Valencia is a Spanish city, situated on the Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula on a large alluvial plain formed by the rivers Júcar and Turia. It is the capital of the Autonomous Community of Valencia and the third largest Spanish city, after Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia was founded by the Romans in 138 BCE as “Valentia Edetanorum”, making it also one of the oldest cities in the whole of Spain. Currently Valencia also hosts a number of world events, including the European Formula 1 Grand Prix and the ATP 500 tennis tournament. As well as Castillian Spanish, the city also speaks Valencian and they are both official languages of Valencia.

Valencia has two beaches within the city limits, the Malvarrosa and the de las arenas. These are typical city beaches, with fine golden sand and a long and extensive seaside promendade offering a great variety of shops and restaurants. The city also offers a wide selection of parks and green spaces. Around 90% of the city’s streets all have green areas and a large selection of trees. The major parks are the Parque de Cabecera, with an artificial lake, childrens’ games and the Bioparc, Valencia’s new zoo, the Parque Gulliver, with a huge figure of the mythical Gulliver, whose clothes and hair form slides for children to play on, the Botanical Garden and the Jardines del Real.

Accommodation in Valencia’s student residences

The student residences and colegios mayores are assigned to one of the three universities in Valencia, the University of Valencia, and the Polytechnic University of Valencia and the Catholic University of Valencia. It should be understood that these residences are designed primarily for students and not children or adults expecting a high level of luxury. However, with this in mind, the halls do meet a level of comfort that we expect most visitors to be happy with, and we will welcome any feedback where this is not the case.

Getting around Valencia

Valencias Metro network is made up of 5 lines, 3 underground and 2 overground tram lines. The city has four mainline train stations and four of the lines that operate out of them connect Valencia with places like Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza. There is also a large network of city and suburban buses. In July and August there are several additional routes that connect the various parts of the city with the beaches. Valencia is served by the Aeropuerto de Manises, which is located around 8 km (5mi) from the city centre and is reachable by bus and metro.

Recently archaeologists discovered remains dating back to the 4th centuty BC, which prove that there has been human activity on the site occupied by present-day Valencia even before the official foundation of the Roman city in 138 BC. However, in all other aspects, with its strategic location so close to the sea, it is a typical Roman city. In the 3rd century AD, as it was in the rest of the Roman Empire, there was a marked period of decline and in the beginning of the following century, a primitive Christian community had already began to form there.

Shortly after the Muslim conquest of the city in 711, the city began to grow again and changed language, religion and customs. In the 11th century a new wall was constructed to protect the city and its remains can still be found through out the Ciutat Vella (Old Town). In 1238 the city was conquered by James I of Aragon and in 1363 the city had to twice repell attacks from Castillian forces. Known as the Valencian Golden Age, the 15th century was the one that saw enormous cultural growth and expansion in Valencia. Commerce was reestablished and Valencia also printed the first ever book printed in Spain. With the discovering of America, the European economy began to favour the Atlantic, as opposed to the Mediterranean. Valencia suffered an economic crisis, culminating in a disasterous epidemic of the plague in 1519 and the War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1709), which signalled the end of the political and legal independency of the Kingdom of Valencia. The leaders of the municipal government were no longer elected, but rather appointed directly by the monarch. In the 19th it was the Peninsular War against the armies of Napoleon that affected Valencian territory the most. In 1812, after a long siege, the city finally fell into French hands. After the surrender, the French introduced certain reforms in Valencia, which eventually ended up being the capital of Spain, when Joseph I of Spain moved the royal court there. In 1937 Valencia was bombed for the first time by the Italian fascists.