Trying to choose a traditional Valencia neighborhood? Cabanyal might be just the place you’re looking for.

Like most staying in Cabanyal, we chose the old fishing village due to it’s proximity to La Malvarrosa, Valencia’s main beach. Reminiscent of San Juan, PR’s old town, without the forts, walls, or tourists, the village consists of tightly packed, multicolored homes, which in some cases seemed haphazardly stacked right upon each other.

You won’t find any tourist traps and there’s very little English spoken here. Although, we found the locals to be amazingly friendly and proud of their traditional Valencia neighborhood. For eats, the tiny neighborhood bars serve up tapas with the incredible service of a five-star restaurant, and the Mercadillo Cabanyal offers the highest quality meats, seafood, and produce, at lower prices than we have ever seen. Family events often spill out into the streets: festive evening meals on the sidewalk, children throwing firecrackers at dusk, or solemn band-led funeral processions, these are just the sights and sounds of traditional Valencia daily life.

The sounds of Cabanyal on a Sunday afternoon: