the towns and villages around Valencia also celebrate Fallas and have their firework displays and own customs and events and they can be even louder and weirder than those happening in the city. "Carrefocs" for example are always pretty hairy outside the city limits. Anything that translates as a "Fire Parade" always has the potential for a bit of weirdness and potential danger I suppose.

One of the things that you appreciate once you start to look at places to go outside Valencia or even Spain for Fallas is that prices are really cheap because only schools in Valencia (And some in Ireland because it's also St Patrick's Day) are closed. This means if you want to go away then you can get some great deals. The year I went to Eurodisney with the kids there were only Valencians and Irish there and the queues for the rides were really short which allied to it being really cheap was cool! Unfortunately just outside Paris in mid-March is absolutely freezing so wrap up warm if that's your idea of an escape. You can also get to see St Patrick's Day parades elesewhere. I've seen them in both New York and Boston!

However, you don't need to go far to get away and some of us will be in villages around Valencia or in the Valencian community for a bit of peace and quiet.

We are closed over Fallas of course from the 15th onwards so last day for visits is the 14th March in the city as that is a Friday. We'll be back to normal on the 20th March, that's when the schools go back, but the truth is there is generally a hangover on that date so really things get back to normal on the 21st and that is a Friday so in reality normality returns on the 24th of March this year and then we actually have a few weeks of work this year as Easter is a late one in 2025.

Properties of the Week.

(Your Escapes From Fallas)

Naquera Views for 420K

High up in the hills of Naquera and the Sierra Calderona, nestled into the peaceful San Miguel Urbanisation, (named after the popular light beer) we find this enormous family home. With one of the best panoramic views you will find in the whole of the Valencian community, here you can see across the countryside, the city, the port, the coast, and on a clear day Cullera and even Montgó in Denia if you stand on your tippy toes, have 20/10 vision, a bionic eye, or some good old fashioned binoculars.

A Three Storey Villa on a tiered plot with Six Bedrooms, Two Bathrooms, Large Kitchen and generous Living Spaces with covered terraces, full of character, charm and enormous potential, it also has a fantastic recently renovated pool surrounded by it's bright and breezy garden, a perfect environment to enjoy a bottle or three of your favourite generic lager.

A viewing is highly recommended. Beer goggles or binoculars are optional.

Townhouse in Roca-Cuper 380K

A standard requirement for people who still haven’t gotten to know the Valencia area well is that they want a house by the beach with good public transport links, and walking distance to some decent restaurants. And our standard reply is sorry, but that just doesn’t exist here. The urbanisations are inland and sprawling, and you will be dependent on a car. However, when the facts change we change our opinion, and yes in fact it is possible. There is a house. Only one mind you, but it does exist and this is it.

The pueblo is Roca-Cuper. It’s not the biggest, even Valencians would have trouble finding it on a map, despite it having Spain’s biggest Nativity scene. It’s about ten kilometres to the north of the city and only a few minutes walk away to one of the best beaches in the area, which is completely undeveloped and relatively undiscovered. And the town (pop 350) has four restaurants (!), one of them Michelin-recommended and and the other 3 almost as well thought of. A small town that punches well above its weight.

This property has 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms (one on each floor), and 3 terraces – again one on each floor and of course the roof terrace, giving panoramic views of the countryside and in particular the amazing sunsets. Downstairs there are 2 bedrooms, an open kitchen and living area, and a slightly separated dining room. There is also a large storeroom, which could be used as an office. From the main bedroom upstairs (huge by the way), you can see the sea (sunrise over the Mediterranean anyone?), and you can also see the train platform, and you will either not be bothered by this or hate this, but the platform is right outside the front door of the house.

So, the positive. Although you live practically in the countryside, it is only a little over 20 minutes door-to-door into the absolute centre of the city. And the negative of course is the noise of trains passing. I’ve been here a couple of times, and for me it isn’t an issue. I’d definitely take the occasional whoosh of a train in exchange for the brilliant public transport service.

Cabanyal in fact, is only 5 minutes away, and even if you don't want to be using a car or even train every time you leave the house, Port Saplaya with loads of bars and restaurants is just a walk away (down to the beach, turn right, another 10 minutes and you're there). How long it takes you to stagger back is your own business. So this is a brilliant option for anyone frustrated of looking for that perfect house along the beach areas of the city.

And it’s a townhouse. They are old (1930 in this case), they can have structural problems, and renovation can be very difficult. In this case, someone has already gone through the pain and the frustration to do this for you. Renovated just 3 years ago. Very modern windows and doors, electrics and appliances, but the original features of the property have been retained. Mosaic hydraulic floors, high ceilings with exposed wooden beams and even the original main front door has been repurposed within the house. These old buildings don’t need air-conditioning, especially with the sea breeze, and there is a wood fire stove on both floors which combined with the top quality insulation from the windows and doors, makes it very warm for those one or two months of the year here when it gets a bit chilly.

Look, you often hear agents say things along the lines of ‘If I could, I’d buy it myself’. Honestly, I hardly ever have a reaction like that to a property, but this is one of those rare times. A charming house a few kilometres outside Valencia that really has the best of all worlds.

House on the Mountain in Chiva 305K

Views, views views and views. Lots of them. into the valley, into the fray.

A detached house in Calicanto where from the large terrace you have amazing views, which is a big plus, I may have mentioned the views earlier, they are an important part of the house.

What makes the house unique is the living room, which is no less than 6.5 metres high, giving you a very spacious and light feeling, it's even high enough for some of our Dutch clients to not feel claustrophobic in. For hot days there is air conditioning and for colder days central heating or the fireplace. Nice for the Christmas days ahead and the many more Christmases you will be enjoying while looking out over the views, did I mention them?

On the ground floor you also have the kitchen opening onto the spacious terrace (With views) and a bathroom. The terrace of course is nice because you will be living on that terrace for much of the year and so you can easily serve your snacks and drinks in that spot. The first floor has two bedrooms and a bathroom and in the attic you have another spacious bedroom with bathroom.

Under the house you will find a spacious garage and around the house is your garden because obviously a garden under the house would make no sense. The plot is a manageable 576m2 and the house 152m2.

This is a perfect house for a small family and let's face it nobody has a huge family these days the average number of kids here is 1.1 so we need all of you lovely immigrants/Expats to come here and help us build up our population. And if you do then the Levante international school is only 5 minutes away from the house and within 15-25 minutes (Depending on the traffic) you are at the airport. It's about the same number of minutes into the city of Valencia too, you can even see it in the distance if you crane your neck and use your imagination a bit on a clear day.

Double Delight

Our latest podcast will be out later today or tomorrow morning at the latest so listen out for it as we tell you more about the cost of living and the quality of life in Valencia, talk about weird things happening on our socials and give you some insight into the back end problems of having a successful website and how we keep trying to improve and how sometimes the best plans of mice and men don't come to pass! (If you see the podcast below and the image is clickable it means the podcast has now been published). You can check out our treasure trove of more than 50 previous episodes here.